How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

" How to get rid of bed bugs is fairly straight forward. By following these steps you should be able to get rid of any infestation in one or two treatments. If this approach doesn't work, a professional exterminator can be called
in to treat the entire house. "

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small insects that live in dark crevices, like on your mattress or other furniture. When they bite some people, the bed bugs bite causes an allergic reaction in the form of a skin rash that resembles mosquito bites. Because the bugs are so small, many people don’t realize that they have them until they develop a rash. Even then, many people don’t suspect bed bugs. The majority of people do not show any skin reaction, allow the infestation to grow unchecked until the insect population becomes so large that it is noticed.

Here's a helpful video from National Geographic on Bed Bugs. The bedbug video provides good basic information that will be helpful when determining how to get rid of bed bugs.:

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs - See Bed Bugs in Action

If you have an unexplained mosquito-bite-like rash, you should suspect bed bugs. Bed bugs are not a sign that you, or your house, is dirty. They can be carried into your house from another home or a hotel room, or your house may have already been infested before you even moved in. They may also ride into your house on some used furniture.

if an apartment has bed bugs, there is a 20% chance that they will move into an adjoining room or apartment. There is a 7% chance they the bed bugs will move into an apartment above or below the infested room.

If you live in an apartment, be sure to notify your landlord or management company, who will have information on how to get rid of bed bugs in your building. Some communities have regulations regarding the approach required toward bed bug treatment.

Looking for Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are visible to the naked eye. Check the crevices of your mattress, box spring, bed frame, and other furniture. Adult bed bugs are about a quarter of an inch long. Larvae are as big as a grain of rice, while eggs are the size of a poppy seed. Because they are so small, you’ll need to look carefully. You should be able to see them if you have them.

Picture of Bed Bug

Bed bugs change in appearance as they move through their life cycle. They move through 6 stages from birth as a nymph or baby bed bug through adult. In order to move from phase to phase, a bed bug needs to feed.

how to get rid of bed bugs lifecycle
Picture of Bed Bugs at Different Life Cycle Stages

The hardest parts of an infestation when determining how to get rid of bed bugs are killing bed bug eggs. They area small white specs that are attached to rough surfaces with a cement like substance, making it impossible to pick them up with a vacuum cleaner. To detemrine how to get rid of bed bugs and their eggs, either use a spray product or use heat from a steamer.

Picture of Bed Bug Eggs on Upholstery
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs: Treat with Steam or Spray
(test spray to see if it stains fabric)

Our Advice for How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

There are several steps for how to get rid of bed bugs. The basic steps are to:

1. Locate places the bugs hide, purchase needed products and prepare the room
2. Vacuum and treat these areas
3. Seal the mattress and box spring in zippered covers
4. Place bed bug dust into cracks around the room
5. Seal cracks and crevices

Step 1: Prepare the Room

Bed bugs like to live in the cracks in floors, furniture and even between the mattress and the headboard/foot board. If the problem is in your bedroom you'll want to:

Set aside a safe area just outside the room. This is where you will place treated items.
Purchase the products you need. To save money you can buy them in a kit. A popular insecticide based kit is the New York Bed Bug Kit. A popular organic/natural kit is available from Dermisil for Bed Bugs. This includes:

Bed Bugs Sprays: These products kill on contact and provide some residual or lasting effect. Products mentioned here can kill both bed bugs and their eggs.

Mattress safe spray such as Sterifab
Crack and Crevice spray such as Bedlam or Phantom

Bed Bug Dust: products are spread underneath surfaces and in cracks. When the bug comes in contact with the dust, they are killed when it dries the shell. These products work when the bugs come in contact with the active ingredient. It attaches to the waxy outer shell of the bed bug and dries it out.
Mattress and Box Spring Covers

Vacuum every crack and crevice. Dispose of the vacuum back outside the house when done.
Throw out any disposable items such as magazines and newspapers. The bugs can live between the folds in paper. One tip is to move items in Double Zipper Ziploc Big bags, as bed bugs cannot penetrate the surface and will provide a sealed way to move things out of the room.

Step 2: Treat surfaces to Kill the Bugs

When treating bed bugs, be sure to look for both live bugs and their eggs. Use a bed bug spray for the initial treatment

Start with the bed. Roll the linens and place them into a sealed plastic bag or bin. Move to washer and wash on high heat setting following by 20 minutes in the dryer.
Treat the mattress with a mattress safe spray such as Sterifab (insecticide) or Bug Patrol (organic). Most bed bugs hide along seams, cracks, and under mattress labels. It is not necessary to throw out the mattress. Insecticide based sprays are preferred, but for those that avoid these types of products, the organic will work, but may not have as fast or lasting effect.
Once treated, move the mattress into a "safe" area outside of the room.
Treat the box spring. Be sure to treat inside the box spring and outside. You can use the Sterifab spray or a long lasting product that is marked for Mattress seams such as the Bedlam or Phantom. You can also use the Bug Patrol.
Move the box spring to the safe area.
Treat the bed frame, take it apart if necessary.
Treat nearby furniture. Empty contents of nearby drawers and dispose or wash in washing machine what you can. Treat the lamps, fixtures etc. Unplug any electric item.
Inspect electronics. It is possible that there are bed bugs inside the appliances. It's best to dispose of all items.
Treat other areas of the room such as the head board, around pictures, etc.

Wash any item you can in 120 degree water in the washing machine followed by 20 to 30 minutes in the dryer. Bed Bugs and their eggs are killed at 114F.
Bed bug eggs need to be sprayed with an insectide or organic spray or killed with steam. If you have a hand held steamer, spray steam on the eggs. Multi-hole steamers are preferred.
If you have carpet, be sure to spray around the edges and clean the entire carpet. As an extra level of protection, steam clean the carpet. Add a disinfectant such as Puracleenrx to the cleaner fluid. Test in an out of the way area to avoid staining.

Step 3: Seal the Mattress and Box Spring in a Zippered Cover

If the bugs have congregated in the mattress and box spring, then be sure to purchase a bed bug approved zippered mattress cover. Any bugs trapped inside the cover will starve, including any bed bug eggs you might have missed.
Also seal any cracks and crevices in the room to minimize areas where bed bugs can hide.
Spread bed bug dust products into all cracks and crevices to kill any late hatching bugs. This is an all natural product which can provide another layer of protection.

picture bed bugs mattress
Picture of Bed Bugs in Mattress Crack
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs -
Spray with mattress safe bed bug spray such as Sterifab

Step 4: Make Sure They are Gone

An inexpensive way to determine if bed bugs are gone is to place a Bed Bug Interceptor called climbup under each leg of the bed. Bed Bugs will climb up the side and get trapped inside the bowl. An empty bowl means the problem is solved.

Don't be surprised if it takes 2 to 3 treatments to get rid of all of the bed bugs. Often bed bugs hatch from eggs that you might have missed.

Product Guide for "How to Rid Bed of Bed Bugs"

In addition to the products mentioned above, there are several chemical and natural products available to help you rid your house of this problem. Remember that the bugs can easily spread from one room to the next, so check each room thoroughly.

Some products such can be very effective, such as Pronto Kill Bedbugs And Dust Mites Spray has great reviews. It uses Phenoxybenzyl, which is an insecticide the can also act as a repellent, so you'll need to spray wide areas to get all of the bugs.

For areas that do not come in contact with your family or pets you can use an insecticide spray. Active chemicals include malathion, permethrin and dichlorvos. Also, some common insect sprays may be effective for how to get rid of bed bugs, check the label. The recent trend is to have insecticides that work against specific insects, so make sure bed bugs are listed.

For areas such as the mattress and for homes that have pets running around, consider natural products made by Dermisil such as the Bug Patrol spray product. These use natural ingredients such as benzalkonium chloride and plant extracts which are effective and safe. They also make Fossil dust which can be spread underneath furniture and in cracks. When the dust or spray comes in contact with the bugs, it attaches to their waxy shell and cause it to dry out, killing the bedbug.

Because you have to locate the hiding places of all bugs, you will probably need more than one treatment. Note that if you are using insecticides in an apartment, you need to ensure that not only will anyone living with you be safe, but adjacent apartments as well.

For large infestations you may want to contact a professional exterminator who will know how to get rid of bed bugs. They may recommend a fog type product to fumigate your entire home. Some companies are also using dogs to sniff the unique smell of the bed bug in order to find them all. This is a legitimate way to locate the bugs.

There are also some "home remedies" for how to get rid of bed bugs such as the use of vaseline in areas where you do not want them to congregate, although this method isn't practical.

Hire a Professional Who Knows How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

The best way to get rid of bed bugs is to hire a professional exterminator. Be sure to hire someone that guarantees their work, has specialized equipment such as heaters, and has treated a bed bug infestation before. As the pest control expert how to get rid of bed bugs, since they are an important source of information.

A good online source for free referrals is Service Magic. For more questions and for more sources to get referrals from your area, go to our page on tips on how to hire a bed bug pest control expert.

Be sure to get multiple quotes, since some firms charge for inspections, the use of bed bug sniffing dogs and then for the treatment itself. Don't be surprised if bed bug treatment costs upwards of $1000 or more. It can take 2 exterminators an entire day to treat a home.