Bedbugs are small nocturnal pests that can quickly turn your peaceful nights into nightmares. For many of us, the bed is indeed a refuge where we seek comfort and relaxation. However, these unwanted visitors can disrupt our sleep by biting us at night, causing unpleasant itching and anxiety. Fortunately, there are effective preventative measures to protect your mattress and bedroom from these harmful insects, bed bugs. With these simple but essential tips to prevent and eliminate bedbugs before the infestation, enjoy some well-deserved rest.
These practical techniques are very complementary. Do not hesitate to follow several for better preventive and protective action on a daily basis!
1) Be very vigilant and careful with your bedding
Inspect your bedding regularly allows you to spot the infestation at the first signs to prevent it from spreading and getting worse. To spot a bed bug infestation in your bed, pay attention to signs such as the presence of small blood stains on the sheetsof the black dot-shaped feces and clustered bites on your bodyespecially around the waist, neck and arms. Additionally, look for the bedbugs themselves. These are small, oval, brown to reddish insects hidden in the seams and crannies of the mattress.
In addition to this, maintain the bedding well to reduce the risks as much as possible. The sheets can be machine washed at 60°C minimum. For anything that can’t stand the heat or won’t fit in the machine, a spin in freezer for 48 hours can also be effective. Finally, if you have any doubts about invasion, vacuum the mattress regularly, paying attention to the seams. After this, slip the bag into a well-sealed and closed bag which you will throw in the trash. If you have a steam device that heats wellyou can also carefully process every corner. Finally, remember to move the bed away from the wall to prevent these little creatures from climbing on it.
2) Invest in covers to protect the mattress from bedbugs
Invest in mattress, pillow or even box spring covers (if necessary). Some are in fact specially designed to prevent bedbugs from invading your bed. Completely waterproofthey ultimately prevent bedbugs from entering or exiting. In addition, they sometimes duplicate work by also making it possible to protect from mites. Simply choose a quality protective cover that will offer you more lasting protection over time.
3) Diatomaceous earth for a bed protected from bedbugs
Chemical insecticides are very harmful to health and ultimately ineffective against this scourge. However, there is a chemical-free insecticide that has excellent pesticidal properties : diatomaceous earth! Already well known for its action against chicken lice or fleas in our pets, it also eliminates bedbugs and keeps them at bay thanks to its very abrasive fossilized marine microalgae.
Be careful, we must not never put this natural insecticide directly on the pillow or even the mattress at the risk of irritating the respiratory tract! However, you can sprinkle it at the foot of the bed, between the floor slats, along the baseboards, in the four corners of the bed or even at the electrical outlets (around and inside). In short, we treat the hidden corners where they like to slip in in order to repel them.
4) Vaseline to protect the mattress and bed from bedbugs
Apply Vaseline in thick layers on the four corners of the bed to protect it. The bedbugs will not be able to get through and will stick to it. After a few days, you can also wipe it with a paper towel and check for the presence of these little creatures if in doubt about the infestation. It is therefore a good preventative tip, but also control. You can do the same with double-sided tape, always at the foot of the bed. If you have taken care to remove the bed from the wall, these critters should not be able to climb in!
5) A trap at the foot of the bed to prevent an infestation
Bedbugs cannot not jump and can only count on their quality as good climbers to reach the bed. On the market, we therefore find interceptors to be placed at the level of the four legs of the bed or even special bed legs to prevent them from rising. Nevertheless, we can create protection yourself with a small plastic container stuck inside a larger container. If the bedbugs are on the floor and have not yet reached the bedthis will prevent them from passing.
For this trap to be effective, put rough adhesive on the outer wall of the largest box (painter’s tape for example). This will allow the bedbugs to climb in, but they will no longer be able to get out.. Finally, apply a thin layer of talcum powder to the inside of the large container to make it even more slippery. Then, put this trap at the foot of the bed and let the “magic” work. Find the tutorial here (the video is in English, but the images are easily understandable).
6) Other tips for protecting your mattress and bedroom from bedbugs…
First, wash your sheets, pillowcases and blankets regularly at high temperatures. Bedbugs are not resistant to heat, which makes it possible to eliminate them effectively. Moreover, reduce refuge areas and go minimalist! Get rid of the clutter under and around your bedbecause bedbugs like to hide in dark places and piles of clothes in the room. A clear space also makes their presence more visible.
These critters can hide in many very discreet places and emerge at night to devour you. This is particularly the case with electrical outlets. So use special protectors to isolate these potential entry points. Above all, also think about seal cracks and crevices in walls, baseboards and floors to prevent bedbugs from hiding there.
Also be careful when bringing second-hand furniture or objects in your home because they can carry bedbugs. Inspect them carefully before bringing them into your home and if necessary, do not hesitate to disinfect them (the procedure right here). Finally, when traveling, inspect your hotel room for signs of infestation and store your luggage on special racks or in the shower while you reassure yourself.
There you go, you now know how to avoid bedbugs in bedding and how to protect the mattress as well as the bed. These tips will be effective in prevention and also at the start of an infestation. However, if there are a lot of them, it is better to call a professional. In any case, don’t hesitate to share your own tips in the comments! Let us remind you in passing that this phenomenon is not new and even if we talk about it a lot, simple hygiene and vigilance measures will be enough to keep your mind at ease.