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The first step to getting rid of bedbugs is making sure you actually have bedbugs. I would say at least 50 percent of the samples sent to us turn out not to be bedbugs, says Gil Bloom, president of Standard Pest Management. But that doesnt mean those tiny, flat bugs arent out there, waiting to hop onto your jacket or your roommates backpack and infest your mattress. Its unfortunately a fact of life in the city, admits Bloom, an entomologist with more than 40 years of experience, including a stint as an appointed member of Mayor Bloombergs Bed Bug Advisory Board. And the ubiquity of bedbugs is exactly why its important to stay calm. Yes, its very rough, but by dealing with it with fact and not fear, people get over it and move on.

So no, youre not going to get sick from bedbugs, and you will probably be able to get rid of bedbugs without throwing out all of your belongings. But knowing what you need to get rid of bedbugs and how bedbug treatment works will probably help you feel a little bit calmer. To find out exactly what you need to know about treating and getting rid of bedbugs, we spoke with Bloom and Timothy Wong, the technical director of New York Citybased, eco-friendly pest management company MMPC. Below, they recommend the best ways to kill bedbugs and the products you can buy to help stop them from infesting your apartment in the first place or, at the very least, to catch them early enough so they dont become a bigger problem.

Henkel-Loctite Tite Foam Insulating Foam Sealant, White

With bedbugs, and any pests, you want to isolate your apartment from the other units as much as possible to prevent infestations from spreading through the building, explains Bloom. The best way to do that is by going along the edges of your apartment and filling in any gaps and cracks in the walls like, say, around where a radiator pipe might protrude from. Filling these sorts of gaps is especially important in bedbug-prone areas like bedrooms, according to Bloom, who says the best way to close them up is with some type of sealant. When it comes to sealants, he says to avoid regular caulk because it dries up and cracks, which doesnt keep anything out. Instead, Bloom suggests this polyurethane-based foam sealant, which comes with an easy-to-use applicator to reach tight spaces.

DAP Dynaflex Crystal Clear Sealant

Unlike silicone or foam, Wongs preferred sealant from Dap is completely clear, not shiny, and paintable, but still water-resistant. He adds that sealing cracks doesnt just prevent bedbugs from entering your apartment, but also eliminates places where they can hide and seek safe harbor.

CimeXa Insecticide Dust, 4 Ounces

For extra protection, another good product to apply to gaps and cracks is silica gel. Silica gel is a desiccant, meaning its a drying dust that also works as an insecticide, explains Bloom. Like sealants, he says to apply this in areas where bedbugs are likely to emerge from, such as crevices at the base of closets and along bedroom moldings. After applying this, if any bedbugs come through those areas, Bloom says the odds are good that theyll cross the silica gel, which will dry them out and kill them. Just note that if using both silica gel and sealant, the silica gel should be applied first, then coated with the sealant.

SafeRest Premium Box Spring Encasement, Queen Size

A common misconception is that bedbugs hide and breed in your mattress. Turns out, box springs are actually the No. 1 harborage site, according to Bloom, because their raw wood and padding provide the perfect conditions for the bugs to live and breed. According to our experts, investing in an exterminator-approved box spring encasement like this one from SafeRest which zips closed and is made from durable polyester coated in a water- and bedbug-proof layer will make it harder for them to multiply.

LINENSPA Zippered Encasement, Queen Size

Once you have your box spring covered (literally), adding another level of protection by covering your mattress is always a good bet. Keeping both the mattress and the box spring covered will help keep an infestation at bay. Plus, a cover also provides a clean, white surface, so if bedbugs do show up, theyre more easily detected and found, explains Bloom.

SureFire Sidekick Ultra-Compact Triple-Output Keychain Light

Since bedbugs tend to hide in dark areas, they can be tough to see, which is why Bloom suggests adding an adjustable LED flashlight to your arsenal. He loves the SureFire Sidekick because it has three settings, fits in your pocket, is USB-charging, and gives you as little or as much power as you need.

Catchmaster Insect Traps, 36 Boards

If theyve managed to breach your defenses, passive monitor traps are an inexpensive way to detect bedbugs early. Bloom promises that the boards do not attract bedbugs at all, but will often trap any that are already in your room, alerting you to the problem before it gets completely out of control. He likes these ones from Catchmaster because they contain less glue than similar traps on the market (high-glue content traps, while good at catching other insects, are actually somewhat repellant to bedbugs). Bloom says to place them in innocuous areas like the base of closets, behind the bed or night tables, and areas around radiators so they stay out of sight. You dont want to go into your bedroom and be surrounded by traps, he adds.

VonHaus 600W 2-in01 Corded Lightweight Upright Stick & Handheld Vacuum Cleaner with HEPA Filtration Includes Crevice Tool & Brush Accessories

According to Bloom, If you do have bedbugs and youre in a rental unit, the landlord is responsible for the service, so youd want to contact yours and about the issue immediately. The next most important thing to do is follow the pest-control contractors instructions and prep for their visit. Any infested areas should be thoroughly vacuumed before an exterminator arrives, Bloom says, because bedbugs could otherwise find shelter in lingering dust and debris. He recommends getting a vacuum with two features. The first is a HEPA filter, so that when you vacuum, youre not blowing allergens around the house. The second is a crack-and-crevice nozzle, so you can get to hard-to-reach places where bedbugs may be hiding. This inexpensive vacuum cleaner fulfills both requirements.

Medi-Pak Water Soluble Laundry Bags, Pack of 25

Once you have bed bugs, youll need to wash and dry any clothing or bedding that you dont want to part with. But you want to be sure to wash and dry clothes on a high heat setting, since heat is what will actually kill the bedbugs, not the water itself. Wong adds that, for removing clothing for laundry, we recommend people use water-soluble bags. This way, all of your infested things can be sealed off in the bag (which dissolves in the washing machine), minimizing the risk of contaminating your non-infected stuff or other peoples. As Wong notes, bags like this are especially important for people using public washer and dryers, whether at a laundromat or in an apartment building.

Rowenta X-Cel Powerful Handheld Garment and Fabric Steamer

Should any bedbugs or their eggs make it onto items you cant run through the washer and dryer, a garment steamer would be a great way to kill them, Wong says. Adult bedbugs and their eggs will die when they come in contact with something that is 120 degrees Fahrenheit and higher, he explains, and steam is only produced when water temperature reaches 212 Fahrenheit (making it an effective alternative to dry cleaning). If you choose to use a steamer, Bloom says to make sure you treat items over a tub, so if any bugs fall, theyre contained. While Wong says you can find a variety of inexpensive steamers that all work about the same, this Strategist-approved steamer comes recommended by contributor Shannon Adducci. Unlike wimpy versions that puff more than steam, she writes that the handheld X-Cel sports a wide stainless steel head that blasts powerful bursts of hot mist, which will likely kill bugs on contact.

The ZappBug Oven 2

On small items that cant be washed or dried, you can even use a hairdryer to kill bedbugs, Bloom says. But for larger belongings, like luggage or certain pieces of furniture, he recommends a heat tent, like the ZappBug Oven, which he calls very effective. The ZappBug Oven can also be used for books, files, or paperwork that obviously will not survive a trip through the washer (or a hit with a steamer). The tent will heat up to somewhere between between 120 Fahrenheit and 155 Fahrenheit, and has a digital thermometer to ensure it reaches the desired temperature. And it automatically turns off once the cycle has been completed. Since it is powered by electricity, he does advise that people make sure they have strong wiring in their apartments, so the heat tent doesnt keep tripping circuit breakers or fuses.

Solimo 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, Pack of 6

For yet another way to kill bed bugs and their eggs on contact, Wong suggests 91 percent isopropyl alcohol, which he says is cheaper than most insecticides. We recommend our clients use this when treating or cleaning items that might be contaminated with bedbugs, he told us, cautioning that you would not use this on clothing or bedding, but rather floors or other surfaces that have been contaminated. To ensure you are only applying it where it needs to go, Wong also recommends getting an easy-to-use spray bottle, which he says will also make cleaning a little less backbreaking.

Ziploc Big Bags, XXL Double Zipper Bag, 3 Pack

Once laundered, the best type of bags for storing clean clothing or personal items are these XXL Double Zipper Ziplock Storage Bags, according to Wong. While regular trash bags can be used, people often fail to seal them properly, he explains. In addition to their secure zip-closures, these are made with a heavy-duty plastic so theyre less likely to break. They also have convenient built-in handles.

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Everything You Need to Prevent and Get Rid of Bedbugs, According to Experts - New York Magazine

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020 at 12:41 pm and is filed under NYC Bed Bugs.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.