Bed bugs – a fact of life, but not a very nice one to think about. Here’s our house cleaning Oakton expert advice on dealing with them.
What are bed bugs?
They are small, blood-sucking insects that live in the cracks and crevices in your bed. They are attracted to body heat and carbon monoxide, and will come out at night to bite exposed skin and feed on your blood.
What happens next depends on how your body reacts to the bites. Not everyone reacts to them, but some people will develop itchy, red bumps as a result. They look like mosquito bites, but mosquito bites often appear in random places, whereas bites from bed bugs tend to appear in straight lines.
On your bedding, you might also notice tiny, black dots (their droppings) or tiny, brown blood stains.
House Cleaning Oakton Advice
Having bed bugs doesn’t mean that you live in a very dirty household. When people travel a lot, they can bring bed bugs back – stuck to clothing and suitcases. They love carpets so if you have a lot of carpets in your home, bed bugs are a risk.
Here’s some ideas for what you can do:
- Vacuum your carpets regularly – and consider carpet cleaning options. When you vacuum the carpets, make sure you dispose of the vacuum bag or contents every time.
- Invest in hypo-allergenic bedding and bed linen. Also invest in a bed bug proof mattress cover, which will trap the insects inside and cause them to starve to death. You will need to keep this in place for up to 400 days.
- Wash your bed linen at a temperature of at least 140 degrees F, or place your bed linen in a dryer on a hot setting for 30 minutes to kill off bugs.
- Check the woodwork next to your bed and any upholstered furniture as bed bugs can be present there.
- Use an insecticide spray especially designed for bed bugs. Always read the label and do not spray directly on clothing, bed linen or the mattress.
- You might need to replace the mattress if it appears to be heavily infested.
- Metal bed frames and headboards are a better idea than fabric ones.
- Make a tea-tree oil spray (18oz of water mixed with 18 drops of tea-tree oil) and spray this on furniture, your carpets and your bedding. Check compatibility with furniture first.
- Consider professional pest control firms if you think you have an infestation problem.
Here at Budget Maids we provide house cleaning Oakton, a maid service in Arlington or carpet cleaning services in Potomac and surrounds, and more. Why not give us a call today and let us help you ensure bed bugs don’t cause you any problems?
