Bed Bugs, and how to fix the problem

Bedbugs are more prevalent these days than in the past. I’m not sure if it just seems that way because people are talking about the issue more, or if bed bugs have seriously gotten out of control. If you happen to get them there are a few steps to follow so they don’t spread to your furniture, mattresses and infest your carpet and area rugs.

Here are some step you can take to get rid of the bed bugs that have infested your home.

Carpet, area rugs and floors

1. Clear things off the floors. Make sure you move everything. (toys, shoes, books, etc)

2. Do not sweep or mop floors you have the high possibility of spreading eggs or larvae.

Vacuum the floors.

3. Bag up all area rugs if you can. This will keep the bed bugs in the bag and not all over. You have two choices here. The first would be to call a professional to take your area rugs and have them cleaned off-site. This is the safest method, as most professionals use steam to clean your carpets. Your other option would be to bag up your area rugs and bring them to a laundromat and clean them with the highest heat setting possible. This is dangerous though if you have handmade, silk, or wool carpets as the colors may bleed.

4. You must vacuum the entire house to remove the bugs from the carpet. Use a vacuum

that has an easy bag  to dispose. Also add some borax powder to the bag. As the bed bugs are picked up they will mix with the borax, ensuring the bugs are eradicated. After vacuuming, remove the bag from the vacuum (best to do this outside), place it in a plastic bag and seal the bag, before putting it into the trash.

5. For your wall to wall carpet it will need a professional steam cleaning. Ask the

carpet cleaning technician to use the highest heat setting possible.

Mattresses and bedding

1. Remove bedding, linens, curtains and clothing and wash everything in hot water and use the hottest setting for the dry cycle.

2. Put all stuffed animals, shoes and any other items that cannot be washed in the dryer for 30 minutes, once again on the highest heat setting.

3. Using a dry stiff brush, scrub mattress seams to remove bedbugs and any eggs before vacuuming the mattress and surrounding carpet. Next, seal the mattress and box springs in a woven zippered cover to keep bedbugs from leaving or entering. Keep your mattress covered for one year. Bedbugs can live up to one year without eating. Or, as an alternative, you can call a professional to steam clean your mattresses as well.

Area Rug Underpads

Happy Friday Everyone! This week we've done a lot of work with different wood floors. I just want to let you guys know one thing to be aware of when it comes to your wood floor.

Area rugs are beautiful! The allow us to change the look and feel of our home. Unfortunately, one of the most common problems with area rugs on wood floors is what we call "waffling." This happens because of a certain underpad. The so-called "waffling" is shown in the picture below.As you walk along the carpet, the plastic of the underpad melts and sticks to the floor, causing the utter mess in the picture above.

(For the "after" click here!)

So, as you can see, when we start working, we have to tackle this area first. Also, this limits your choices when trying to choose a new rug. The non-skid carpet underpad (pictured below) would not be our recommendation if your area rug is slipping and sliding.  

"So, carpet tape then?" you may be asking. While carpet tape is a viable solution, when trying to remove the carpet tape, it has tendency to want to stay stuck to the carpet and the floor, either damaging your floor or your carpet as a result.

You best bet is something with a cloth top and a rubber bottom. The rubber keeps the carpet padding from moving along the floor, while the cloth top keeps the carpet secure to the padding. If you have already done your research and are trying to find said carpet padding, JP Carpet Cleaning Expert Floor Care can provide you with the padding you need, cut specifically for your area rugs!