If you wake up with tiny red marks on your skin, then you are probably dealing with a bedbug infestation. You should start taking action now if you want to rid yourself of these annoying pests. If you have researched bedbugs on the internet, then you might be worried that you’ll have to get rid of all your furniture. Well you can rest easier now because there are ways to treat bedbugs without having to spend thousands on new furnishings. This post is going to lay it out in 4 easy steps.

Step 1: Stop Them from Biting You!

Not only will this help you sleep easier, but it also removes their food source – which happens to be you! If they can’t feed, then they cannot multiply. That means the infestation will slow down and they will begin to die.

Start by washing all of your bedding items. Seal them away in plastic before moving through your home since you do not want to risk spreading bedbugs into other rooms.

While the bedding is being washed, thoroughly vacuum your room. This includes every nook and cranny. Run the vacuum along baseboards, box springs, and the footboard of your bed. If you use a high pressure steamer, then you’ll actually kill bedbugs on contact! Take the bag outside immediately.

Step 2: Create a Bite-Proof Bed

Once you have started attacking the initial infestation, you need to bug-proof your bed. These resilient bugs can hide everywhere! But our goal here is to keep them off of your bed. Again, if they can’t feed on you then they cannot reproduce.

Move your bed away from all contact with walls and nightstands. Make sure sheets are always tucked in and never touch the floor. That leaves only the legs touching the floor. You can then place the legs in containers with water so that bedbugs cannot climb up them. You’re isolating your bed from the room.

Take it a step further and place protectors on your mattress and box springs so that bedbugs cannot hide.

Step 3: Steam Clean your Room Once Again

Now that you have weeded down the infestation, clean your room again. This will kill any new bedbugs than might have hatched. This will cut their population once again. Now I want you to remove clutter in the room to eliminate more of their hiding places.

Steam clean baseboards, window sills, and the edges of carpet.

Step 4: Seal or Spray Cracks

If you notice any small cracks or crevices in the room, seal with away using caulk. If you can’t seal them, then you should use residual sprays to get bug-proof them. Start with contact sprays to kill any bugs, wait a couple of hours, and then spray with a residual spray to serve as a repellant.

Finally, powder the edges of your room with bedbug powder so that you keep these bugs from entering on their own.

By this point, you should have eliminated the problem. If it persists, then the only option left is to contact a professional exterminator.