Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Your Couch
You get up from the couch feeling itchy, your skin is inflamed and you notice that there are very small clusters of bites on your skin. While you might be experiencing some sort of allergic reaction, bed bugs are also a common culprit found in homes all over the country.
While they commonly are found in your mattress or within your bedding, a couch is a perfectly acceptable location for them to live and reproduce. Wondering how to get rid of bed bugs in couch cushions? Read on to find out more.
How to Identify Bed Bugs
If you’re dealing with bed bugs in your couch, you’ll want to take a look at their size and shape. Your average bed bug is oval in shape and usually invisible to the naked eye. Their eggs are like particles of dust. Look for any sign of blood-based feces on your couches. You’ll also want to check your skin for any kind of bites or irritation.
Why the Couch?
Bed bugs like to hide out in very small crevices and corners. Because of this, your couch is the perfect location. They might be hiding out under the cushions, or bed bugs may have burrowed themselves into the actual filling of the mattress.
You may want to try and identify how the bed bugs got there in order to prevent a reoccurrence, but right now you should be focusing on the removal process after finding signs of bed bugs.
Steam Clean
If you have access to a steam cleaning machine, this is a great way to handle a bed bug problem on your couch. Use the hot water to kill the bed bugs while also taking care of the eggs.
You can also add in a soap that’s safe for your couch, or you can add a little bit of vinegar to the water. Just make sure that you dump the dirty water outside of the home in case one of the bed bugs have survived the cleaning.
Vacuum
Get out your vacuum and an attachment that will allow you to get into tight corners. Vacuum every inch of your couch, paying close attention to any folds or spots where bed bugs can make their home. As with the steam cleaning, make sure that you empty the vacuum outside of the home.
Vinegar Spray
A homemade vinegar spray is a really affordable and simple way to get rid of bed bugs. Spot test your couch before you spray it all over the surface. If you have a suede or leather couch, you might not like the results of the vinegar spray on the material. If it’s safe to use, liberally apply the vinegar spray all over your couch to saturate the bed bugs and their eggs.
If you can’t seem to get a bed bug problem under control by yourself, there are plenty of professionals that can help you. If you don’t take care of bed bugs when they’re still very early on in their infestation, this can lead to some pretty severe bed bug issues later on down the road.
