What Is the Best Bed Bugs Killer? The Ultimate Guide
Remember when we used to think this was just a cute children's rhyme?
Well, across the country, the bed bugs are biting, and no one is smiling anymore. From New York to Ohio to Texas and Washington, everyone is looking for a surefire bed bugs killer. And, if you're not an exterminator and don't want to pay one, this guide will help you.
Have bed bugs made you afraid of your own home? You're not alone.
In their frenzy to get relief from the agony of bed bug bites, families across the country are discarding their beds, couches, clothing - and their peace of mind.
The mere thought of these blood-sucking bugs in our bed, and their pre-dawn sneak attacks, is enough to have us squirming in our sleep throughout the night.
And if you're thinking of moving to get rid of bed bugs, know that many families have moved to escape them only to find the critters packed up and relocated with them to their new home.
Clearly, these are no ordinary bugs.
Is There a Perfect Bed Bugs Killer?
No.
Truthfully, the closest thing to perfect bed bug elimination is the use of thermal heat procedures, in which your entire home is heated to more than 140 degrees for several hours. For many families, this is both unaffordable and unrealistic. But if you have detected bed bugs, you live in your own home (not an apartment or an adjoined structure), and you have the money ($2000–$5000), call the heat treatment professionals.
It's the best solution for getting rid of bed bugs permanently.
Don't wait. You're only giving the bed bugs more time to multiply, creating a bed bugs infestation on steroids.
If this is not true or realistic for you, then following this ultimate bed bugs treatment plan is the next best thing. And the time to start it was yesterday.
Know this: The blueprint for killing bed bugs yourself requires you to integrate and use multiple ways to detect, kill, and then monitor to prevent new bed bug colonies.
This is something the experts all emphasize.
Simply spraying the few bugs that you see almost never works.
If you're determined to ignore this advice and rely solely on sprays anyway, save some money for the exterminator.
Killing bed bugs yourself is not easy. But with some knowledge, a commitment to a bed bugs treatment plan, and persistence, you might be able to reclaim your home and your sanity again. The secret is using an integrated pest management approach and being thorough when applying it.
The Best DIY Bed Bugs Treatment Plan
Professionals use an integrated pest management approach to killing bed bugs. To have any chance of succeeding, you'll need to do the same by combining multiple tools. To get rid of bed bugs, you'll use some or all of these exterminator tools.
An Integrated Approach – The Only DIY Method That Works
These are the basic tools you'll use but they are no good without a process. This guide walks you through the recommended actions, step by step and room by room. Your integrated approach should cover nine steps:
Method | Description |
|---|---|
Familiarize yourself with the way bed bugs survive. This will help you understand the need for using multiple killing methods to get rid of them once and for all. | |
Learn how to uncover any bed bugs that might be living in your home. You must understand how they are getting in and where they hide during daylight. You need to do a room-by-room check. Get a notebook or writing pad and take notes as you check each room. Click to get your bed bug detection steps. | |
Preparation is key to eliminating bed bugs permanently. You must get rid of clutter. Eliminating clutter reduces safe hiding places for bed bugs. Clutter is a bed bug's best friend. We'll discuss steps to take to isolate a problem area and keep it from spreading to other rooms. Find out how and what to clean to fight bed bugs. | |
This is applying do-it-yourself heat. It might not work as quickly (and in some cases as effectively) as professionally applied thermal heat, but it’s still a powerful weapon. Heat kills the little buggers. The key is using it long enough and getting it into all the right places. | |
Cold is not as effective as heat, and it takes longer to work. But, you can also enlist your freezer as a tool. (This is not a recommended tactic because it's so difficult to make it effective. However, we address this method in the guide because many people ask about it.) Freezing can kill bed bugs in specific types of items. | |
Sprays have specific, but limited, uses as a bed bugs killer. Sprays take out visible bed bugs. They also kill bed bugs that are safely tucked away behind walls or not well hidden if, and only if, they are sprayed. Most have only a short-term effect. Do not depend on them as your only option. Sprays will miss many bed bugs, and those will re-populate your home. A spray is best as a quick kill solution, and some have an added short-term residual effect. This site will give you the details of what to look for and how to use them. See which bed bug sprays are most effective and how to get the most out of these contact killers. | |
Bed bug powders and dusts are some of the safest and most effective long-term killing methods. They dehydrate bed bugs, but they require contact with the bug to work. They may take longer to work but they continue to work once applied. Use this solution for its “leave behind” residual effect. We’ll show you the best bed bugs dusts and how to apply them effectively. | |
You must protect your bed, your couch, your clothing, your kids’ toys, and anything else that bed bugs can get into. It’s important to use only products that have been proven strong enough to prevent bed bugs from escaping the protective cover. | |
You'll need to monitor in between treatments to determine when you can decide the job is done. After all of your hard work, it's important to take every reasonable step to seal them out. Expect to monitor for at least 60 days after your last bed bug treatment. We’ll tell you what you need to do. Click to learn how to monitor for bed bug survival post treatment. | |
Interceptors play a useful role in both the detection and monitoring stages of your bed bugs treatment plan. | |
The best bed bug solution is never to allow them into your home in the first place. An informed owner is a vigilant owner. You'll be taking preventive steps as you clean and declutter in Step 3, but these additional steps will seal the deal once all the bed bugs are eliminated. Prevention can actually be your Step 3 if you don't find any evidence of bed bugs in Step 2. Don't skip this step. Doing this right means you can save yourself a lot of discomfort, embarrassment, and expense. We'll teach you how to prevent entry by bed bugs. |
Trust and follow the process. It's thorough and it works.
This video from DoMyOwn.com walks you through an overview of the process.
At each step, we'll give you short videos that demonstrate what you need to do before moving on. When we discuss sprays and dusts, we'll give you our specific recommendations for which ones to use.
Planning for Successful Treatment
As you can see, getting rid of bed bugs takes patience and above all thoroughness. One missed bed bug can re-infest your entire home in no time. Expect to use more than one method. Take time to do this right.
Expect to spend money on treatment methods, because, once in, these bugs don't leave without a fight.
Commit to following this guide completely.
If you persist, you will outlast and outsmart them. That's really the key. It's hard to be patient when you're losing sleep, you're stressed, and it doesn't appear you're gaining ground. But you must continue until the last one is gone. This is the best bed bugs treatment plan because it works.
Where to Start
Start at the beginning by reading Step 1, our section on the facts about bed bugs. If you skip this, you'll probably never get rid of bed bugs on your own because you won't understand how they survive.
Only then should you begin inspecting for bed bug hiding places. In lieu of an exterminator, this plan will guide you through the best bed bugs killer practices. Remember, trust and follow the process. It's thorough and it works.