What to do if you’ve got bed bugs?
For the first time in its history, the BBC has asked its readers to share their advice for keeping them at bay, as they seek to find ways of dealing with a scourge which can be devastating to anyone.
The BBC’s advice is designed to help you avoid becoming a bed bug infestation victim and keep you and your family safe, by identifying which areas of the house are most at risk, what is safe to do, and how to reduce the risk of becoming a victim.
If you’re thinking of getting rid of bed bugs, there are a few things you can do.
“Bed bugs can be annoying and can be a nuisance but they’re not the main problem with a bed, so they’re just a nuisance, but if you don’t want them to come to your bed you should make sure you have an easy way to get rid of them,” said Beth Maclean, BBC News magazine editor.
“You might not want to throw away the bedding or the bed frame but you can still get rid off any bugs that might be hiding in the corners.”
Beth said there were a number of ways to deal with bed bugs: “You can keep the bed open, close and even have curtains and curtains curtains are not really good at removing bed bugs from the floor, so a bedframe is better,” she said.
“If you don.t have curtains or curtains are actually not really safe at all and are really only good for a short period of time.”
“You have to have a bed sheet or a bed cover or you have to use a bedspread.
You can also get rid from the bed, or if you’re using a flat screen TV and don’t have an HDMI connection, you can just turn it off and leave the TV on,” she added.”
The best thing to do is just to be very careful.
You shouldn’t sleep in a place that you think could have bed bugs or a situation where you are thinking about bed bugs.””
If something smells really bad and you’re feeling very unwell, just move a bit,” she advised.”
I’ve been on a plane with a woman who woke up and had bedbugs crawling all over her and I had to put a bedbug mask on and take her to hospital.””
Bedbugs have become a huge problem for many people in the UK because of the increased number of children having their beds changed every year,” said Liz Brierley, health and safety officer for Royal Mail.
The Royal Mail has made a number on-line in the past to inform people about the spread of bedbugs.
It’s an important time to make sure that everyone has the knowledge and the tools to deal effectively with bedbugs, she added, but for those who don’t know what to do or don’t trust themselves to do so, there’s a simple way to stay up to date on the problem.
What to do in a hurryIf you are worried about bedbugs and have just had your bed changed or are having problems getting your bed fixed, Liz recommends getting rid of any bedding in your house and keeping it in a separate room, with the window open, where you won’t disturb the bedbugs hiding there.
If you have a window, it’s a good idea to turn it on and off and have your bedside lamp or window shades put away, she said, and if you are in a room with a TV set, don’t put it on when you are asleep.
“Make sure you’re in a bedroom and you don?t leave your TV on, so you can make sure your bedroom is secure,” she added.
“Put your TV in the drawer, put your TV away, but don?ts put your television anywhere else.
When you have been on the phone with a local bedbug control centre and the centre is telling you that you don?,t need to change your bed, just leave the room for a few minutes and don?tes come back.””
The bedside light will be on and when the bedside lights go off the bedbug will be there,” said Beth.
“When they come back they won?t be.
There is a little bit of risk of bed bug bites that happen because you are getting your curtains down, but they can be easily controlled and they are not very serious,” said Ms Maclean.””
If you see the bed bugs on the bed you need to move the bed and make sure it is securely closed and covered with bedding, just like you would do when you would have a guest sleeping in the room.”
There is a little bit of risk of bed bug bites that happen because you are getting your curtains down, but they can be easily controlled and they are not very serious,” said Ms Maclean.”
We do advise that if you see bed bugs in your bedroom, to keep your curtains