If you’ve had the unfortunate misfortune of being bitten by beggars in bed at night, chances are you’ll do anything to get rid of them. And this process can be very expensive. However, one of the cheapest and easiest things you can do right away is to throw out your current mattress and buy a hammock. Here’s what you need to do in 4 easy steps.
1. Assess the severity of the problem
If you only found a couple of bugs, you may not need to get rid of your bed. However, if he found several, it is likely that they live in his mattress. Simply killing a few on the surface and hoping you’re okay isn’t a great plan, as bed bugs can survive up to 550 days without food. If the infestation is minor, you can purchase a bug-proof mattress cover to trap any bugs inside and prevent others from hiding in the mattress. However, if it’s bad, you’ll want to cut your losses and throw out the bed altogether.
two. Buy a hammock bed
A hammock works as a great bed replacement for an infested home for a number of reasons. First, it’s not connected to the ground, so it makes it almost impossible for it to bite you, since an insect would have to climb the wall and then the support ropes to get to you. Second, unless you buy a cotton hammock, you can easily wash your hammock to kill any bugs. Or better yet, just tie the ends together (dry) and place on a “high heat” tumble dry cycle for 10-15 minutes. Sustained heat will kill bed bugs along with any other insects you can think of. A nylon hammock is a great option here, as the fibers are more durable and resistant to heat and moisture than a cotton hammock. Finally, they are incredibly comfortable. A few nights of sleep in a big woven hammock and you may not want to go back to your mattress.
3. Spread Diatomaceous Earth (DE) along doorways and room edges
Forget all the poisonous chemicals or “bait” traps. This cheap, safe to eat/swallow (seriously, not that you want) is amazing. DE is essentially a chalky white powder that kills bed bugs, cockroaches, and other insects by drying out their exoskeleton until they eventually die. All they have to do is walk on the dust once and within 10 days at the most, often within 2 or 3 days they will die.
Four. Seal holes and outlets
Bed bugs are cunning creatures and love to hide for long periods in mattresses, walls, and any cracks they can find. So while you’re busy painting your floors with DE, keep them from leaking out by sealing any cracks you may have in your walls, floor, or even the small gap between the outlet cover and the wall. That way they will have nowhere to go and will eventually get trapped and die.
Bedbugs suck. But with the right steps and a little hammock escape you can get rid of them and keep your sanity at the same time. Best of luck!
