The Bedbug Vaseline Trick

An old school approach for getting rid of bed bugs.

Bedbugs and vaseline do not play well together. This can come in handy when trying to keep them out of your bed.

Remember -- bed bugs don't fly. The only way they can get into your bed is if they can reach the mattress themselves or if you carry them in. If you're pretty sure that you're not acting as a bed bug taxi cab, then you just need to keep them from attacking your bed from other places. Here is an old school approach.

First, make sure to properly launder your linens and anything else that goes on the bed. This means washing everything at a temperature above 113 degrees farenheit. This is the temperature at which the critters die. You can also use your dryer to cook them. Just make sure that you get all your bedding above 113 degrees for an extended period of time. Say 15 - 20 min.

You'll have to deal with the mattress too. If it is really infested, trash it and get a new one. Yeah they're pricy but this is war. Do you like being the midnight snack for an army of hungry bedbugs?

If the mattress doesn't look too bad, get it outside for a day. Let it air out in the hot sun. Beat it with a stick or broom to clear anything off of it. You can even treat it with a bed bug spray.

Next you'll have to deal with the bed. Treat it with bed bug spray and make sure it isn't touching any walls or shelving. You want it so that they only way a bed bug could get into your bed is through the bed's legs.

Get the metal tops of four pickle jars. Place them with the top part down underneath the legs of the bed. They should look like little cups underneath each bed leg. You can fill these with soapy water or mineral oil. Whatever you want. Just make sure that you keep these filled daily. Think of them as moats protecting your slumber castle.

This brings us to the bed bug vaseline trick. Coat the bottom of the bed legs with vaseline. Then put all your bedding back on your bed, being careful not to drop anything on the ground and contaminate it.

If your place is really infested badly, chances are you'll need to clean and disinfect chairs, walls, carpets. Bed bugs can even hide in books. But the vaseline trick should help keep them out of your bed. Give it a try.