They are the worst pests to have in the house, and they can make life miserable. Bedbugs are a bane because they multiply rapidly and infest everything in the home, from furniture to clothing. Apart from biting humans and spreading infections, they lay eggs inside hidden corners and even in the stitches of clothing and linen.
If there’s a bedbug infestation in your home, your principal worry is about cleaning the bedding, especially the dohars. Here’s how you do it:
Sort the bedsheets from the dohars
First off, separate each item of bedding from each other, i.e. the bedsheets, pillow cases and cotton dohars from each other. Put each in separate trash bags and tie them up tightly.
Spray rubbing alcohol on the dohars and bedsheets
Next, get a solution of rubbing alcohol ready. You can easily buy rubbing alcohol from online e-commerce sites, or use natural pesticides comprising herbal oils if you or a family member suffer from respiratory disorders. However, rubbing alcohol is best to kill live bedbugs. Spray it liberally on each bedsheet, pillow cover and especially the cotton dohars, making sure you get into the stitching and folds of the fabrics (this is where bugs lurk out of sight). Put each item back into fresh trash bags (there may be bugs walking about in the older ones) and set them aside for 30 minutes for the alcohol to do its job. Do note that rubbing alcohol does not kill bug eggs or remove the infestation entirely. Meanwhile, spray the mattress and let it air dry in the sunlight. Get a can of pesticide and spray all corners of the bed frame and around the bed. Let it dry.
Soak each dohar in hot water
High heat kills bedbugs – their flat exoskeleton helps them combat pressure and cold temperatures, so crushing them or washing in room temperature water simply won’t rid you of the infestation. Get a large tub or bucket and fill it with boiling water, or as much hot water as the dohar can stand without the fabric getting damaged. Add antibacterial liquid to it and submerge the dohar in it completely. Wait for 30 minutes, then transfer the wet dohar to your washing machine.
Wash each dohar separately in the washing machine
The dohar will have dislodged bedbugs and their eggs in the hot water used in the previous step. It is time to clean it thoroughly of any residual bug matter like egg shells, carcasses and even poop. A wash in the machine using antibacterial clothing liquid should do the trick.
Transfer the dohar to a dryer
Remember what we said earlier about high heat killing the bugs and the infestation. Finish the job properly by putting the washed cotton dohar in a dryer. This is the last stage of killing the infestation. If you don’t have a dryer at home, you can use the one at the nearest laundromat. Once dried, do inspect the dohar thoroughly for any vestiges of bugs. By this stage, every last one will be killed. For added measure, let it sit in the sunlight for 10 minutes (turn each side to get uniform heat) to disinfect the fabric completely.
Repeat the above steps for your clothing, other bed linen and also your bath linen. Bedbug infestations are tricky to eliminate, but you don’t need to throw your things away due to bugs. Instead, periodically spray pesticide on furniture to target lurking bugs in corners, and wash everything regularly to ensure that the cycle of infestation (from egg to bug) is completely broken.