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6 Home Remedies to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Bedbugs are insects that feed on live animals and human bodies. They can be found anywhere, whether a home or a hotel. Bed bugs cannot fly, but they can move anywhere undetected due to their tiny size. They also get transported from other places to your home due to their flat bodies which hardly would require any space to fit themselves in.
Female bedbugs are known to lay hundreds of eggs during their lifetime. Each of these eggs is the size of a small dust particle and cannot be seen easily with a naked eye. Owing to their small size, it is very much necessary to correctly detect whether your house is infested with bedbugs or not. Based on the level of infestation, the further treatments to get rid of bedbugs can be decided.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs at Home
Bedbugs are usually active throughout the night, while you are asleep. They draw blood from the body with a sharp and elongated beak. Each feed lasts from minimum 3 minutes to 10 minutes. Once they have finished their feed, they crawl away to their hiding places unnoticed. Bedbug bites are usually painless in the beginning but later turn into itchy shin irritants. Usually, it is difficult to attribute the red bites to bedbugs and is often mistaken to be mosquito bites. You have to check yourself to confirm the presence of bedbugs in the house.
Bedbugs leave a lot of tell-tale signs on the mattress or the area around them. Check for black dots, which are most likely bug excrement, or eggshells that are pale yellow in colour and only 1 mm in size. You may also see rusty stains or even living bugs. In this article, we will talk about how to kill the bedbugs and how to get rid of the bedbugs with home remedies.
Before you start on your mission of getting rid of these tiny bugs, make sure that you clean your rooms as much as possible. A clutter-free house helps in reducing the hiding places for bedbugs. Check for infestation on your garments. If the signs of infestation are positive, put them all into the laundry for a good wash. Remember to check the labels of the garments and if they need to be dry cleaned, give them to the dry cleaner. Let them know of the infestation so that they clean the clothes well. Check for crevices and cracks and clean them. Fill these holes up as soon as possible to prevent the bedbugs from hiding in them again. Below, we bring you some simple home remedies to get rid of bedbugs immediately:
1. Vinegar
Apart from its use in the kitchen, vinegar can also be used to kill bedbugs. However, it is important to remember that though vinegar can kill bedbugs by destroying their nervous system, it cannot kill their eggs. Apply white distilled vinegar on the edges of the things that show signs of infestation and then spray vinegar liberally on the bedbugs. That way, they will not be able to scurry away and escape from the vinegar sprays.
2. Diatomaceous Earth
This is considered to be most effective in treating bedbug infestations. If you are looking to kill the bedbugs easily and economically, diatomaceous earth is the best option. Although it takes quite a while to start working, it is known to kill approximately 90% of the bedbugs.
3. Baking Soda
One of the best-known home remedies for bedbugs is baking soda or sodium bicarbonate. By spraying baking soda on to the infected area you can get rid of the bed bugs. Baking soda can dehydrate the skin of bedbugs killing them instantly. But this solution would take a lot of time to give results and will be expensive also. You would need loads of powder for sprinkling. Every time you sprinkle the powder you will have to vacuum and clean the rooms to get rid of the dead bugs.
4. Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is a solvent that is used in killing insects by dissolving their cells. This can be used successfully to treat the infestation of bedbugs. The skin of the bedbugs dries if it comes in contact with rubbing alcohol thus causing them to die. Rubbing alcohol does not stain garments or your furniture. Nevertheless, it would be good to test it in a small area before you start the treatment.
5. Borax
A generous sprinkling of the borax powder on your mattress or furniture or the cracks in the walls can rid your house of the bedbug infestation. You can also add some borax powder to your washing machine so that the bedbugs are completely eradicated from your home.
6. Essential Oils
Essential oils can keep these creepy crawly bugs away. They are easy to make, and can even be carried along with you in small amounts when you are travelling. Lavender, thyme, peppermint, eucalyptus, and tea tree are some of the oils that you can use to keep away bedbugs from biting you. If they are sprayed regularly over the bug-infested areas, they can help in killing the bedbugs. An added advantage is that they will leave your bed smelling gorgeous!
Other Remedies to Remove Bed Bugs from Home
Apart from home remedies, there are some other options that you can consider to get rid of bedbugs. Here's what you can do.
1. Vacuum Your Bed
Get some ziploc bags. Vacuum your mattress thoroughly. Next Ziploc your mattress and leave the bags for a week. This way neither will the bedbugs be able to go out nor will any new bugs come in. They will starve and die.
2. Mattress-safe Encasement
You can get various types of mattress encasements in the market that come with a hook to trap the bedbugs already sitting in the mattress. They are usually bug certified. Keeping these encasements on for a year can help you get rid of the bedbugs from your mattress very efficiently.
3. Stickers
Another alternative treatment for bedbugs is stickers. These are paper pads with glue on them. They lure the bedbugs to come out from their hiding places, and while crawling on these papers, their legs get stuck rendering them immobile.
4. Insecticidal Sprays
You can use various sprays that are available in the supermarkets to get rid of these insects. Be sure to read the label of the insecticide before you buy them. Some brands offer biodegradable bedbug spray as well.
5. Steaming
Many houses are now opting for this relatively new method of steam cleaning the upholstery and furniture to get rid of bedbugs. This is a non-toxic and healthy alternative to chemical treatments which can be harmful especially when you have children and pets at home. Bedbug steamers not only clean the house and help in getting rid of the bedbugs, but they also help in eliminating deadly viruses, germs and bacteria.
Unlike mosquitoes, bedbugs do not transmit any diseases. However, the bites are often itchy and can get infected if they are scratched. Many of us wonder that bedbugs appear if the house is unclean. Do not worry. An unclean house is not the reason for bedbugs to invade it. They come from various sources like our travels, in cardboard boxes, used furnishings. If you need to buy used upholstery or furniture, check them thoroughly for any signs of bedbugs. If bedbugs are already present in this furniture, you will risk carrying them to your house and spread the infestation.
Always remember to keep your home clutter-free as bedbugs hide in those places and lay eggs. If you notice any crevices or cracks in your encasings or the walls, be proactive enough to clean them up and fill them immediately before bedbugs make it there. If you have been staying away from home for quite some days, ensure to check your house before you enter for any bedbug infestation signs.
If the bedbug problem gets out of hand and you think that you may not be able to eliminate all the bedbugs, it would be wise to discard the furniture or the mattress and invest in a new one. However, make your house bedbug-free first before bringing in the new furniture, else the new ones will also get infected. Try out the different remedies that are mentioned in this article. If you still see that the infestation keeps coming back, consult an exterminator in this field. They are usually experts in detecting the level of infestation of bedbugs in your house and can devise a strategy to get rid of them, and also prevent your house from recurrent bedbug attacks.
Also Read:
Cleaning Hacks for Giving New Look to Your Home during New Year
Essential Tips for Keeping Your House Clean
Effective Ways for Cleaning Sofa, Mattress and Pillows at Home Read more
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Carrot Halwa
Carrot halwa is one of the most sought after dessert in India, especially during the winter months. Just give it a try and you’ll have your family coming back for seconds. Carrot halwa is also kid friendly, just grate it finely and let it cook well before you feed it to your baby.
Serves
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
4 People
10-15 Minutes
45-50 Minutes
Ingredients
5 carrots, peeled and shredded
200 g Sugar
300 ml whole Milk
6 tbsp Ghee
10 cashew nuts
7 Almonds
½ tsp cardamom powder
Method
Step 1
Wash, peel and finely grate the carrots. Use the smaller holes on your grater for the halwa.
Step 2
Take a heavy-bottom pan and keep it on low flame. Add 2 tsp ghee and tip in the shredded carrot.
Step 3
Fry the carrots for 5 min or so.
Step 4
Now, in a pressure cooker, cook the carrots with about 3/4 cup of milk for 2-3 whistles on a low falme.
Step 5
Remove the cooker of heat and let the pressure subside on its own. Now leave the cooker open and cook the carrot and milk till the milk is reduced completely.
Step 6
Next, add ghee, sugar and cardamom to the carrot mixture.
Step 7
The halwa will get slightly watery after adding the sugar.
Step 8
Cook till the mixture is thick again.
Step 9
You can add powdered nuts if you are going to feed your baby the halwa.
Nutritional Information
Calories
489 Kcal
Proteins
4.7 g
Fat
28.5 g
Carbohydrates
59.1 g
Cholesterol
63 mg
Sodium
49 mg
Potassium
168 mg
Tip -For fine cardamom powder, grind it with a little sugar. Read more
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Taking Soy Isoflavones for Fertility - How to Take and Side Effects
If you trying to get pregnant for a long time now, you should consider taking soy isoflavones to speed up the process. It is an unconventional method, but in today's age where many women deal with fertility problems, it may just be the answer you are looking for. Although there is no concrete research result which proves this, it’s worth looking into how soy isoflavones can be used to help fertility along.
What Are Soy Isoflavones?
Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen or micronutrient derived from plants. They help in stimulating the estrogen in your body. Foods like soybean or other soy products which have a high level of protein contain isoflavones in a higher proportion. It is said that consuming these foods high in isoflavones can increase the chances of fertility in a woman.
How Do They Work for Fertility?
Many women experience fertility or non-ovulatory issues. Soy isoflavones can help induce ovulation in such women. Women who also have the problem of irregular periods can consume these isoflavones to get much-needed relief. On consumption, they increase estrogen production in a woman's body. This, in turn, stimulates ovulation and can make you ready for pregnancy. Therefore, taking soy isoflavones for infertility is a good natural alternative.
Who Should Take Soy Isoflavones for Fertility?
Before you try them out, always consult your doctor. If your menstrual cycles and ovulatory cycles are regular, you must not take soy isoflavones as they may cause hormonal imbalances in your body. On the other hand, if you have issues with ovulation or irregular periods, then you can try soy isoflavones, however, only after consulting with your doctor.
How to Consume Soy Isoflavones for Fertility
There are two ways to consume soy isoflavones if you are looking to take them for fertility. Here is how you can consume soy isoflavones for fertility:
Soy isoflavone can be consumed in the form of supplements. They are available at pharmacies as tablets or capsules.
You can also consume soy or edamame beans and other soy products such as soy milk, soy tofu or yoghurt made of soy.
Soy Isoflavones Dosage for Fertility
The dosage of soy isoflavone supplements for getting pregnant is 80 mg every day. Since you will get them in the form of 40mg pills at pharmacies or health stores, you can take two tablets every day. However, do consult with your doctor first, before taking soy isoflavones supplements.
Possible Risks and Side Effects of Taking Soy Isoflavones
Taking soy isoflavones for fertility is not a proven practice and there are some risks and side effects associated with their use, which are as follows:
Taking soy isoflavone supplements for more than 5 days in a row every month can affect your ovulatory cycle.
Taking too much soy isoflavone can throw your menstrual cycle out of balance.
Taking soy isoflavone supplements with other antibiotics can again cause negative effects on your health.
Soy isoflavones can lead to breast cancer in some women.
Consumption of soy isoflavones can also cause thyroid problems in women.
Digestive disorders and headaches are other side effects of consuming soy isoflavones.
Can You Take Soy Isoflavones Supplements for Getting Pregnant?
Yes, it can be taken but the research behind this is quite vague. It is safe to take supplements for short periods to see if this will help you get pregnant but taking them for longer periods might be dangerous as this realm is yet unknown to scientists. For best results, take soy isoflavone supplements at the correct time during your menstrual cycle. Usually, it is advised to take them 3-5 days after the first day of your menstrual cycle. Take your supplements after meals and make sure you stick to the same timing every day.
Things to Remember Before Consuming Soy Isoflavones for Conception
Some important points to remember before consuming soy isoflavones for pregnancy are:
During your five-day course, take the correct dosage of supplements. Increased soy isoflavone supplement dosage can lead to health problems.
If you are suffering from PCOS, it is better to avoid taking soy isoflavone supplements.
If you are consuming any antibiotics or medicines for thyroid, consult your doctor first before taking the supplements as they can cause problems in your body.
If your ovulation is irregular, then you can take these supplements. But if your infertility is caused by some other issue like uterine fibroids, uterine polyps, fibrocystic breasts or thyroid issues, then you should never take soy isoflavones as they might make these disorders worse.
If you are above 35 years, definitely consult your doctor before taking soy isoflavone supplements.
Take the supplements at the right time every day during the five-day course to minimise side effects like digestive issues or fatigue.
If you follow your doctor's instructions carefully, then soy isoflavones can help in increasing your chances of pregnancy. Good luck!
Also Read: Consuming Coenzyme Q10 for Fertility Read more
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Top Mobile Apps for Women Safety
Integrating women safety through a phone app? Well! That's the perfect solution when you're travelling late at night or running in the park alone. These apps will lend security while you're on the go, and help minimise crime against women.
With the burgeoning concern on women safety, venturing out for a woman has not just become a harrowing task, but it has infringed her sense of independence too. If you feel the same and have been avoiding those late night dinner plans with your girlfriends or find yourself panicking while commuting alone on a public transport, help is at hand quite literally! Get set to empower yourself and erase that fear of walking alone with these 10 mobile apps for women safety. Download these apps for women safety and be assured that help is always just a swipe away.
1. Himmat
This Android supported app can be downloaded for free from the Delhi Police Website. This app allows the user to send a distress call to the police control room. The user is required to feed in five emergency contact numbers into this app. In case of an emergency, the user can send an SOS alert by shaking the phone or by pressing the power button. This will automatically activate a 30-second audio and video recording that will be directly relayed to the police control room. Once the SOS call is made, an automated message is sent to the five contact numbers too.
2. I AM SAFE
This travel-friendly app that tracks your GPRS location is best to have when you're travelling alone. Depending on your choice of configuration, this app will notify your current location as you travel, by the way of intermittent SMS, to the emergency number that you have fed in the app. Apart from this, an auto generated emergency message will be sent out to the emergency number if you press the Menu button three times. In addition, this app proves to be great use to those who would want to send their locations with simply an SMS.
3. VithU
You can activate this app by pressing the power button of your smartphone two times at once. This triggers an alert SMS that is sent out every two minutes. The message says, "I am in danger. I need help. Please follow my location". This message is sent to the contacts you fed into the app. In addition, this app also gives you an update on the crime scene in India and safety tips on how to deal in an emergency situation.
4. I'm Shakti
If you sense something dire and need to reach out to someone quickly and discreetly, this is the app for you. This app lets you select emergency contacts from your phone list. Just press the power button five times within two seconds and an SMS with a preset message and your current location will be sent out to your emergency contacts. The best part, you ask? If your GPS or Internet is off or out of coverage, this app will approximate your latitude and longitude with the help of your mobile network.
5. Nirbhaya
Be Fearless - this app has been conceptualised by the UP Police and is an android app that gets activated by pressing the power button once. In case of an emergency, this app sends an SOS message to the selected emergency numbers along with the location. The user's location is sent every two hours and after every 300 meter change in the GPRS position. The SOS alert can be sent in the form of a message, a Facebook post, or even a call.
6. Safetipin
Going to a new place shouldn't get you worried anymore thanks to the Safetipin app, which allows the users to see the Safety Score of the neighbourhood you're planning to visit. Apart from this, Safetipin gives you directions to safe locations; sends distress alerts along with your GPRS location; calls on pre-set emergency numbers. It also helps you locate the nearest police station, hospital, chemist with directions. Packs quite a punch!
7. bSafe
This app allows your emergency contacts to follow your travel route through a live GPRS trail. You can use the Timer Mode that triggers a programmed alarm in case you fail to check your mobile for a long time. Get out of a bad double date by using the Fake Call feature of this app. In case of distress, an alert is sent to your emergency numbers with location, video, and even a siren.
8. Watch Over Me
Has travelling from work or going for a walk in the park scared you? If you said yes, this is the app to look out for. This app tracks the GPRS location of your entire journey and watches over you for the period you've specified. You can add your close ones in the emergency contact list. In case you fail to reach your designated end point, an alert is sent to your emergency contacts through SMS, Facebook, and e-mail.
9. Circle of 6
Like the name suggests, this app lets the user add six people to her 'circle.' If a risky situation arises, you can use this app to automatically inform your circle through a pre-set SMS along with your location.
10. Suspects Registry-FOR WOMEN
The app allows the user and about three other close people to track the user's location. Pressing the 'PANIC' alarm not just sets off notifications to your emergency contacts, but also starts a 60 second recording of the situation you are caught in. The 'Record Any Incident' feature uploads the image to the app's Facebook page.
Pick your choice from the best safety apps for women today and download it without wasting a moment. Remember, staying safe is sometimes just an app away. Read more
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Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
12 hours ago
Q. I am 9 week pregnant and I have runny nose very badly can I use cetirizine tablet?
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
7 hours ago
A. use nasal drops , that acts faster .
You should have proper consultation with your treating doctor , as some examination or investigations may be needful, so that proper medications can be given And the treatment can be done very properly.
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
12 hours ago
Q. hi,
my LT 10x18mm and RT 18x20mm and ET 6.5 , what if I intercourse after 2 days, can I do intercourse in ovulation day can become a pregent .
on ovulation day if we intercourse can become a pregent..pls advice..
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
7 hours ago
A. since the follicle size is 18 to 20 mm your ovulation may occur within 24 hours also so if you have intercourse with in that time it will be more effective to get conceived
your endometrial growth is not good enough for conception but still you can just try
Sai Prasanthi R L has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
11 hours ago
Q. Hlw dr its my 6th month pregnency can i intimate with my partner
Sai Prasanthi R L
Mom of a 10 yr 2 m old boy
10 hours ago
A. Hello dear! If your pregnancy is going on fine without any high risk factors then it’s okay. Still, would advise you to check with your doctor once before going further. Maintain a good personal hygiene routine and a healthy lifestyle
Abhaya Rajput has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
8 hours ago
Q. My breasts feel full and heavy, but there’s no milk when pumping and during feeding baby —what do I do?
Abhaya Rajput
Mom of a 14 yr 4 m old boy
1 hour ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much. But it is really very difficult to say anything without proper examination. It is advisable to get yourself evaluated by a doctor and follow doctors advise properly. You can also book online doctor’s appointment on FirstCry where the doctor can help you and guide you properly.
Thanks and take care
Dr Disha Patel has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 6 months
7 hours ago
Q. can I take medicine pcm n citrazene in pregnancy fir sore throats n fever
Dr Disha Patel
Ayurvedic Physician
2 hours ago
A. dear mom.
better to take tab pcm for time being n do take steam inhakation couple of tines a day, follpw good home renedies for cold, taje more rest .
Dr Vandan H Kumar has added a new answer
Mom of a 9 m old child
1 hour ago
Q. hi everyone good morning,
sorghum can I give to my 10 month baby is it safe or not please revert I waiting for your reply
Dr Vandan H Kumar
Paediatrician
1 hour ago
A. yes
whenever you give any new food to the child you have to take care of two things.
you should give in small quantity. if the child doesn't develop any digestion problem in next 24 hours to 48 hours and the child is able to digest that food then that food can be given again.
but if the child is not able to digestc or there is some problem with vomiting or loose motion or colic pain then kindly avoid that food.
we wait for 2 to 3 days to confirm whether the child is having any problem to that particular food or not
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