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.

Carpet Steam Cleaning

Curious as to how we take care of your carpet? Here is a video of our team hard at work, steam cleaning this carpet. Look at the difference!  

Share your thoughts! Post any questions you have below!

Good Vacuums Make for a Healthy Carpet

     And a healthy carpet makes for a healthy home. Many people don't realize that vacuuming their carpet is one of the best ways to increase the life of their carpet. As such, a good vacuum cleaner and proper vacuuming techniques are helpful.
     The first and most important rule is to vacuum  at least twice a week. This keeps the dust and soil from the day from settling into the carpet fibers. When vacuuming, most people push the vacuum in a "W" shape. However, this is very inefficient as most people put more emphasis into the pushing movement. It is indeed the pulling action that removes any dust, debris and other allergens from the carpet. The forward motion should be considered only a positioning motion. Don't forget to use the nozzle attachment to clean around baseboards and such!

     Alright, so now we know the proper way to vacuum! Awesome! Now the question is: do we have a vacuum that is right for our carpet?

     The vacuums we recommend are vacuums with a beater bar and HEPA filters. Although, it does depend on the pile of your carpet. First, let me explain "pile." The pile of your carpet is how tall the fibers are. For example, this rug has a higher pile than this rug. So in order to vacuum each carpet properly you'd need the proper vacuum. Any professional you have come to your home or business should have a vacuum with an adjustable beater bar, to accommodate the pile of your carpet. However, I'm not telling you to go out and buy an industrial grade vacuum!

     For high pile carpets, I recommend something with adjustable heights, efficient airflow, and large wheels.

     For medium or low pile carpets, a vacuum with a smaller power-head would do just fine, with the added bonus of being able to vacuum other types of flooring too. Although, if your carpets have  a lot of pet hair, I would recommend you go with something that has a turbo-head.

     But having a good, appropriate vacuum is just the beginning. We also need to worry about maintaining it so it doesn't lose any suction power. Before you freak out and start to think "Oh goodness! MORE things to worry about?!" let me tell you that the maintenance of the vacuum is quite a simple thing.

• Clean Bag Often: when the bag is about  half full, you should empty or replace the bag.
• Check the Belts: make sure they can spin the brush, i.e. no tears
• Check the Height Adjuster: if you have a height adjuster (Awesome!) make sure it is set so the bush just barely touches the carpet, this will maintain the proper amount of suction, too high or too low will cause problems.

See? Easy!

     Of course as with all things, a professional cleaning is always a good idea! For your carpets, I recommend JP Carpet Cleaning Expert Floor Care.

     So happy vacuuming!!