One of the greatest struggles of having an upholstery is the danger of uninvited bed bugs playing around in corners. Bean bags are no exception though. Those tiny, irritating bugs can surely be found in and around your bean bags.
Can bean bags get bed bugs?
Yes, bean bags can get bed bugs too. So long your body brings out sweat on the bean bag material, and you breathe out carbon dioxide, or you have visitors who sit on your bean bag, then surely, your bean bags can get bed bugs.
Also, cluttered space with highly unused furniture can attract bed bugs into your home, thereby attaching themselves to your bean bag.
Bed bugs are flat, round, and can’t fly, so they compensate for the propensity to get killed easily with the ability to mass reproduce themselves at an appalling rate. I’m talking about bed bugs.
They can be found anywhere there are humans; in your seams and corners of clothes, bedclothes, cracks in the foam, spaces in the furniture, and just about any open space there is.
And man, they can go from just a small family to a whole tribe in just a few weeks. They bite, and they are bloodsuckers. And there’s practically nowhere you won’t find bed bugs, even outside beds where they supposedly ought to be.
According to research carried out by University Housing, a committee that deals with the welfare of students housing in the University of Nebraska, “bed bugs do not only live in beds.
They can be found in tiny spaces like:
- In seams of mattresses around bed frames
- In furniture (futons, bean bags, etc.)
The paper continued in its report, “bed bugs are a growing worldwide problem, brought about by increased travel and decreased use of pesticides. Bed bugs have been found in five-star hotels, college residences, hospitals, and virtually all other types of housing in the United States.”
Bed bugs are prolific insects and they multiply rapidly. Usually, the case is that by the time you find one, then two, and three in your home, you should know that there is likely an infestation underway.
Your home can appear neat but you may be harboring the vermin called bed bugs. You’d experience a rude awakening one night when you get a nasty bite from one of them.
The first bed bug infestation in my own place started with my backpack. It was on my back, I had my laptop in it on my way out. I got my first sting on my neck.
One thing about those things, when they bite, the bite really hard. Kind of like an announcement that they are your new co-tenant that’s just moved in with you.
I didn’t find that bug until late in the evening when I got back into my apartment, little guy was scurrying away from the handle of the backpack right back into its hiding place.
That infestation took a whole week to get under control.
How to get rid of bed bugs in bean bags
The truth of the matter is you can’t really speak of getting rid of bed bugs in your bean bags alone. Because quite frankly, those guys are just going to find their way right back into the bean bag, much like a transfer from jobs, or from one state to the other.
If they are in the bean bags then they are likely in your bed, cupboards, and other furniture in the home. But of course, we are going to focus on getting rid of the ones in your bean bag. Let’s call the raid there a starting point for halting the infestation.
- First, you need to identify correctly that it is indeed a bed bug infestation you are dealing with. As already hinted, bed bugs may easily be identified. They are usually small, oval-shaped, and flat. And they have a peculiar odor when you kill them.
- After identifying the pest, you need to identify their spots, all infested areas. Bed bugs like thin spaces with corners, the unlikeliest places where you may not think to look. Also important is identifying where they have laid their eggs.
- In the past, you could follow up your search by spraying furniture and crevices where bed bugs may be with a chemical like DDT, a colorless, tasteless and almost odorless chemical that has now been canceled for use in homes because of the adverse and persistent effects it has on health.
- Now you can leverage alternatives like sprays and fast insecticides to kill the bed bugs in your bean bags.
Steps to get rid of bed bugs from bean bags
To get bed bugs out of your bean bags, follow these steps:
- Identify breeding and home spots, high infestation areas in the fabric.
- Remove beans from bag.
- Treat bag and other parts of the home with insecticide
- Machine wash, and dry at high temperature.
- Spread beans in the sun
- Make sure your bean bag is isolated until other places in the home is free of bed bugs.
Now let us take these steps one after the other.
Identify breeding and hiding spots
Target joints and fissures in furniture, seams in the bean bags, clothes, under carpets and anywhere else they may be found. Since we are focused on bean bags, investigate seams in the bean bag.
Check the joints where the bags are sewn together, you will find either the eggs or the bugs themselves hiding in those places. Avoid killing them with your hands, they stink and it is not healthy for you to do that.
The bugs may be inside the bag too. The seams have undersides so you are going to have to unwrap your bean bag if it has a zipper. Some bean bags have an outer covering, it would be good to take this out as well.
Separate the bag from the beans.
Remove the beans from the bag
You have a hard task if the bed bugs have infested the beans although this is rare. Because the beans are moveable and very unstable in the bag, it may not be possible for them to be in there.
Bed bugs are quite static insects when they aren’t feeding. But in order to be on the safe side, and so as not to have a reinfected bean bag after a short time, it is best to take the beans out. It is even an opportunity to fluff your beans.
If you leave in a region where the climate is hot most of the year, then you may spread the beans in the sun in the meantime. Avoid spreading it out on windy days though.
Treat bag and other parts of the home with insecticide
Bed bugs can be difficult to eliminate. You’d have better chances of eradicating the common cockroach better than you would bed bugs. Hence, we recommend any of the following insecticides for the job:
Harris Bed bug Killer
This insecticide comes with a spray nozzle or wand that gets into difficult areas to make your job easy. It kills bed bugs and other insects. It is used as a spot treatment. It kills even resistant bed bugs.
How to use:
- Find spots where bugs are, in seams of furniture, spaces between furniture, and spray directly in those places.
- After spraying, make sure the bean bag is not used for at least a week.
MDX Concepts Bed bug Killer
This insecticide kills bugs in contact. It will kill bed bugs in every stage of their life, eggs, nymphs, and adults. It will not stain your bean bag. It is extremely fast and efficient. It is ecologically friendly.
How to use:
- Spray directly on bugs and places where they are hiding, then cover it till they are all dead.
MGK 1852 Crossfire Concentrate
It is very effective for indoor and outdoor use and is known to be effective for spot application for the eradicating of bed bugs.
It comes in a large container that can be dispensed from hence it will last your family for a long time.
If you have been using other insecticides without great results, it is time to switch to MGK insecticides.
How to use:
- This product comes with instructions for use tailored to estimated circumstances. Depending on the infestation you have in your home, you are usually required to apply the insecticide several times to get the infestation under control.
- However, we recommend spot application in seams and holes in your bean bag.
- This insecticide dries fast but ensures not to use the bean bag until after a period of three hours.
Hotspot Bed Bug Killer
This product is especially effective for spot cleaning your bean bag. The pressurized canister makes it easier because the spray can be directed on the seams and corners of the bean bag where the eggs and adult bed bugs may be hiding out.
And according to the information on the can, the effect lasts up to 30 days. Hatching eggs are killed for up to eight months. We recommend this product for indoor use.
How to use:
- After locating where bugs are, spray directly on the insects, and even on places where they currently aren’t, for proactive reasons.
Tempo Dust insecticide Powder
While most insecticides are in liquid form, there are those that are in powder form. This Tempo product is recommended for bed bug eradication. Although they leave residues when used they are really effective.
How to use:
- After locating the bugs and their eggs, you need a nose cover to protect you from the dust of the Insecticide.
- Puff the dust directly in the eggs and adult bugs and in other suspected places on the bag, then shut the bean bag in an enclosed room.
- Leave the bag in the sun for some two hours in the sun if you leave in a hot region. Wash properly after this.
- If not, you may strip the bean bag and machine wash and hot dry.
Bedlam Plus Bed bug Aerosol
The is insecticide works like many of the other aforementioned. It comes an aerosol spray can which gives it an edge over insecticides that you have to mix with water before use.
Let us just say these ones are premixed for use. It works well for surface spray application on mattresses, wood and carpet.
To use this insecticide for bed bugs in bean bags is easy.
How to use:
- Identify areas of infestation, wear protective face cover, then spray the contents of the aerosol directly non the affected areas making sure you get the eggs as well as the adult bugs.
- Make sure to also wear the bean bag in a polythene bag if possible for more effect. If a polythene bag is not big enough or available, then shut the door on the bag. Best sure to air the bean bag out after the operation for three days.
Raid Max Bed bug Extended Protection
It is shaped so that you can grip and fire the content through a nozzle on the cover straight into the affected areas of the bean bag seams.
It is very handy and effective. For you to eight weeks, this insecticide continues to have an effect on surfaces.
How to use:
- Wear a protective cover on the face after preparing the bean bag for treatment.
- Spray directly on affected areas thoroughly.
- Air it out for a week before using the bean bag again.
Proof Bed bug & Dust Mite killer
The manufacturer says it works and guarantees it. So you might want to invest in the product to treat your bean bag problem with bed bugs.
Good thing it doesn’t only kill bed bugs but is also effective for treating the infestation of dust mites. If you have kids this might be an added reason to purchase it.
It is lab tested and can be used safely on bean bags of all fabrics.
How to use:
- You need a protective cover for the face, spray as directed by the manufacturer, and air the bean bag afterward.
Final words
Now that you have made a purchase of insecticides. Keep it for a minute and do a survey of the problem again. Bed bugs spread fast and silently. You may want to check again in the places you may have overlooked.
If you miss just one or two, they just might be male and female. I bet you they’d mate and you’d have another infestation in no time.