How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are among the hardest household pests to clear on your own. They hide where sprays cannot reach, their eggs hold up against many treatments, and a few survivors can rebuild the population within a couple of months. That is why most infestations call for a professional who can track down every hiding spot and come back to check the results.

A vacuum is a good tool in the meantime. Run the crevice attachment along mattress seams, bed frames and baseboards, then seal the contents in a plastic bag and put it in an outdoor trash can right away.

Steps That Help, and Mistakes That Spread Them

Bed bugs hide in seams, cracks and furniture joints, so control comes down to heat, containment and patience. While you wait for treatment, these steps make a real difference:

• Use the dryer. Run bedding, clothes and curtains through a hot dryer cycle for at least 30 minutes. High heat kills every life stage, while a wash alone may not.
• Bag before you move anything. Seal laundry and belongings in plastic bags inside the infested room so you don’t carry bugs through the house.
• Encase the mattress and box spring in zippered covers made for bed bugs. Bugs sealed inside can’t reach you, and the smooth surface makes new activity easy to spot.
• Cut the clutter around the bed, and pull the bed a few inches away from the wall.

Common DIY mistakes: Foggers and bug bombs don’t reach the cracks where bed bugs live and can push them into wall voids and neighboring rooms. Moving to the couch just gives them a new spot to settle, since they follow the sleeper. Dragging an old mattress to the curb unwrapped can drop bugs along the way and pass them to whoever picks it up.

What professional treatment involves: a thorough inspection to confirm bed bugs and map every room involved, targeted treatment of mattresses, frames, furniture, baseboards and outlets, and follow-up visits, because eggs tucked away during the first round hatch later. More background is on the bed bugs page.