‘I brought bed bugs home with me from holiday — here's everything I'm doing to get rid of them’

Let’s be honest, bed bugs aren't anyone’s idea of a charming holiday souvenir. However, after returning home from a luxury holiday to Mexico, my brother and sister-in-law inadvertently brought bed bugs home with them — and they’re now trying everything they can in their power to get rid of them.

After identifying the fresh bites on their newly tanned skin as those belonging to bed bugs (and actually spotting a tiny critter scuttling across their bed), the couple have gone to war against the blood sucking pests.

From meticulously steam cleaning their headboard to spritzing the legs of their bedframe with pesticide, here’s everything my brother and sister-in-law are doing to get rid of their bed bugs...

5 things I'm doing to get rid of my bed bug infestation

Bed bugs are notoriously tricky to eradicate from your bedroom once they’ve decided to take up residence in it. While they’re called ‘bed bugs,’ these blood sucking critters don’t live exclusively inside your mattress.

They like to live near their food source (you), and will lurk anywhere from inside plug sockets to in the creases of your pillow. Signs your mattress is infested with bed bugs include a new musty odor, bites on your body and clusters of dark specs (that's bed bug poop).

After spotting several of these signs (and actually spotting one on his bed) this is everything my brother is doing to get rid of his bed bug infestation...

1. Steam cleaning my fabric headboard

Bed bugs perish in steam, so my brother is using a hand held steam cleaner to meticulously steam clean his fabric headboard, along with the creases and seams of his mattress, as well as any clothes that might have come into contact with the bed or floor as a precaution.

However, as the proud owner of one of the best memory foam mattresses, he needs to be careful not to subject their bed to extreme heat as this can damage the delicate foam.

But considering that bed bugs (and their eggs) will likely be lurking in the fabric headboard, a weekly steam clean is a good idea.

2. Invested in pillow encasements

One of the first signs that my brother had bed bugs were the bites that appeared on his shoulders (bed bug bites usually appear in clusters) upon waking. So he knew that bed bugs were either on — or very near — his pillow.

Like a mattress encasement (more on that below), a pillow encasement provides an impenetrable barrier to bed bugs, along with dust mites and any other pests or allergens that might settle on your headrest.

Like this Utopia set from Amazon, pillow encasements are zippered, waterproof and prevent bed bugs from nestling inside your pillow, as well as preventing any that are already in there from escaping.

3. Hot washing bedding weekly

Washing your bed sheets, including your comforter, pillows and mattress protector, is the first line of defence in your battle against bed bugs.

In his ongoing battle against bed bugs, my brother is stripping his bed weekly, placing the sheets and blankets in a zippered bag to prevent spreading them elsewhere within the house, and then washing them on a high temperature setting.

We recommend washing bedding at 60°C (140°F) as research shows that bed bugs die at 50°C (122°F). Follow this up with a hot tumble dry to kill any lingering bed bugs and their eggs. (Just check the care label of anything before subjecting it to a hot wash).

4. Regularly vacuuming my mattress

Every time my brother strips his bedding to hot wash it, he vacuums the surface of his mattress, paying close attention to any folds or seams (where bed bugs could be hiding).

While you can use the upholstery attachment on your regular vacuum cleaner, I've leant him my FEPPO mattress cleaner. This hand-held vacuum blasts the surface of your bed with UV-C light and 140°F (approx. 60°C) heat, which kills bed bugs and eggs on the spot.

Plus, its high-frequency tapping lifts bed bugs (along with any dust mites or other allergens) to the surface, where they're then sucked up. Word of warning — always empty the vacuum chamber into a bag outside to prevent reinfestation.

5. Applying pesticide to the legs of my bedframe

Bed bugs are frightened of water, which could send them fleeing in the opposite direction of pesticide spray. However, pesticide is still toxic to bed bugs even after its dried, so it's still worth having in your armory.

Knowing that bed bugs linger near (and not necessarily on) your bed, my brother is spraying the feet of his bed frame with pesticide. That way, once they come into contact with the spray when scuttling up the bed towards their food (him), they die.

Plus the 2 things I haven't yet tried (but really should)

So far, the above methods are working well for my brother and sister-in-law. They're still getting bitten by bed bugs occasionally, but it's not every night. To rid their bedroom of the critters entirely, there's a couple of additional measures I recommend...

A mattress encasement

While a standard mattress protector covers the top and sides of your bed, a mattress encasement does exactly what it's name suggests; encases your mattress.

Like a pillow encasement, a mattress encasement offers an impenetrable barrier with its 360° protection. It stops new bed bugs from taking up residence in your mattress, and prevents any lurking bugs from escaping and biting you.

Diatomaceous earth

New studies show that bed bugs are frightened of water. This means that they will likely retreat from any liquid form pesticide, which could cause your infestation to spread further.

Instead of pesticide, opting for a powder based repellent, such as diatomaceous earth, could be the key to stopping these critters in their tracks.

To use it, vacuum the mattress (plus anywhere else you plan to apply the powder). We recommend the base boards, under your bed, as well as any nooks and crannies that a bed bug might hide. It's non-toxic but can cause irritation, so you might want to sleep elsewhere while it's working its magic.

Once the bed bug comes into contact with the diatomaceous earth, the powder — which is made up of ground up fossilized algae — absorbs the moisture from the exoskeleton, causing them to dry out and die. As this process relies on the bed bug coming into contact with the powder, we recommend leaving it in situ for seven to 17 days.

The products I'm using to get rid of bed bugs

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