The Downside To Certain Bed Bug Treatments, Part 1: Physical Removal Of Bed Bugs

Alana Korol

May 24, 2017

For as long as there have been people, there have been bed bugs looking for opportunities to get their beaks into them.

In this first in a series about bed bug treatments and how well they work, we’re going to look at some of the physical forms of bed bug treatments and how they do, or don’t, work. Today we’re going to discuss the physical removal of bed bugs from your home.

Temporary Removal Of Furniture

In most cases, the temporary removal of an item just isn’t going to do anything to help. For instance, some people will try to remove their mattress in order to get it away from the bed bugs. Perhaps they’ll take it outside and beat it with a coat hanger or baseball bat, hoping to dislodge the bed bugs. But what they end up doing is transporting the bed bugs (and their eggs) through the house as they drag it.

Over the years, what we’ve learned today is that it’s better to not disturb any bed bug-containing materials until they have received effective treatment. Otherwise, you’re just exacerbating the problem.

Furniture Destruction

One way to get rid of an infested piece of furniture is to simply destroy it. And we’re not just talking about mattresses here, but bed frames, dressers, and side tables, all of which give bed bugs a place to hide when they’re not sawing into your skin and sucking your blood. The best way of doing this is to enclose the piece of furniture in a large plastic bag before removing it from the house. Once it’s outside, take it to the dump immediately. After all, you don’t want someone coming along to see a piece of furniture that looks completely usable and walk off with it.

What’s the downside? Well, the extreme cost of replacing all of those items is certainly one reason you might want to find an all-natural spray instead of destroying your furniture. Even worse, getting rid of your furniture won’t solve the problem, because the bed bugs will remain in the carpet or along the baseboards. And once you buy a new mattress or dresser, those items will once again become infected and need bed bug treatment.

Wash Them Away

One thing we always recommend is taking all bed linens that could possibly be infected and giving them a hot wash. Many bed bugs will be washed away and down the drain when you wash your sheets.

The only downside to doing this is that you should always use both a hot wash and a hot drying cycle, even on cold-wash items. While this might shorten their lifespans, it’s worth it if it gets rid of bed bugs, isn’t it?

Vacuuming

We’re actually big fans of vacuuming, especially when compared to dragging your mattress through the house or throwing away a perfectly good dresser! Vacuuming is actually part of the process we recommend for getting rid of bed bugs, in addition to our bed bug spray. After all, using a multi-pronged attack is the best way to get rid of as many bed bugs as possible, and you’re looking to get every last one.

It’s important to remember to get rid of the vacuum bag after you’re done vacuuming the bed. That’s because bed bugs (and many other insects) can crawl out of the bag, through the vacuum tube, and head right back out into your house. Fabulous, right?

Are there any downsides to vacuuming? Only if you forget to remove the vacuum bag quickly, or if you move too quickly and dislodge a bed bug from the bed and onto the carpet.

Steam Cleaning

While we’ll discuss this more in the blog about bed bug treatments involving heat in the third blog in this series, the use of steam is another surefire way to kill bed bugs. Bed bugs are killed by such high temperatures, so hitting them and their eggs with a professional steamer is a great way to kill the ones you can’t see.

The only downside to steam cleaning is if you use one that produces too much moisture, which can make soft materials too wet and cause mold and/or mildew to form.

Bed Bug Traps

Why not stop the bed bugs before they even reach your mattress? After you’ve ensured that your mattress and bed are free from bed bugs, place these children and pet-friendly bed bug traps by each foot of your bed frame. They’ll not only attract the bed bugs from surrounding areas but also trap them so that they have no chance of ever crawling up your bedpost in the first place.

Perhaps the worst part about bed bugs is that you have to get everyone during physical removal methods. A single female tends to lay around 500 eggs in her lifetime, which means thousands of more bed bugs through the generations. That’s why we’re big fans of the multi-faceted approach: vacuuming, steaming, bed bug powder, bed bug traps, and, of course, all-natural bed bug spray like Bed Bug Patrol. Find the ultimate removal pack right here!

Let us at Bed Bug Store assist you. All our products come with a 90-day 100% satisfaction guarantee. We have been relieving customers of their bed bugs for over 18 years. Our products are also 100% all-natural, chemical and pesticide-free. The smell you notice when using our solution, is the fresh scent of peppermint.

A closer look at where to use Bed Bug Patrol:

Safe for children and pets, completely deadly for bed bugs.

Our sprays are made with 100% effective natural ingredients and essentials oils, making Bed Bug Patrol a great alternative to harsh pesticides and insecticides to which bed bugs are becoming increasingly resistant.

Enjoy the safety of knowing your bed bug battle will soon be won by the all-natural power of Bed Bug Patrol.