Treating bed linen and pillows against bedbugs

If you rarely clean your apartment, this often leads to the appearance of bed bugs. However, the problem can occur even in new, clean apartments in apartment buildings.

There are several signs by which you can guess that bedbugs have appeared in your home. One of the main signs is strange bedbug marks on the bed, bedding or sheets. Many people experience severe discomfort at the mention of bedbugs, and this is not surprising - they seriously make living difficult, and you want to get rid of them as soon as possible. Fortunately, this is quite possible if you don’t delay and identify unwanted visitors in a timely manner. Next, you just need to choose the appropriate method for getting rid of bedbugs and start fighting them before it’s too late.

Where do bedbugs live?

Many people believe that bedbugs live exclusively in beds, sheets and bedding. However, it is not; In addition to the bed, they can settle in various parts of your home. Although bedding and bedding (more specifically, the deep layers of the mattress and cracks in the bed) are the preferred hiding places for these insects, it is of utmost importance to check them. Then you should carefully inspect the entire space around the bed so as not to miss anything important.

The main places where bedbugs can settle in an apartment include:

1. Secluded places: Most often, bedbugs settle not so much in bedding, but in the seams of pillows, blankets and mattresses, where it is easy for them to go unnoticed. They periodically move onto the bedding in search of food.
2. Furniture: It is important to thoroughly examine beds and sofas, where bedbugs also often hide.
3. Space behind furniture: After inspecting the beds, you should pay attention to the space behind the headboard, cabinets and general furniture in the house.
4. Carpets and paintings: All carpets and pictures should also be lifted and inspected carefully, as bed bugs may use them as hiding places.
5. Gaps in walls and floors: Bed bugs often find refuge in various crevices, such as under baseboards and areas where wallpaper has come off.
6. Home textiles: Curtains, drapes and tulle are preferred places for bedbugs because of the folds that provide good hiding conditions.
7. Sheets: Sometimes bedbugs can settle right on the sheets, either because the problem was not noticed in time, or because they massively inhabit the entire space.

It is clear from all of the above that bedbugs can hide almost anywhere, provided that it is a secluded place where it is convenient for them to hide and remain unnoticed for a long time.

Signs of bedbugs: bedbug marks on the sheets

Detecting the presence of bedbugs in a home is possible by a number of characteristic signs, and stains on bed linen are one of these signs. However, this is only one indicator.

To determine if these pesky insects are in your home, pay attention to the following:

1. Bedbug bites: These bites, usually in a small series of several bites (about three), are most often discovered in the morning because bedbugs hunt at night. They cause uncomfortable itching.
2. Traces of blood drops: Since bedbugs feed on droplets of blood, their bites may leave marks on bedding that are easy to spot. However, these are not the only marks - bedbugs also leave small black dots, which are their waste.
3. Shedding scales: There may be scales left on bed linens from bedbugs, which they shed during molting.
4. Cognac smell: If there is a strong proliferation of bedbugs in a closed room, a smell reminiscent of cognac may appear.

By studying all these signs and finding a few of them in your apartment, you can easily identify the presence of these pests in your home.

Bed bug bites

Insects such as bedbugs necessarily leave marks on human skin, since this is how they feed. So if you notice unusual bite marks on your skin, and mosquito bites are ruled out, this could be one of the key visible signs that you have bed bugs in your apartment. The problem is that at the time of the bite, a person does not feel pain due to the anesthetic substance that the bugs inject into the skin. They also hunt and only bite at night when their prey is asleep. Over time, these bites become very itchy, causing discomfort, and cannot be ignored.

How can you tell if you've been bitten by a bug? Let's look at the external signs:

1. New bites are only discovered in the morning, which indicates that they occur at night when you are in deep sleep.
2. There are several bites, and they follow each other in a row, appearing as red spots with a reddish dot in the middle.
3. The bites are red in color and may become swollen and very itchy.
4. In the middle of the spot there remains a red dot from the proboscis of the bedbugs.

People often confuse bedbug marks with mosquito bites, which also feed on blood. However, both types of bites can cause an allergic reaction. To differentiate:

Signs of mosquitoes:

1. Active only in the warm season, from spring to mid-autumn. If you get bites in winter, it is not from mosquitoes.
2. Do not leave eggs in residential areas, preferring to reproduce in damp places such as bodies of water, soil or sewers.
3. The mosquito bite is felt immediately it is not strong, but sharp and causes itching. Mosquitoes also do not bite a person in a straight line.
4. Mosquitoes make a characteristic sound when they fly. Bedbugs move silently.

Note that bedbugs prefer delicate skin, which makes women and children especially vulnerable. Distinctive areas of the body most commonly affected include the buttocks, back, arms, neck and elbows. Pets are less likely to be attacked by bedbugs due to their fur and thick skin.

Sometimes the signs of bedbugs in an apartment may coincide with your case, even if you do not have bites on your skin. In this case, it is likely that the problem may be other parasites, such as cockroaches, which do not use blood as a source of nutrition.

It is important not to scratch bedbug bites so as not to risk introducing infection into the open wound.

Ways to get rid of bedbugs on beds and in beds

As noted earlier, beds and open spaces are not the most preferred habitat for bedbugs, as they can easily be found in bedding. Instead, they prefer hidden areas such as seams and the space under the mattress. Even if bedbugs have settled in a bed, their numbers are much smaller.

The same applies to beds - they are not the safest haven for bedbugs. However, when the number of pests becomes very large, they can be found here too. People often mistakenly believe that bed bugs necessarily live in the bed, since their name implies that the main focus of their presence is there. However, it is not. The solution to the problem does not come down to carefully treating only the bed.

Treating only your sleeping area will not solve your bedbug problem. Despite how effective and expensive the products used may be, they will only kill those bedbugs that are in the bed, while the rest will continue their activity, creating discomfort. At night, while you are sleeping, they will come out of their hiding places and continue to bite you. Therefore, it is important to carry out a thorough and attentive cleaning, covering all possible hiding places for bed bugs.

What to do with bedbugs found in bed?

Naturally, it is necessary to take action immediately after detecting traces of the presence of bedbugs, since they will not disappear on their own. There are many effective means to control bedbugs, such as insecticides based on organophosphates or neonicotinoids.

It is important to treat not only the most secluded places where bedbugs live, but also all surfaces on which they can move towards you. Partial treatment will not get rid of bedbugs; cleaning should cover the entire area of ​​the room. Please note that mattresses and beds will require a significant amount of product.

Along with chemicals, there is an alternative method - raising the room temperature to 50-55 degrees for 1-2 hours. It is important to first remove mattresses and move furniture away from the walls. This method is also effective in killing bedbugs.

A steam generator in combination with insecticides is another way to treat a room. First, the mattress and baseboard are treated, then chemicals are applied to other areas.

Remember to disassemble the bed before treatment to reach hard-to-reach areas where bedbugs may be hiding. Remove bedding and wash it at maximum temperature. Care and attention to detail will help you get rid of bedbugs yourself and forever.

Chitinous shells are one of the signs of the appearance of bedbugs in an apartment

As mentioned earlier, evidence of bed bugs, such as shed shells and other debris, can act as an indicator of the presence of these pests in your home. Bed bugs also reproduce by laying eggs, which then hatch into larvae. After going through all five stages of their development, the larvae molt, shedding their small shells. These chitinous remains are light or dark in color, making them easier to detect.

Let's look at several stages of bed bug development:

1. Egg (1 mm);
2. Stage I larva (1,5 mm);
3. Stage II larva (2 mm);
4. Stage III larva (2,5 mm);
5. Stage IV larva (3 mm);
6. Stage V larva (4,5 mm);
7. Adult, or imago (5,5 mm).

It is easy to assume that bedbugs lay their eggs in the same secluded places where they live, and it is there that many chitin remains can be found.

Specific smell from parasites

As we mentioned earlier, if bedbugs actively multiply in an apartment, a persistent smell reminiscent of the aroma of cognac may appear in the apartment. If no other signs of these pests are found, there is an additional method for identifying the problem - monitoring changes in the smell in the room.

In addition to the aroma of cognac (or other fermented products), the odor may be associated with:

1. Dampness. However, increased humidity does not lead to an increase in the number of mosquitoes, and condensation does not form on the windows.
2. Mold. If there are no visible signs of mold or mildew in your walls or ceilings, but you still have a persistent odor, this may be due to bed bugs in your home.

Since these changes occur gradually, you can easily get used to the smell if you are constantly in the apartment. To more accurately determine the presence of an unusual odor in the house, it is best to ask guests who might notice the difference.

Chemical effects on bedbugs

Chemical treatment is recommended for various surfaces, such as a disassembled bed without bedding, floors, walls and mattresses. It is important to avoid treating bedding items such as sheets, duvet covers and pillows with this method to avoid possible effects on your health. Always consult the seller regarding the recommended dosage of the substance.

As mentioned earlier, washing at high temperatures is also an effective method.

Prevention of bedbugs spreading throughout the apartment

If bed bugs are found in nooks and crannies around your bed or in other areas of the room, it is important to immediately prevent them from spreading throughout your home. To do this, it is recommended to take certain measures:

1. Do not move any items from the infested room to other rooms to avoid accidentally transferring pests.
2. Do not mix dirty laundry with contaminated bedding.
3. Place bedbug-infested items in sealed bags to prevent the spread of bedbugs.
4. It is optimal to quickly wash all bedding separately from other items, using the highest possible temperature.

By following these guidelines, you can prevent bedbugs from breeding and spreading to other rooms.

F.A.Q.

Is it possible to notice a bedbug during the day?
Detecting them during daylight hours presents significant difficulties for humans compared to night time. Since these insects prefer to be active at night, daylight makes the search more difficult, and instead you are more likely to find evidence of their presence, such as bites that appeared overnight or remains of shells after molting.

How to get rid of bedbug bite marks?
People often ask this question not only because of the undesirable appearance of bedbug bite marks, but also because of the unpleasant itching they cause. To solve this problem, it is recommended to use special anti-irritation medications. In addition, to soothe the areas of bedbug bites, you can treat them with a soda solution, infusion of chamomile or calendula, which are often found in home medicine cabinets.

What are the signs to detect bedbugs on bedding?
Finding these insects in bed and on bedding is quite easy if you look carefully. Black specks on sheets, pillows, and mattress surfaces that represent bedbug feces are often seen on bedding. Bedbug bite marks on your skin while you sleep also indicate the presence of these pests in your bed. Remains of shells in various places can also indicate the presence of bedbugs in your sleeping area.