Avoid These Common Mistake and Enjoy Greater Success
1.) Don’t use pyrethrum or pyrethrin sprays on mattresses, pet beds or couches. According to an EPA survey of poison control centers, they cause more insecticide poisoning incidents than any other pesticides except for organophospates. Read labels carefully before choosing any do-it-yourself product.
2.) Do limit the areas where pets sleep. The presence of several unconscious bodies lounging around the house is a formula for attraction and disbursement. Bedbugs have great difficulty extracting blood through pet fur, but it doesn't mean they won't try. Your pets can attract them to areas where they normally wouldn't go, creating problems in rooms that were previously unaffected. Crate pets at night, or set aside a well-protected area for animals to sleep. Spray pet beds with cedar oil and refresh the treatment every few weeks. Discard old pet beds that have become infested or wash them in the hottest water available.
3.) Do spray an even mist of cedar oil over the carpet underneath your bed. Refresh the treatment once a month to protect pets that enjoy relaxing under beds and stop the cycle of attraction to your sleeping quarters.
4.) Do play detective, especially near areas where pets and humans sleep. Lift carpet edges, remove moldings and study the seams where ceilings and walls meet. Ask yourself where you’d hide if you were a bedbug with the desire to live near your sleeping host. Would you slip behind a picture frame hanging above your host’s bed? Would you crawl inside a pet toy, scratching post or pet bed? Spray any object that seems overly suspicious.
5.) Do spray BOTH sides of the mattress. Don’t forget to remove the fine mesh cobweb netting that covers the underside of most box spring units. Spray this area liberally to kill bugs hiding within the bed cavity.
6.) Do use zippered mattress and box spring covers to prevent future infestation. Choose a durable waterproof mattress encasement with a sturdy zipper. Apply duct tape over the tiny gaps where zippers open and close. Remember that bedbug nymphs are barely visible to the naked eye. They can easily penetrate zipper clasps.
7.) Do protect bed legs, bed frames and headboards. Since bedbugs can’t jump or fly, they are most likely to reach you by crawling up furniture. Spray bed legs with cedar oil or cover them with double sided tape. Refresh the tape when it appears dusty or no longer feels sticky. Consider exchanging your wooden headboard for a sleek metal design without cracks and crevices.
8.) Don’t allow pets into your newly protected bed.
9.) Don’t begin sleeping in other areas of the house! Bedbugs will simply leave your bedroom in search of a warm body. The infestation will quickly spread to other rooms.
10.) Don’t forget to spray baseboards and curtain hems that touch the floor. This will prevent bedbugs from crawling up the wall and across the ceiling where they can parachute onto the mattress.
11.) Do vacuum thoroughly and discard the vacuum bag to prevent bedbugs from escaping.
12.) Do wash linens and bedclothes in the hottest water available. Store clean blankets and pajamas in giant Ziplock bags. Change into fresh clothing every time you get into bed. A bedbug can easily hitch a ride from your couch to your bed using your favorite robe as a vehicle.
13.) Do spray couches and easy chairs, paying special attention to crevices and cushion wells. If you’re certain that the living room is infested, remove the fine mesh cobweb netting on the underside of your couch to gain access to the spring area. Spray this area liberally to kill bedbugs hiding within the sofa cavity.
14.) Do purchase smaller blankets that won’t hang over the sides of your bed. Bedbugs are known to latch onto blanket corners that touch the floor.
15.) Do move your bed six inches away from the wall or nightstand. Any part of your bed that touches a piece of furniture becomes an open pathway for crawling bugs.
16.) Do spray inside drawers, especially those nearest your bed. Pay special attention to cracks, seams and beveled edges.
17.) Do spray your dog’s belly to prevent bedbugs from latching on. Cedar oil wipes out fleas, ticks, lice, mites, bedbugs, nymphs and eggs on contact. It will also condition skin and heal sores and skin irritations.