| How to Identify a Bed Bug Infestation Posted: 26 Oct 2016 05:00 PM PDT Sometimes people are worried, or afraid, that they might have a bedbug infestation. Having bedbugs in the house is not necessarily a sign of a dirty home, for even some 5-star hotels have bedbugs. However, sometimes bedbugs can be hard to find, as they often hide out in particular crevices of a mattress, a box spring, a headboard. Their size and color can elude the human eye, and they do not feed until night time. There are, however, several easy ways to identify bed bugs and bed bug infestations. EditIdentifying the Possible Bedbug Problem - Check your mattress for bedbugs. Bedbugs tend to live and migrate towards mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards. These are small, brownish red insects that are oval in shape. They live off of the blood in animals and humans. Look around the edges of your mattress, the creases of your sheets, and pillowcases. If there is a bedbug problem, you will see a mass of small black bugs ranging from eggs (1mm) to adults (5mm, size of an appleseed). While most are black, some are pearl white, and the size of a pinhead.[1]
- Bedbugs however do not always mass together. Sometimes they are more spread out, across the entire mattress or bed spread. In that case, use a magnifying glass to check around the edges of your mattress and sheets.
- A flashlight can also help in a dim bedroom. Hold your flashlight about 6 inches away from the mattress in order to use the light effectively.
- Bedbugs do not fly, but they do however move rather quickly along multiple surfaces, including but not limited to: ceilings, walls, and fabrics. If the bug you find does have wings, or is flying, the bug is probably a mosquito or a fly, rather than a bedbug.
- Locate fecal waste products on your mattress. Bedbugs feed for approximately 3-10 minutes a day before they retreat. Their fecal matter appears to the human eye as small black specks (the size of a marker dot). This is because they feed on blood, and then that blood dries when it is released by the bedbugs.[2]
- Often times the bedbug defecates where it originally ate. This includes, but is not limited to, edges of mattresses, creases in bed spreads, and cracks in a headboard.
- You might have to use a magnifying glass if the excrement is spread out over a wide area (not clumped together). Rub your hand gently over the surface area to see if anything kicks up, or has been embedded.
- Get near the area you think the bedbugs might be. Put your hand near the potentially affected area and waft your hand. If bedbugs have produced fecal matter you should be able to detect a musty odor from the bedbug's scent glands.
- Check mattress for egg shells and case skins. Bedbugs, like all other bugs, mate, reproduce, and shed their skin. When bedbugs mate they can produce hundreds of offspring, which can then lead to the production of a ton of exoskeleton waste products.[3]
- Look near the edges of your mattress, creases in the bed spread, and the cracks of your headboard. See if there are small, white larvae (1mm, size of a pinpoint) bunched together. Also, look for clear, tan, or dark brown excess skin in those places as well.
- Because the larvae are small, and the exoskeleton waste is likely to be clear, you will want to use a magnifying glass to detect any potential problems. Run your hand gently over the surface to see if anything has been lodged inward or embedded.
- If your bed has any brown, black, or red marks on it, this could be because bedbugs have been squashed and killed during the night.
- Examine your headboard and box spring. While these places are not primary feeding grounds for bedbugs, they are great places for them to live, retreat after feeding, and to reproduce. Cracks and crevices are perfect breeding grounds which need a thorough going over.[4]
- Remove the dust cover over the bottom of your box spring. Examine the cracks and seams in the wood framing. Use a magnifying glass and a flashlight to inspect the area. Look for black specks (living bedbugs) or pearl white larvae.
- Peel back the fabric where it is stapled to the bed frame. Check in the crevices and underneath the surface area.
- Bedbugs love to live and breed where wood frames meet, or where the wood has come to be split apart by age and maturation, so you will want to check there too.
- Investigate the clutter around your bed. Bedbugs love to hide out in small crevices wherever they can reproduce. These can include books, night stands, telephones, radios, and even electrical outlets.[5]
- Open up your books that are near your bed and flip through the pages. Check and make sure that there are no black, or dark red specks within the pages.
- Lift up your radios and telephones. Use a magnifying glass and a flash light to inspect the places where the wooden boards of your night stand are nailed together.
- Unscrew your electrical outlets. Make sure that when you do so, you first cut the circuit breaker for that particular bedroom. Use a flashlight and see if there are any remnants of bedbugs, whether they be alive, shells, or fecal matter.
- Scan the edges of your carpet. Different types of flooring like carpeting (tight or loose) or linoleum are great places for bedbugs to hide out. These are also perfect for seclusion which bedbugs need to reproduce. If you can do so, without damaging your carpet/linoleum, peel up the edge. Use a magnifying glass and a flash light to detect any bedbugs, shells, or defecation. Do the same around the floor boards where the wood paneling meets the floor.
- Probe your closet and clothes. Bedbugs love to live on the fabrics of shirts and pants, especially if they have not been washed in a while. The closet provides seclusion, heat, and yet still easy access to your bed.
- Go in your closet and inspect your clothes. Rub your hands against the fabric of your hanging clothes. See if any dark black specks begin to release as you apply pressure.
- You can do the same with your clothes in a dresser drawer. Rub your hands against the fabric. Check with a magnifying glass and a flashlight the cracks and crevices of the inner paneling of the dresser.
- Survey your bedroom for loose wallpaper and/or peeling paint. These are another great area for bedbugs to roam about. They get seclusion and easy access to your bed. If the bedbugs are not readily apparent, peel back some of the chipped paint and/or wallpaper. Look for tiny white larvae using your magnifying glass. There may be also black specks which pop out as you peel some of the paint and/or wallpaper back.[6]
- Check your skin for bite marks. Bedbugs generally feed at night (nocturnal) on human flesh in order to extract blood. These bite marks are often mistaken for mosquito bites, but are very different.[7]
- Inspect your ankles/feet in the mornings. Bedbugs feed on exposed skin, and the ankle/feet area is the part most likely to be exposed at night. However, the marks could occur almost anywhere along your body.
- Notice whether or not you see bite marks after you wake up in the morning. Bedbugs bite in linear groups of three, as compared to the mosquito which generally only bites once. Bedbug bites appear as a series of small red dots.[8]
- These bites are mostly painless at first. However, if you notice that they begin to itch after a few days they most likely are bedbugs. The itchiness and swelling can last up to nine days.
- Call an exterminator. Sometimes bedbugs are hard to find, or not readily apparent. A great thing to do is to call your local exterminator who is trained in the field, to come and inspect the house. He or she will be able to give you an exact answer.
EditTreating an In-House Bedbug Problem - Clean your bedding and linens. This is the quickest and easiest way to get rid of bedbugs. The insects do not last long in extreme heat, so putting your sheets, pillow cases, and comforter in the washer can help.
- Simply put your linens in the washer. Make sure the water is hot. Check beforehand whether or not your bedding can be washed with hot water (look at the tag).[9]
- After they come out of the washer, put them immediately in the dryer at the highest temperature setting.
- You can do the same with your clothes. However, you will need to be extra pre-cautious with clothes, as they might tend to shrink in both hot water, and the extreme heat of the dryer.
- For items that cannot be washed, stick them in the dryer on high heat for thirty minutes.
- Encase your bed with a tight fabric. Wrap your mattress and box spring with tightly woven fabric, such as a mattress cover. This will prevent the bedbugs from becoming embedded in the mattress and box spring cracks and crevices. It will also make it easier to get rid of the bedbugs because you can simply throw the fabric in the wash.
- Use plastic cups around the feet of your bed. Buy four plastic cups and place them upright as if you were about to drink out of them. Sit each of your beds legs in one of the four cups. This can prevent the bedbugs from crawling out of your closet, or from your carpet, and onto your bed.
- Get rid of the clutter around the bed. Because clutter is a great place for bedbugs to hide out, clean up the area around your bed. This will get rid of hiding places, and make your bedroom more sanitary in the process.[10]
- Stack up books, and place them far away from your bed, or on a bookshelf.
- Clothes should also be clean, neatly folded, and placed far away from your bed. Hang them up in a closet, or keep them in a dresser drawer.
- Make sure that your nightstand and/or desk are neat, and properly maintained. Pick up any garbage, cups, plates, utensils, napkins, tissues, etc. Wipe the surface down with a damp cloth, or use a healthy cleaning spray.
- Vacuum the area around your bed frequently. Bedbugs like to embed in the fabric of the carpet, and use the carpet as a means to move around. Make sure that your vacuum is powerful enough to pick up materials which are deeply embedded.[11]
- Vacuums with cyclone technology, or 4-chamber suction are great for this job.
- Vacuum regularly, whether it be once a day, or once a week. You do not want to attract the bedbugs in any way, and give them time to move about.
- Repair cracks. Bedbugs love to breed and live within the cracks of furniture, bed posts, and headboards. Use putty, plaster, or safe wood glue to fill in the cracks which might have the potential to house the bugs.
- Buy a portable heating chamber for your bedroom. These can be either handheld, or ones that sit upright on the floor. Because bedbugs cannot live in extreme temperatures, the heating chamber will kill them.[12]
- Use an upright heating chamber, and sit it on your bedroom floor. Turn the heat up to between 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to shut the door to keep the heat in. Warning: Continuously check on your room that there isn't a fire resulting from the heating chamber.[13]
- Use a handheld heating chamber, and run it over the surfaces you believe to be infected. Be careful as to not touch the heating chamber directly, as it will be very hot.
- After you have you have used either of these, clean the area of dead bedbugs. Vacuum the carpeting, wipe the wood furnishings, and throw your linens in the washer.
- Get rid of your mattress/furniture. This is oftentimes a last resort, but if the bedbugs have overwhelmed the situation, it is best to start over.
- Dispose of your mattress a great distance from your house. Either leave the mattress near the place where the trash men pick the garbage up, or take the mattress directly to the garbage dump. Do the same with any furniture infected with bedbugs.
- Remember, secondhand furniture and mattresses are especially vulnerable to having bedbugs in them. If your furniture or mattresses are secondhand, it is even more of a necessity to rid yourself of these furnishings. They have likely already had bedbugs in them before, and are a breeding ground for more to come.
- Use safe chemical treatments on and around your bed. There are many name brand bedbug removal chemical agents that are available at stores across the country. Find one that is safe to use, and that comes in a spray bottle form.[14]
- Spray the chemical agent onto the surface you wish to rid of bedbugs. Let it sit there for a few minutes.
- You can also buy some chemicals which you can leave sit in a particular room which will kill bedbugs, much like the chemicals an exterminator uses.
- After you have used the chemicals, wash the surface off with a damp washcloth or paper towel. Immediately dispose of the cloth as it will contain chemicals and dead bugs/feces/shells.
- Call an exterminator. Rather than use chemicals which might be harmful, it might be better to call a professional. He or she will be able to document the problem, and provide an adequate chemical solution.
EditFixing an Out-of-House Bedbug Problem - Inspect your temporary housing. Whether it be an apartment, dormitory, cruise ship, hotel, or homeless shelter, it is critical that you examine the space for any bedbugs/feces/shells. Even the best, five star hotels, have been known to have bedbug problems.[15]
- Bring along a magnifying glass and a flashlight with you. Get up close and personal with your mattress, bedding, headboard, carpet, closets, and anywhere else you think bedbugs might be lurking. Check not only for small, dark, oval shaped bugs, but also little black marks (feces) and clear or yellowish bedbug shells.
- If you find something suspicious, immediately contact the tenant of your temporary home. They will be able to bring in people who will clean the area, and disinfect.[16]
- Inspect your luggage after a trip. Upon returning home from a vacation, it is imperative that you check whether bedbugs from a hotel, cruise ship, etc. have entered into your luggage.
- Use the magnifying glass and flashlight to first see whether there are any bedbugs. Check along the creases of the luggage where the fabric is sewn together, and check your clothes.
- Whether you find bedbugs or not, it is best to disinfect anyways. Use a mild chemical agent and spray down your luggage (after you have taken your clothes out). After you have done so, wipe the luggage down with a clean, wet cloth or paper towel.
- Wash your clothes frequently. The minute you get home from a vacation or retreat, put your clothes in the washer. Make sure the water is hot, which will kill any bedbugs. Finally, put them in the dryer at the highest heating setting.
- Inspect your work related facilities. Believe it or not, work can be a great place for bedbugs to reside. They can camp out in break room furniture, teachers' lounges, offices, and storage facilities.
- Use a magnifying glass and a flashlight to check the furniture. Look along the creases of the fabrics where they are sewn together. Inspect the wood paneling that s near the floor (baseboard). Check to see whether there are any cracks in the wall, peeling paint/wallpaper. These are great places for bedbugs to hide out.
- Look for the bedbugs themselves, along with black dots (feces) and any clear bedbug shells.
- If you are allowed to, clean the area with a safe chemical agent. Follow that by wiping the area clean with a wet washcloth or paper towel. If you are not allowed to disinfect the area, notify the supervisors of any bedbug problems you are aware of.
- Educate the staff at your workplace. It is important that your fellow co-workers/employees knows what to look for when it comes to bedbugs. Let them know that it is important to be on notice of any small, dark, oval shaped bugs. As well as small dark marks which are bedbug feces, and clear or yellowish bedbug shells.[17]
- Establish a monitoring program at your workplace. Write up a schedule so each employee has a set time that they are to check for bedbugs. This will distribute the workload, and make sure that bedbugs are consistently being monitored for.
- Ask each employee to send in to you a time of the week that they are free to check the lounge, office, furniture, etc. Compile the list into a block schedule. List everyone's particular times on one master schedule.
- Send this master schedule out to all employees, and post one on the wall near the lounge area. This will provide a consistent reminder to the rest of the staff.
- Discourage panic amongst the staff. The office you work in should not be in hysteria over bedbugs. These are not lethal insects, and they are found even in the most clean environments. Make sure that your employees know what to look for, and are vigilant. However, looking for bedbugs should not replace normal work activities/interfere with your daily work life.[18]
- Create a to-go card for your purse and/or wallet. Write on a small sheet of paper, or on the back of a business card, what to look for when you are searching out bedbugs. You can then carry this around in your wallet/purse, and always be ready to look out for those pesky insects.[19]
- Be slow and methodical when you are checking your bedroom. Often times bedbugs are not readily apparent. Make sure to look closely and for long periods of time. Make sure to check, double check, and triple check the same areas.
- Call a friend or relative in for a second opinion. They will be able to help you look for bedbugs, as well as help you determine whether what you see are signs of bedbugs.
- Do not overreact to the situation. Remember that even very clean spaces can have bedbugs.
- Regularly clean your sheets and replace your mattress every few years.
- Make sure that the chemical agents you use to remove bedbugs are safe to be around. If you are not sure, contact your local exterminator.
EditThings You'll Need - Magnifying glass
- Flashlight
- Putty/caulk/wood glue
- Pesticides (check with local exterminator)
- Washcloth
- Washer/dryer
EditRelated wikiHows EditSources and Citations
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| How to Apply Makeup to Dry Skin Posted: 26 Oct 2016 01:00 AM PDT If you have dry skin, you know how difficult applying makeup can be. Makeup tends to cling to the dry areas of the face rather than getting absorbed by the skin, making it look patchy and badly-applied. Before you apply makeup to dry skin, prime your skin to give it the moisture that it needs. Also make sure to use products specifically formulated for dry skin. Preparing your skin and using the right products will help makeup to glide on effortlessly, so that even from up close, your makeup will look flawless. EditPriming Your Face - Wash your face. No matter what kind of skin you have, always wash your face before putting on makeup. This will give you the ideal canvas for your makeup by leaving skin fresh and ready for anything you put on it. It also will wash away any leftover makeup or products that you may have used. This will prevent breakouts and clogged pores.[1]
- Use a gentle face wash formulated for dry skin to wash your face. Face washes meant for normal or oily skin will be too aggressive, and could cause dryness to get worse.
- Moisturize your skin. After washing your face, apply moisturizer to your skin, focusing it on the driest areas. For many, the area around the nose and the space between the eyebrows tend to be the driest areas.[2]
- Use an extra-hydrating moisturizer formulated for dry skin.
- Apply enough moisturizer so that it gets absorbed by the skin, but not so much that the skin feels greasy with moisturizer.
- Apply face primer. Primer is a sheer, gel-like base that goes on skin before applying makeup. For dry skin, primer is especially useful because it gives your skin a smoother base, so that makeup can be applied without getting stuck to dry patches of skin. To apply primer, take a dot of it on your finger and pat it into sections of the face.[3]
- Do not apply too much primer. In general, use one dot for small areas like your chin and nose, and two dots for larger areas like your cheeks or forehead.
- Apply eye primer. Eye primer helps eyeshadow and eyeliner glide on smoother, and makes eye makeup more blendable. It also is often tinted to give your eyelid a more uniform color. If your eyelids are dry, they may appear red or irritated. Eye primer will moisturize without making your lids to oily, and will help combat discoloration.[4]
- Apply one dot of eye primer to each lid and pat it on with your fingertip.
- Apply chapstick. If you suffer from dry skin, your lips may also be chapped. Chapped lips make it almost impossible to apply lipstick or other lip products smoothly. Patchy lipstick is one of the most obvious makeup faux pas, so make sure to use a layer of chapstick before you apply your makeup.[5]
EditApplying Foundation and Concealer - Use face makeup meant for dry skin. Make sure you are using foundation and concealer meant for dry skin. Foundation meant for dry skin is packed with more moisture than foundation meant for oily or normal skin, meaning that it will glide on easier and keep your skin feeling enriched and fresh, as opposed to making it feel depleted.[6]
- Don't overlook the importance of the right foundation. Applying foundation smoothly is often the biggest struggle for those with dry skin, so if you think your foundation may not be working for you, it may be best to invest in a new one.
- If you feel like drugstore-quality foundation isn't working for you, visit a high-end makeup store like Sephora or Mac. Tell a sales associate that you are looking for a foundation for dry skin. Sample several foundations and apply them until you find one that works for your skin.
- Use liquid foundation as opposed to a powder foundation. If you are using powder foundation, this may be the cause of some of your makeup woes. Powder foundation is great for people with oily skin, because it helps to absorb excess oil and moisture on the skin. However, it you have dry skin as it is, using powder foundation will only leave your skin more dried out than before. The powder will cling to the dry areas of your face, making foundation look patchy, especially from up close.[7]
- Buy a liquid foundation at the drugstore or at makeup stores like Ulta or Sephora.
- Also make sure to use a cream concealer as opposed to a stick concealer.
- Apply foundation. Pick an area of your face to start applying foundation. Dab a small amount of liquid foundation onto your finger, then tap the foundation onto your face. Use a foundation brush to blend the foundation into your skin. Repeat as desired for your whole face, except for your under eye area and your eyelids.[8]
- If you have dry skin, you may notice that your skin is often flaky. Using a brush as opposed to your fingers to blend foundation minimizes flaking since brushes are gentler.
- Do not press too hard with the brush. Instead, use a soft series of repetitive taps that blends in and spreads the foundation to the area you are working on.
- Apply concealer. Use a liquid or cream concealer on your undereye area, and any other area that you feel needs more coverage. Apply concealer like you applied the liquid foundation, using a series of small pats.Use a small brush that can reach all the areas of the under eye.[9]
- Use a setting spray. Use setting spray, as opposed to powder, to set your makeup. Hold the spray about a foot from your face and give your face a gentle mist. Setting spray has a moisturizing effect, as opposed to setting powder which will absorb precious moisture.[10]
EditApplying the Rest of Your Makeup - Apply your eye makeup. With your eyes already primed, apply your eye makeup as you usually do. You should notice that with the primer in place, it is easier to blend your eyeshadow, and your liner pencil should glide on more smoothly.
- If you notice that your eyelids are still dry, apply liquid liner as opposed to pencil liner.
- You also can use cream-based eyeshadows, though they are less easy to blend than powders.[11]
- Use liquid blush. If your cheeks and cheekbone areas are prone to dryness, making your blush go on patchily, try a liquid blush. Liquid blush not only goes on smoother, but it lasts longer and is more heat resistant during hot days. To use liquid blush, dab a dot of it on your cheekbones and spread with a blush brush in small pats.[12]
- Apply your lipstick. By the time you have put on your foundation, blush and eye makeup, your lips may be starting to feel dry again. Apply a thin coat of chapstick. Wait for a moment for it to sink in, and then apply your lipstick. Try to avoid matte lipsticks, or long-lasting lipsticks, as these have a drying effect.[13]
- If do decide to use a matte lipstick that leaves your lips feeling dry, dab a bit of Vaseline or chapstick onto your finger, then pat this onto your lips. This will leave your lips feeling moisturized, and will counteract the drying effect of the lip product you are using.
- Apply highlighter for a dewy look. If you are self-conscious about your skin appearing dry, use a liquid highlighter to give your skin a fresh, dewy look. Use a liquid highlighter, and dab a drop on the top of each cheekbone. Pat it in using your finger in a diagonal along the ridge of your cheekbone.[14]
- Applying highlighter won't actually make your skin less dry, but it will give you a fresh and healthy look.
- Refresh your makeup throughout the day. Check up on your makeup every couple of hours. If you notice that your skin is flaking or dry patches have appeared, revitalize your skin. First take a pair of tweezers and tweeze off any flakes of dry skin. Then use a patting motion to apply a dot of moisturizer to each dry patch. Moisturizer will give your skin the moisture and nourishment that it needs, and it will make your makeup look less dry and cakey.[15]
- Make sure to not to use too much moisturizer, and to pat as opposed to rub the moisturizer in. Rubbing can remove your foundation and concealer.
- If you still notice patchiness with your foundation, consider investing in a higher-quality foundation. Sometimes simply buying a better quality product can make all the difference.
- Make sure that you are applying your makeup in a well-lit environment. You need to make sure that your makeup looks flawless even in a brightly-lit space.
- Take your time patting in your foundation and blush. You want to be sure that it is integrated into your skin, or else the makeup will stay on the surface of your skin and look uneven.
- Make sure to wash your makeup brushes and tools at least once a month.They can be carriers of germs and bacteria. Also try to sharpen eyeliner pencils after a couple uses.
- Always be careful when applying makeup around the eye area. If you get makeup in your eye, flush your eye with cool water immediately.
EditSources and Citations
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