What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are parasitic bugs belonging to the Cimex genus of insects that feast on human blood, and the blood of other warm-blooded mammals. They can live inside any upholstered surface, and despite their name, they live in more environments than just beds. Bed bugs love fibrous surfaces, this includes carpets!

There are many ways bed bugs can enter your home. If you recently purchased any new or used furniture, clothes, thermostat, or linens, those items may be to blame for your new bed bug infestation. Having house guests over who have bed bugs on their clothing or items can also put your home at risk. An additional, yet uncommon, way that bed bugs can find their way into your home is through pets. Bed bugs can nestle into the soft, porous fur of your animals and then begin infesting your furniture, carpets, and linens.

Can you get rid of Bed Bugs in Carpeting?

If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself the victim of a bed bug infestation, it is important to consider which surfaces these pests may have settled into. Removing any soft-sided items such as pillows, throw rugs, pet beds, blankets, and other linens is essential before determining if bed bugs infiltrated your carpet.

If it is evident that bed bugs, bed bug larvae, or bed bug eggs are living in/on your carpet, removing them quickly is very important. If you allow the bed bugs to remain within your carpet, they will have the opportunity to lay more eggs and encompass more areas of your home. Although the matter should be handled with haste, never rush through the bed bug cleaning process. Incorrectly clearing out a bed bug infestation can leave your home littered with bed bug eggs and larvae waiting to hatch into a new generation of troublesome parasites.

The good news is, there are plenty of ways to rid yourself of bed bugs who have decided to move into your fluffy carpets and call them home.

Killing the Bed Bugs with a Steam Cleaner

Before removing bed bugs from your carpet, you must first ensure that they are all dead. If bed bugs are not dead before being removed, you run the risk of simply relocating bed bugs to different parts of the house.

Bed bugs cannot survive the high temperature and moisture from steam cleaning machines. If you own a steam cleaner, steam clean the affected areas from wall to wall. If you do not own a steam cleaner, you can rent one, or hire a professional service to steam clean carpet in your home.

Following thorough steam clean, allow the carpet to dry, and then vacuum the areas that the bed bugs were. Some exoskeletons may still be in the carpet fibers, vacuuming will collect any left behind evidence of a bed bug infestation. Be sure to check for any bed bug eggs remaining in your carpet or on other household items. Bed bug eggs can render all of your efforts useless because once the eggs hatch the whole infestation will start over.

Killing the Bed Bugs with Earth Powder

Diatomaceous powder, often referred to as “Earth Powder” can be used in addition to, or place of steam cleaning. The powders are made of mostly silica and help to dehydrate insect bodies from the inside, killing the bugs.

To be effective, Earth Powder must be left on the carpet for 3-5 hours. If adequate leave-on time is not met, you run the risk of leaving bed bugs alive and not penetrating the outer layer of bed bug eggs. As previously mentioned, not properly killing bed bug eggs defeats the purpose of killing adult bed bugs, because the eggs will hatch and repeat the cycle of infestation.

After leaving the powder on the carpet for 3-5 hours total, you can easily vacuum up the dead bed bug skeletons, larvae, and eggs. Dispose of the vacuumed up bugs in an outdoor container away from any soft-sided linens or upholstered items.

The Answer is Yes

So, can carpet cleaning remedy your bed bug infestation? Yes! Properly cleaning and vacuuming your carpet can eliminate the threat of bed bugs in your home. Always call in a professional if you have any respiratory issues or health threats that prevent you from healthfully removing bed bugs.

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