Don't let the name fool you. If you have a bed bug infestation, they're not just in your bed. These pests are everywhere inside your house, and your clothes are no exception. As a part of effective bed bug control, you must get these pests and their eggs out of your clothes. Follow these instructions for bug-free clothes you'll want to wear again.
Washy Washy
It's difficult to see bed bugs because they're tiny and almost transparent, but it's even harder to see their eggs. To get rid of the infestation, you must wash all the clothes inside your house. Begin by sorting all the clothes by their care instructions and placing each pile of clothes into a large plastic garbage bag. Seal each bag tightly until you're ready to throw them into the washer. Do not move the clothes to a different room to sort them because you'll risk the chance of spreading the bugs from room to room.
Open the lid of the washing machine and add the recommended amount of laundry detergent that you normally use. Pick up a garbage bag and carefully place the opening of the bag at the opening of the machine and dump in the clothes. Don't handle the clothes because this could spread the bugs around the laundry room. Immediately remove the garbage bag from inside the house throw it away outdoors. Wash the clothes in the hottest water possible as recommended on the care instruction label of the clothes.
Dry on High
If the washing cycle doesn't kill all the bed bugs, the high heat of the dryer will do them in. Remove the clothes from the washer and place them in the dryer using the highest heat setting you can without ruining your clothes. Allow the dryer to run for at least 30 minutes even if your clothes are already dry because this will kill the bugs. As you take the clothes out of the dryer, fold them and place them into a clean plastic garbage bag. Keep your clothes in plastic trash bags until you've had professional bed bug treatment inside your home.
If some of your clothes have a dry-clean-only label, skip the washing process and place the clothes in the dryer on the highest heat setting. If you have clothes that will be ruined bye dryer heat, put them in plastic bags and place them in the freezer. Leave the clothes in the freezer for at least four days to kill any bed bugs and their eggs. If preferred, take the clothes to a dry cleaner and explain the situation.
When you come upon an ant in your home, what do you do? Maybe you kill that one ant and then set some traps to catch any others that come with it. Perhaps you spray some insecticides along the baseboards or in other places where ants tend to congregate. Sometimes these measures might take care of the problem, but other times they don't. If ants continue to be an issue, you'll need to call a pest control company. The same goes if you are dealing with roaches, mice, or some other pest. Learn more about pest control and what these companies do as you explore this website.