Bed bugs hide in various places in the mattress. How to get bed bugs out of pillows? You can get rid of them by using simple home remedies that will be discussed in this article. I faced a lot of trouble when these bed bugs infested my pillows a few months ago.
I already knew that there were signs of bed bugs in the mattress, but I never thought that these bugs would make their way to the pillows. Bed bugs in pillows are not so easy to eliminate. I tried to get rid of them from my pillows and mattress with a lot of patience and effort. I’ll let you know some tips regarding how to get bed bugs out of pillows.
What attracts bed bugs and why do they infest your pillows?
Bed bugs are generally attracted to the odor of humans. They find dirty laundry or dirty bedding appealing enough to start an infestation. Generally, bed bugs prefer previously worn clothing and used bedding. They are drawn to the warmth of your body and the carbon dioxide you exhale.
They can detect our body heat from up to three feet away. They infest your pillows as they find them as the best place to lay their eggs. Dirt and moisture buildup on the pillows also attracts bed bugs to infest.
Do Bed Bugs Live in Pillows?
Bed bugs can live in pillows, but they mostly prefer to live in mattresses. Bed bugs consider pillows to provide several advantages when they begin to develop an infestation. As we sleep right on them, it is easy for bed bugs to feed. Bed bugs prefer pillows for the following reasons:
- There are numerous creases in the pillow’s fabric.
- The pillow’s underside is dark so that it can go undetected for a long time.
- There is a way to get inside the pillow and find additional protection.
What Are the Signs of Bed Bugs in Pillows?
Bed bugs enjoy hiding in your pillow because it is an ideal location for them to lay their eggs. To identify them, look for very small, white, oval-shaped eggs. Examine the pillow and the inside of the pillowcase, as well as your mattress and sheets.
If you happen to find any bed bug in your pillow, it is an indication that your mattress has already been infested with these bugs. So, you need to act quickly to prevent them from getting on your pillows.
Another sign of bed bugs in your pillow is small black spots. This could be a sign of bed bug feces. If your face comes into contact with these feces, you may experience redness, irritation, or even an allergic reaction to them.
What are the ways to kill bed bugs that are hiding in your pillow?
Clean your mattress
The first method is to clean your pillows, pillowcases, and bedsheets thoroughly. You should not apply pesticides to pillows; instead, they should be washed and dried to remove any bed bugs that may be present.
Heat wash
Put the pillows in a washing machine on the highest heat setting, dry them, and steam them at the highest temperature possible. This will instantly kill adult bed bugs.
We recommend not putting the bedding back on your bed after it has been washed but rather placing it in a plastic bag until your bed and home have been thoroughly treated.
Use bed bug encasement
Install a bed bug encasement to protect your bed from reinfestations. Use mattresses, box springs, and pillow encasements available at stores. These are beneficial because they eliminate bed bugs’ prime hiding places and significantly reduce future bed bug infestation signs.
You can place the encasement and zip it shut to keep it secure. If any bed bugs are found crawling around inside the encasement, they will die trapped inside.
Do bedbugs stain the pillow?
Yes, bed bugs stain the pillow with their droppings and the hosts’ blood. Finding blood stains on your pillow is one of the most obvious signs of a bed bug infestation. Bed bugs cause bloodstains for three main reasons.
- Bites from bed bugs bleed onto the pillow, staining it.
- When they inject an anticoagulant into your bloodstream.
How to get bedbugs out of pillows?
By force vacuuming on a regular basis, you can get bed bugs off of your pillows. This ensures there is no infestation or residue of bed bugs in the pillows. Bed bugs cannot tolerate high temperatures; thus, steaming also helps to keep them out of your pillow. This is the best way to kill bed bugs.
Bed bugs can stain the sheets and pillows with their faces and skin. This can make you uncomfortable using your pillow. So, preventing them from the pillows using the above-mentioned methods is important.
How to remove bed bugs’ feces from a pillow?
Bed bugs’ feces are composed of grain-sized, dark rusty dots. You can remove the majority of stains during a regular wash. If the staining is severe, pretreat the pillow with an enzyme-based fabric stain remover before washing. This will ensure that your pillow is free of stains.
If there are numerous strains of feces on your pillows, we recommend you dispose of the pillow and get a new one. You need to be cautious with the pillow you are using. It can transfer germs onto your face if it is not washed properly.
How to avoid pillow bites?
Washing your pillow at higher temperatures can prevent bed bugs from infesting your pillow. The main reasons bed bugs are on our pillows are dirt and the warmth, which encourage their growth.
You must ensure that the pillow and the mattress are clean and hygienic. Steaming your pillow regularly can help prevent bed bugs and their bites.
What do bed bug pillow stains look like?
Bed bug droppings look ink-like, and they are permanent stains. Most importantly, they do not fade with time and rarely wash away. The stains from bed bugs are rusty red, brown, or black.
These stains are small and dot-shaped in appearance. These stains can diffuse to cover a larger area and fade to a lighter brown over time.
Should I throw away pillows if I have bed bugs?
No, throwing away your pillow does not eliminate bed bugs. Because bed bugs on the pillows mean that your mattress has been infested.
If you happen to buy a new pillow and throw away the old one, the bed bugs will infest the new one in no time. So, preventing bed bugs is much better than discarding the infested items.
Do Bed Bugs Lay Eggs in Pillows?
Bed bugs lay their eggs in your pillow. They usually only do this if there is already an infestation in the mattress.
The females generally prefer to lay their eggs in a protected environment near the host. The female bed bug lays eggs for up to eight weeks. This results in 500 baby bed bugs, which is a lot.
Final Thoughts
The sooner you begin treating your home, the easier it will be to get rid of bed bugs. Bed bugs have a high reproductive capacity so that they can multiply in a very short period. If left untreated, the bugs will spread from room to room, latching onto mattresses and clothes, crawling through cracks, searching for new food sources.
Bed bugs will inhabit any room to find a host to feed on. This can include your living room or other rooms if you have family members, housemates, or guests. So, if the treatment is fast, it is easy to get rid of them from your pillows.