How to Get Bed Bugs Out of Carpet: Helpful Recommendations

2022-05-25

If you are looking for the working recipe of how to get bed bugs out of carpet, you came to the right place. While bed bugs are usually a surprise you or your relatives brought home from traveling, you are the one who can stop them.

They are hardly visible, too fast, and quickly spread around the house. Don’t worry! You can still deal with them if you know the right approach.

There are several ways you can get rid of this menace for good. Follow my recommendations and you will not need professional help. I am going to teach you how to get rid of bed bugs in carpet without extra effort.

Getting Rid of Bed Bugs in Carpet in No Time

If you want to stop these nasty creatures, you have to act immediately. The first thing you need is to use a vacuum cleaner if you see bed bugs in rug. Don’t forget to use diatomaceous earth before to make sure you kill as many as possible.

Now vacuum the carpet several times. If you still see a bug, repeat the procedure. Use bed bug carpet cleaner for severe cases.

Going to the war against bed bugs

Bed bugs can crawl inside the carpet in no time. Once they get into your house, they can feel comfortable on your bed, as well as on your sofa, armchair, and carpet. Still, they are simple to find if you know how to look.

The main problem with the carpet is that it has a wide area for hiding. If you start without appropriate knowledge, you can just relocate bed bugs. It is crucial to make preparations before you start. You will need:

Bed bug cleaners. You can choose diatomaceous earth or a specific cleaner from the store;
Double-sided tape;
Vacuum cleaner;
Steam cleaner, if you have;
Shampoo.

Can you get bed bugs under your carpet?

Before we get to the carpet, let’s talk about every possible situation when bed bugs crawl under it. Can they do it? Yes, you have to consider this possibility. It usually happens when:

Your carpet has a gap between it and the wall;
The carpet has holes in it;
The carpet is old and worn away.

This is the situation when you have to find bed bug carpet treatment as well as treatment for the floor. Keep in mind that bed bugs can easily crawl inside different cracks and crevices.

If you have cracks in your floor, you know where bed bugs disappear. To get rid of them, you have to inspect your carpet carefully for any holes and tears.

If it happens, you may need professional help, since it is hard to get rid of them without specific tools while they settle down inside the floor. You may also need heat treatment to eliminate bugs.

Step by step guide on how to remove bed bugs out of carpet

Before you start, you need to make sure that there is no furniture in the room that bed bugs can use as their hiding place. Carpet is usually not the first choice of these pests. They prefer beds and chairs with cracks. If you can’t remove the bed from the room, you can at least cover it and seal it with double tape.

Let’s clarify a popular myth about the “almighty” vacuum cleaner. If you hope that vacuuming can kill bugs, you are wrong. Bed bugs can easily travel inside a vacuum cleaner from one place to another or just settle down inside of them.

For a year, they don’t even need to move away. Yet, if they don’t relocate after a year, they will die from starvation. This is why it is safe to combine different approaches and to buy carpet powder for bed bugs.

Step 1. Preparations

You have to prepare your house for the battle. As I’ve told you before, get rid of all the possible hiding places of bed bugs. Make sure they don’t have any place to go. Pay attention to all the fabric in the room. You have to get rid of bugs from:

The mattress, a favorite place for bed bugs;
Bedding;
Furniture;
Clothes;
Cracks inside walls.

Use the specific bed bugs killing spray for all these items in the room. Leave the room for the required time. Check out for dead bed bugs. If there are no dead pests, use the spray again. As for the bedding and clothes, you can easily get rid of bed bugs by washing them at high temperatures.

Step 2. Clean your room

After you get rid of the furniture, clothing, bedding, and spray the mattress, you have to clear the space. Tape all the holes, all the gaps in wardrobes and walls. Clear your room wisely:

Spray the furniture that can’t be removed and hide it from bed bugs. You don’t need to buy expensive treatment. You can use the tea tree oil on furniture. Bed bugs can’t stand it;
Take away all the curtains, bedding, clothing you can find in the room and launder it. Bed bugs can be killed by heat;
Put your stuff in bags. While bed bugs can’t suffocate, they will not spread in airtight bags. It includes all the boxes you can carry out.

Step 3. Set up traps

Do you know why double-sided tape can help you in this fight? You can use it as a bed bug trap. Since both sides of the tape are sticky, you have to press one side to the floor or near the bed, leaving the other side open and ready for bed bugs.

These pests can’t save themselves from the glue on the tape. While it looks like a perfect plan, some bed bugs may be smarter than that and try to find the other way. Make sure they have nowhere to go. Use the tape in such places:

Outside the door in case they will try to run away;
On the room’s edges;
Near any hole or crack in the floor, wall, or ceiling.

Step 4. Use a weapon

Now you can check out for the best weapons against bed bugs. The most popular options:

Diatomaceous earth;
Silica gel.

You can also try natural remedies like tea tree oil. Still, both silica gel and diatomaceous earth are highly effective against these pests and can be found in every store that sells similar remedies. The main task of both these “killers” is to dehydrate bed bugs as soon as possible.

Silica gel usually comes in paper bags and is sometimes added to the packages. Its main task is to get rid of moisture in the air. Applied on bed bugs, silica gel removes the bug’s shell from the water supply. In the end, the bug dehydrates and dies.

As for the diatomaceous earth, it may be familiar to cat or dog owners. This remedy is used against numerous pests, including fleas. It dehydrates the pest, leaving almost nothing. At the same time, since it is made of ancient microalgae fossils, you can consider it an eco-friendly remedy.

Step 5. Vacuum

Now it is time for vacuum cleaning. You have to make sure that you picked the right type of cleaner. Since bed bugs can live in a vacuum cleaner, you have to make sure that they will not run away anywhere from the device.

Use only vacuum cleaners with bags and empty them the moment you finish cleaning. Throw the bag far from your or any other house. Don’t open the bag. Don’t forget to wash everything in hot water after you finish. You may use the steam to get rid of bed bugs if you have one.

Step 6. Wash everything

Use shampoo to wash the carpet. Make sure there are no bed bug carpet stains left. Do it with hot water. Once you finish, you have to use a vacuum cleaner again. Check out whether there are no bugs. If they are still there, you have to repeat the procedure several times.

How to inspect the room for remaining bed bugs

Searching for remaining bed bugs is not as hard as you think. You have to throw away the double-sided tape you’ve used, and attach the new one to the places you believe were infested the most.

If there are bed bugs left, you will catch them. Another option is to use a vacuum cleaner and check the bag. Carefully clean all the possible hiding places of bed bugs and check the bag later.

If you did not get rid of bugs, you have to repeat all your moves again. Don’t forget to launder bedding once everything is done. Keep an eye on the most dangerous places, including beds, furniture, cracks.

Keeping bed bugs from spreading to carpet

The best thing to keep the bugs from spreading is to act immediately once you notice the danger. You have to make sure that you not only remove the bed bugs but the source of their appearance.

If they keep coming to your house, check out whether your family, friends, colleagues do not bring them to you. Make sure your neighbors do not have bed bugs and spread them around.

Once everything is clean, keep everything in order. Don’t forget to clean your room twice a week to prevent bed bugs. Make sure you change your bedding at least once in two weeks.

FAQ on Bed Bugs in the Carpet

Here are a few questions I have met lots of times on the Internet. I hope my answers will be helpful. If you have more suggestions to make, you can do it in the comments below the article.

Can You Get Bed Bugs from Renting a Carpet Cleaner?

This is a common question. Many people who rent carpet cleaners usually do it to get rid of bed bugs. The truth is that bed bugs do not live in the carpet cleaner. They are killed by the steam.

However, some people still fear that some bed bugs will crawl and hide in the machine. It happens rarely and is almost impossible. However, no one can give you a 100 percent guarantee.

This is why it is important to use the steam before you enter the room. If you are worried about it, you can always buy a machine instead of renting it.

Should I pull up my carpet if I have bed bugs?

No, you can’t do it until you make sure that all bed bugs are gone. This procedure will only infest the room more since bed bugs can hide in cracks. Instead, I recommend you use the double-side tape near the carpet and find out whether there are bed bugs. Use the vacuum cleaner and shampoo.

If you believe that bed bugs are already under the carpet, you still have to clean the carpet first and get rid of the bugs. Use the spray to kill bed bugs, applying it into the cracks as well.

Do not remove the carpet if it is infested, since all you can do is only worth spreading the bugs in other rooms. However, if you don’t like the carpet and it is old, you can throw it in the bag. Make sure that the bag is closed and bugs can’t get out.

What surfaces can bed bugs live on?

Bed bugs can survive on numerous surfaces. They can crawl on plastic, metal, wood, tiles. They prefer fabric, though. Fabric can become a perfect hiding spot for them.

This is why the bedding is the first thing you have to check. Bed bugs can also survive in cracks and can live in the walls. They can hide inside the furniture. Yet, they prefer not to go on slippery surfaces like glass.

Removing Bed Bugs From Carpet With Ease

There is nothing too expensive or complicated in getting rid of annoying bed bugs. While they can turn your life into a nightmare, biting you while you sleep, it is easy to catch them and kill or carry them away. It is up to you which measures to use.

I have described the most popular and reliable tools I have tried myself. I hope my recommendations and step-by-step guidance will help you. Make sure you use only those sprays you can trust.

If bed bugs are still there, repeat the described procedure several times. If you have more recommendations for those who struggle with bed bugs, share them in the comments below. Have you ever had bed bugs? How did you get rid of them?

Also read:

References

Bed bug protocol (Bureau of Environmental Health)
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/bed-bug-protocol
How to Find Bed Bugs (United States Environmental Protection Agency)
https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs
Prevent Bed Bugs (Kevin Carrillo)
https://www.wikihow.life/Prevent-Bed-Bugs
Bed bugs attracted to dirty laundry (University of Sheffield)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170928142058.htm

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