Janitorial services tips and advice to get rid of bed bugs once and for all.
Professional Janitorial Services Tips to Remove Bed Bugs
Bed bug infestations have been on the rise in the United States for several years.
The rise is due to several factors, including misconceptions regarding the nature of bed bug infestations--that they are related to levels of cleanliness or wealth--but more relevantly, they have become all but immune to conventional and controversial pesticides, specifically pyrethroids.
Regardless of status, bed bug infestations can be financially devastating, with many individuals throwing away entire rooms worth of furniture, including couches and mattresses, facilitating a potentially disastrous environmental problem.
Many pest control companies now rely on extreme heat treatments to kill off the bugs, but the process is laborious, expensive, and requires everyone to evacuate the space, pets included.
The treatment is only marginally useful, and repeated treatments are often needed.
While the infestation levels in the United States are not currently considered epidemic, that may soon change.
According to Alexis Barbarin, previously of Penn State University;
The Centers for Disease Control has hesitated to call the bed bug problem an epidemic because they do not spread disease.
Have bed bug infestations reached epidemic proportions?
In my opinion, no.
But will they if we do not do anything about it?
Probably so.
Bed Bug Breakdown
The problem with bed bugs is their resilience as a community.
Adults can go several months without a blood meal, they are resistant to extreme high and low temperatures, and are now, more or less, immune to pesticides.
In an established bed bug colony, a new bug is born on average at a rate of one per day.
They can, and do hide nearly everywhere; inside bed frames, light sockets, curtain rods, furniture, screw holes--essentially, something from your nightmares.
They do have one glaring weakness for which they cannot out-evolve: a thin, waxy protective layer that retains moisture within their bodies.
How to Kill Bed Bugs
Bed bugs typically do not roam more than five to ten feet from their primary food source, which is you.
They are attracted to carbon dioxide, and so, drawn to your breathing, typically come out at night while you are sleeping, leading to the misconception that they are nocturnal.
Once you notice the first signs of them--black spots on your sheets and pillows from waste expulsion, as well as exoskeletons--it's probably too late.
If you don't have any round bite marks on you, give it a few days, it's coming.
The best advice you will get is to assume the position that they are everywhere, and in everything, within 10-12 feet of your bed.
Take a deep breath, and gather your tools.
You'll need:
- Masking tape.
- Power outlet guards.
- A handheld steamer.
- A vacuum cleaner.
- Disposable plastic containers with a lip around the top that curves down.
- CimeXa.
- Pillow, box spring, and mattress bed bug covers.
Except for CimeXa and the bed bug covers, everything else you'll need is available from your local grocery and hardware store.
CimeXa, as well as the covers, are available online from Amazon, as well as several other reputable online retailers.
Step 1
Strip your bed entirely and wash everything, then dry on a high-heat cycle.
Set the cleaned linen aside, and do not bring it back into the room.
Consider storing it in a sealed plastic bag and purchasing a new set if you have the budget.
Do the same for any drapes.
Remove blinds and inspect them very carefully for black defecation spots.
Step 2
Plug all the electrical outlets in the room, not already in use, with plastic guards.
Step 3
Carefully examine and dismantle all furniture in the room, as well as any clutter.
Pay particular attention to folds and seams, especially on couches and mattresses.
Step 4
Bed bugs like to hide in crevices and screw holes and can be difficult to expel.
Use the handheld steamer to carefully blast all furniture crevices, cracks, and screw holes, especially in the bed frame and nearby night stands.
Step 5
Once everything has been dismantled and steamed, vacuum the entire carpet, especially the edges, where they are almost certainly hiding.
Step 6
Use the CimeXa to fill all cracks, screw holes, and crevices, then seal them with masking tape.
This will kill any eggs or bugs the steam didn't eliminate, and deny any leftover bugs a place to hide in the future.
Step 7
Cover your mattress, pillow, and box spring with a special bed bug cover to prevent any that may be hiding inside from escaping, as well as denying a new place to hide for ones that you missed.
Step 8
Use the special applicators commonly sold with CimeXa along the border of the wall and the carpet, making sure to use enough to leave the appearance of a white seal along the edge.
Do make sure to get everything; if you miss a spot, the bed bugs will find it.
Step 9
After reassembling the bed frame, place the feet of the frame into the plastic containers, then power the inside with CimeXa.
Bedbugs struggle to climb up smooth surfaces, and cannot hang upside down on them.
The lip will prevent new bugs from crawling up into your bed, and the powder will kill any that climb down.
Step 10
Apply the CimeXa powder along all of the edges of your furniture, bed frame, and any perceived high-traffic areas.
A Note on CimeXa
CimeXa is a silica-based insecticide that is 100% non-toxic, and safe for humans and animals.
The silica attaches to the insects as they pass through the barrier and begins to scratch away at the waxy protective layer.
Once the waxy layer erodes sufficiently, bed bugs begin to lose moisture and die of dehydration.
The powder is advertised to last for up to ten years in undisturbed locations, so repeated applications are typically unnecessary in most situations.
It will take a few days for the effects of the silica to be noticeable, and you will need to remain vigilant, as there is a high probability that they have spread to other rooms in the home or hotel.
It is unlikely that they would have congregated on furniture more than 10 feet away from where someone sleeps, but a couch that is frequented by guests should be examined thoroughly.
References
- Bed bugs develop resistance to widely used insecticides
- Top Ten Tips to Prevent or Control Bed Bugs
- Top 10 Myths about Bedbugs
- Bed Bug Management Guidelines
- Bed Bug Pesticides: Aren’t They all the Same?
- How to Find Bed Bugs
Takeaway
Bed bugs are developing into a near epidemic problem in the U.S.
While they do not carry any transferable disease, their effect on the mental health of sufferers has been poorly researched.
While the insects are incredibly resilient, they do have a significant weak point; their waxy protective coating, which can be eroded by an eco-friendly silica compound called CimeXa.
For homes or businesses that cannot afford the 5 to more than 10 thousand dollar price tag of repeated heat treatments, the silica powder may be the only practical route.
Remember not to panic and start throwing away your furniture.
Stay calm and diligent, follow the instructions provided, and contact us with any cleaning questions you may have.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of professional janitorial services for your business, or need assistance getting rid of bed bugs in your home, hotel, or office contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 395-3009
In Fresno CA, call (559) 473-1790
