Updated on Oct. 17, 2024
Bed bugs are terrible to live with and hard to get rid of. Here's how to prevent them from coming home with you, and how get rid them if they do.
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Bed bugs can quickly be picked up if you stay in hotels or use public transportation like airplanes and taxis, as a recent spike in confirmed bed bug reports at four major hotels on the Las Vegas strip clearly shows. These persistent pests are best known for infesting bedding. Still, they can also hide and live in other fabrics like clothing, luggage, curtains, towels, carpets and even behind wallpaper and electrical outlets.
“You can also spread bed bugs to other people you come in contact with, so it’s vital to get rid of bed bugs promptly,” says Rocky Beninato, a certified exterminator and founder of Quality Affordable Pest Control.
If you have bed bugs or want to prevent them from getting you, here’s how to prevent them, find them and oust them.
Adult bed bugs are brownish-red insects about the size of an apple seed. Newly hatched bed bugs are about the size of a poppy seed and golden in color. Eggs and nymphs are too small to see without a magnifier.
Since they feed on human blood, they can leave behind itchy, painful sores on some people. Those are often in clusters and may look similar to pimples. Some people have severe allergic reactions to them, while others may have no physical signs of bites at all.
If you find what you think might be a bed bug, take it to the entomology department of the nearest university or to a pest control company for official identification.
Bed bugs are most commonly found in places where people spend time being sedentary, including mattresses (especially in the crevices along the piping), box springs, bed frames, headboards, couches, reclining chairs and personal mobility equipment. They can’t fly or jump, but their bodies are flat, which allows them to squeeze into tight places.
“Bed bugs aren’t going to hang out on top of your sheets, but rather in the wrinkles, in between the sheets, in the cracks and crevices of the bed frame and in the mattress itself, where they feel safe and secure as they wait for their next meal,” says Emma Grace Crumbley, an entomologist at Mosquito Squad.
While they don’t form nests or colonies, you will often see a number of them together. You might also notice their dark-colored droppings, their gold-colored molted shells or reddish-brown spots on your sheets or mattress when some get crushed.
“A common misconception is that only dirty homes will attract bed bugs,” says Beninato. “Bed bugs can infest clean homes; however, clutter may make it easier for them to hide.”
Regardless of how clean your home is, it often isn’t easy to find bed bugs because they’re so small and good at hiding. When you do find them, quarantine the area, since “people commonly make the mistake of moving items from the infested area to other parts of their home,” says Eric Braun, an entomologist and Technical Services Manager at Terminix.
Place your bed linens and blankets in a sealed plastic bag to prevent bed bugs from spreading around your house. Empty the bag into the dryer and cycle it at a minimum of 130 degrees F for 40 minutes, which is enough to kill the bugs and their eggs. Then wash everything on a hot setting, and dry it in the dryer again.
Meanwhile, clean the entire mattress, box spring and headboard thoroughly using a vacuum cleaner. You can then use a bed bug spray to saturate your mattress, box spring and headboard thoroughly, says Beninato.
“Using heat treatments, like steam cleaning or dryers, is effective at killing bed bugs,” says Beninato. “Essential oils have been touted as bed bug repellents and killers, too, but they’re not enough to kill or get rid of an active infestation. If you use essential oils, make sure it’s as an additional measure and not as your primary method of control.”
Enclose your mattress and box spring in encasement bags, which have special zippers to prevent bed bugs that make their way inside the mattress from escaping. Keep the bags on for at least a year since bed bugs can live more than 10 months between meals.
If the idea of sleeping on a tiny bed bug cemetery is too much to bear, buy a new mattress and box spring. Be sure to wrap up the infested ones before hauling them through your house.
Now that everything is out of the bedroom, it’s time to treat the room itself. The first step is to vacuum every surface, including the baseboards, furniture, box spring and bed frame. Use a small wand to get into all the corners and crevices.
“Vacuuming is an often underutilized tool, which immediately eliminates a portion of the population,” says Braun. “Pro-tip: Use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to remove bed bugs, eggs and shed skins from mattresses, box springs, carpets and furniture.”
Be sure to throw the vacuum bag or empty the canister into a sealed plastic bag immediately and place it in an exterior trash can to avoid spreading the bugs. Then, treat the filter and the inside of the canister with contact spray insecticide.
Next, everything else in the room must be treated or thrown away. Flat surfaces like walls and dresser tops can be wiped with alcohol or sprayed with a bed bug-killing contact pesticide (follow the instructions on the can explicitly for safety). Wipe a small, inconspicuous area first to see if the alcohol or spray will damage the paint or finish. It’s also a good idea to shampoo the entire carpet.
For belongings that can’t be machine washed, there are still many nooks and crannies where bed bugs could be hiding. Place those items in a tightly sealed plastic bag and freeze them for at least five days, says Beninato.
Alternatively, you can use penetrating fumes. Build yourself a kill chamber out of a large storage bin. Tape a pesticide strip to the side or lid, put your stuff inside, seal the lid with duct tape and wait a couple of days as per manufacturer instructions. You can reuse the same bins, but keep your stuff that’s waiting to be treated bagged up in the meantime. Always wear gloves when handling pesticides and follow all safety instructions.
“People often make the mistake of not combining multiple methods to eliminate the infestation when treating bed bugs,” says Beninato. “Even if you use a pesticide, you’ll still need to thoroughly clean and use preventive measures to get rid of the infestation.”
For clothing and any other items that can be laundered, use the same method as your bed linens. Place the clean clothing in a sealed plastic bag to prevent re-infestations as you eliminate the rest of the bed bugs. Do the same for curtains, which can often be machine-washed. If you plan to take laundry to a professional cleaner or public laundry, treat it chemically first to avoid spreading the bugs.
Remove infested cushion covers and dry, wash and dry them as you did for your bed linens. You should also use a vacuum and steam cleaner to thoroughly clean any parts of the furniture that you couldn’t get into the washer.
“For extra precaution, I suggest thoroughly sanitizing these items as well,” says Crumbley. “I also suggest vacuuming molding, baseboards, seals and carpeting to remove bed bugs from some of their common entry points.”
Vacuum your luggage and, if it can be washed in the washing machine, take the same steps as you would for bed linens. If you’re unable to wash it, throw it away, says Beninato. “Place it in a tightly sealed plastic bag before throwing it away in a garbage bag. Do not leave it in your home.”
Fill in any gaps in your wallpaper and small crevices in the wall. To keep them from spreading into other rooms, use strong tape to seal up electrical outlets.
“Be mindful of door seals and baseboards in your home that may be worn as well, as these are easy-access entry points for bed bugs that allow them to move in between adjacent rooms,” says Crumbley.
If you have bed bugs in your home, they could also have hitched a ride into your car. To get rid of them in your vehicle, follow the same steps as you would for your room, quarantining and cleaning items and vacuuming and steam cleaning your seats, carpets and all of the crevices.
Bed bugs are spread through human activity, like travelers who pick them up in a hotel bed, and then inadvertently bring them home.
“As expert hitchhikers, bed bugs latch onto clothing, shoes, luggage or any other item during travel,” says Braun. High‐density residences and frequently visited places like hotels, cruise ships and public transportation can also serve as a transportation hub for bed bugs.
When traveling, once you arrive at your lodging, place your luggage in the bathtub while you inspect the mattress, carpet and curtains for signs of bedbugs, says Beninato. Keep your luggage elevated, away from doors and walls, and don’t put anything in the dresser drawers.
Also inspect your travel items before brining them into another hotel or back into your home. Consider purchasing hard-shell luggage, which is easier to clean and more difficult for bed bugs to hide in.
Inspect anything you bring home that’s used, such as books, clothing, furniture and toys. It’s a good idea to also keep those sealed up until you can vacuum them or wash and dry them on high heat. Also regularly inspect your home for signs of bed bugs, such as live insects, cast exoskeletons or fecal material, which would appear as dark spots on areas like mattresses and box springs, says Braun.
Finally, if you’re concerned about bed bugs entering from adjacent living spaces, seal cracks in walls, baseboards, and other potential entry points.
If you have the money to hire a pro, it’s usually best to start there since bed bugs are resilient and very hard to get rid of. If you rent, check your local laws and tenants’ agreement, as your landlord might be obligated to cover the cost of the extermination plus outside accommodations while your place is being treated.
“A bed bug infestation needs immediate professional treatment and control to keep these resilient pests from spreading throughout your entire home,” says Braun. “Even one single missed bed bug can lead to a re-infestation if you are not careful.”
