How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs In A Mattress

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs In A Mattress

Bed bugs are designed to feed on warm-blood animals like human beings, and that is why they are most commonly found on our mattresses. We have already told you how to get rid of mites, moths and fleas in your home. Now, if you suspect presence of bed bugs on your mattress, then here at OneHowTo.com, we will tell you how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress.

Identifying the bed bugs

An adult bed bug is brown or reddish in color, and has a flat, oval-shaped body. It is almost the same size of a grain of rice. When you dismantle your bed and stand it on one end, you may be able to see the bugs, or at least their molted nymphs skin, or dark spots from their dried excrement. Give particular attention to the seams of your mattress, where most bugs reside. If you have a wooden bed, check its crevices and cracks too.

Placing a mattress cover

There are special bed bug proof mattress covers available in the market, which you can place over your infested mattress, and trap the bugs inside. Eventually, they will starve to death, and you will be free of them. The bugs may take as long as 400 days to starve to death. So, you need to make certain that your mattress cover stays in place for that long.

Exposing the mattress to extreme temperatures

To get rid of bed bugs, you can take your mattress outside, and keep it in a sunny, hot location for 4-5 days. As bed bugs may also succumb to extremely cold temperatures, you can also refrigerate your mattress, but at least for 2 weeks. A big refrigerator that can accommodate your mattress may not be available in your house. So, you may need to rent one, or send your mattress to a commercial refrigerator location.

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Spraying non-toxic spray

There are non-toxic bed bug sprays available out there. You can spray it on your infested mattress, seal it in a plastic bag, and leave for a couple of months. The bed bugs will be succumbed to death, and your mattress will be free of them. If the odor of the spray bothers you, you may get your mattress dry cleaned to make it fresh new.

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Point steaming

You can buy a steam generating device from any local hardware shop. You may also use an electric kettle to generate steam, and point it to the mattress with the help of a flexible tube attached to it. Steam is best known to kill the bed bugs, and also their eggs. While spraying the steam, make sure to concentrate on all seams and corners of the mattress.

Image: pixabay.com

Discarding the affected mattress

In extreme cases of bed bug infestation, you may need to discard the affected mattress. Remember, if your mattress is affected, chances are that your linens, carpet, flooring and other items in the room will also be infested. So, first of all discard the source, that is the mattress, and then treat the remaining items in the room.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs In A Mattress, we recommend you visit our Maintenance and home security category.