Okay, so you have just discovered that your home has a bed bug infestation, you\’re face, arms, legs and other body parts are covered in itchy red welts and all you want to do is get rid of these blasted bugs.

The big question is which bed bug killer do you choose? There are thousands of products on the market and making an informed choice about how you should tackle the problem is essential.

Bring In Professionals:

Your first choice may to use a professional bed bug killer company, but this comes at a price! They will come and spray your home with chemicals which should kill the bed bugs however, before taking this path you should consider a couple of points. For a start, you and your family will most likely have to leave your home whilst the work was carried out and will be unable to return until the chemicals are dry. Pesticides and insecticides can be extremely harmful to the health of humans and that of any pets living in the affected property, it is possible that over time you or someone in your family could develop health issues.

Another problem with using bed bug killer chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides is that the bed bugs can build up immunity – this has happened with numerous types of chemicals in the past – so greatly reducing the effectiveness of the treatment, leaving you with a much lighter wallet and a house still full of unwanted guests.

I do have to stress at this point that this really is the worst cases scenario and most bed bug killer companies only use treatments which are safe – the last thing they want are law suites!

Do It Yourself:

You could of course take things into your own hands and save yourself a great deal of money – become a DIY bed bug killer! So, how can you do this?

There are a number of ways in which you can tackle a bed bug infestation, non of which involve the use of harmful chemicals.

Regardless of what treatment you intend to use the first job which has to be done is to clear the room of clutter. Place magazines, books and anything else which can be disposed of into plastic bags, seal them tightly and get rid of them! Remember do all of this in the room which has the infestation, the last thing you want to do is allow bugs to spread to other rooms in the house.

Next, remove bedding, gather up clothing and other items which can be laundered. Place these also into plastic bags and take them to your laundry area. Wash all the items at as hot a temperature as possible, items which cannot be laundered you could perhaps place them in your tumble dryer on a high heat for 10 minutes, alternatively go over them carefully with a steam cleaner paying particular attention to pockets and under collars. It is essential that you then disinfect and clean your laundry area thoroughly once you have done.

Once you have done this it is time to get the vacuum cleaner out. This is an excellent tool because it allows you to get into all the cracks and crevices where these nocturnal creatures may hide out removing the bed bugs at all stages of development. Vacuum EVERYTHING, the mattress, box spring, curtains, inside drawers, closets, soft furnishings and so on. Don\’t forget the more obscure places – bed bugs do get around and will hide out beside pictures, in light switches and smoke alarms etc. This is also a good time to fix any holes or cracks in walls or floors because bed bugs will use these to hide in as well.

This is were you have to make a choice – Which bed bug killer to use

You could hire or purchase a steam cleaning machine, bed bugs cannot withstand heat so steam is a fantastic bed bug killer! Once you have used the vacuum cleaner on the entire room, methodically follow the same path using the steam cleaner, you will find more information on how to do this in my article How to Kill Bed Bugs Using Steam.

Alternatively you could go for a bed bug killer spray, this is not quite so straight forward as there are vast numbers of products available. Personally I have used one called Bed Bug Patrol which is produced using only natural plant extracts such as Euginia Carophylla, Mentha Piperita, and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate from Coconut Extract. These ingredients are completely harmless to humans and pets but lethal to bed bugs, killing them instantly and at all stages of development. Some other products do not kill bed bug eggs because they are unable to permeate the outer skin.

If I am honest, using both these methods in tandem is probably the most effective way to kill bed bugs, so the process would be vacuum –> Steam –> Spray.

But there are yet more things you can do.

The use of Fossil shell dust can also be a good bed bug killer. As an alternative to the spray, once you have steam cleaned the room you may want to place a dusting of this around. It too is completely natural and is made by crushing fossil shells and other marine life. It kills bed bugs quite simply by penetrating their waxy skin and causing them to dehydrate and die.

You could purchase bed bug traps! These are very easy to use and again totally natural, stick one trap to each bed post, chair leg or whatever and as the bed bugs begin to climb to feed (on your blood) they become completely stuck on the trap and die. Believe it or not these are actually really effective.

One final thing you could invest in are mattress and box spring encasements. These can be used for two things, to prevent bed bugs ever getting into you mattress or box spring should you be unfortunate enough to have a second infestation. Secondly you could use them to trap any remaining bed bugs and eventually they will die. However, it is worth noting that these horrid little creatures can survive for up to a year without feeding so don\’t be tempted to remove these encasements too soon.

As you can see there are many options for getting rid of bed bugs but finding the right bed bug killer is not always easy. Doing the job yourself will save you money but it will take a good deal of time and effort.

Author Bio: Finding the right bed bug killer can be tricky. Discover the best bed bug spray, tips and advise to help you deal with an infestation in your home.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: bed bugs,killer,spray