How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs: What Actually Works

How can you confirm you have bed bugs?

You confirm bed bugs by finding the bugs or their traces, not by looking at bites. Adults are flat, oval, wingless and reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed, or 5 to 7 mm long ^[1]. Young bed bugs are smaller and pale, and eggs are about 1 mm and pearly white, so a flashlight helps.

Look for these signs on the mattress, box spring and nearby furniture ^[2]:

• Rusty or reddish stains on sheets or the mattress from crushed bugs
• Dark spots about the size of a dot, which are droppings and can bleed into fabric like a marker
• Tiny pale eggs, eggshells and light-brown shed skins
• Live bugs, usually tucked into seams and folds

Bites are a poor clue. EPA notes that bites can look like mosquito or chigger bites, eczema, fungal rashes or hives, and some people do not react at all ^[2]. If you have itchy marks but no bugs, keep searching before you spend money on treatment. Our guides to what a bed bug looks like and bed bug bites show the details, and the bug identifier can help rule out lookalikes such as carpet beetles.

What is the step-by-step plan that works?

The plan that works is a sequence, repeated until no bugs turn up. EPA breaks do-it-yourself control into six steps: identify the problem, develop a plan, keep the infestation from spreading, prepare for treatment, kill the bugs, then evaluate and prevent ^[3]. EPA adds that you may need to repeat the steps to kill every bug and egg.

Two habits make the plan work. First, keep notes: EPA advises recording the dates and exact locations where you find bugs ^[3]. Second, stop the spread before you start killing. Zip the mattress and box spring into covers made to seal in bed bugs, pull the bed a few inches from the wall, and keep blankets and sheets off the floor. Items you cannot treat can go into a sealed plastic bag or container; EPA says leaving them sealed for up to a year lets any bugs inside die.

Where do bed bugs hide, and how do you search?

Bed bugs hide close to where people sleep or rest. UC IPM says they usually stay within about 6 feet of the bed, and about 85% are found in or near the bed itself ^[4]. They can squeeze into cracks about as thin as a credit card.

Search in daylight with a bright flashlight. Strip the bed and check the mattress seams and tufts, the box spring joints, cracks in the bed frame and the back of the headboard, then nightstands, baseboards, loose wallpaper and any couch where someone naps ^[4]. CDC lists the same places plus dresser tables and cracks or crevices near the bed ^[5].

Interceptor cups under each bed leg catch bugs climbing to and from the bed. In one study cited by UC IPM, interceptors under bed legs caught six times more bed bugs than people found by looking. EPA suggests checking and cleaning them weekly. For a room-by-room view, see our bedroom pest guide.

Which non-chemical methods kill bed bugs?

Heat is the method most sources lean on, because every life stage dies at high enough temperatures. UC IPM gives 113°F as the minimum lethal temperature, and professional whole-room heat treatments aim for 140°F for two hours or 130°F for three hours ^[4].

Laundry and the dryer

Wash bedding and clothing in water at 120°F, then dry on the hottest setting the fabric allows for at least 10 to 15 minutes ^[4]. The University of Kentucky notes that a dryer on medium to high heat for 10 to 20 minutes works for items that start out dry ^[6]. Carry laundry in sealed bags so bugs do not drop off on the way.

Freezing

Cold works, but slowly. EPA says a freezer must hold 0°F, with items sealed in a bag for at least three days, and suggests a thermometer because many home freezers run warmer ^[3].

Steam and vacuuming

Steam must reach at least 130°F at the surface and should not blow hard, so use a diffuser tip to avoid scattering bugs ^[3]. Vacuum seams, carpet edges and baseboards with a strong vacuum, repeat often, then seal the bag or canister contents in plastic and throw it out. One pass rarely gets every bug or egg.

Encasements

Covers built to seal in bed bugs keep bugs trapped inside the mattress or box spring until they die, and UC IPM notes they can also help prevent new infestations. Leave them on.

Do not try to cook the room by turning up the thermostat or running a space heater; EPA says it does not work and is dangerous.

Do sprays, dusts and bug bombs work?

Insecticides help only as part of the plan, not as the plan. UC IPM says insecticides alone will not control an infestation, and some bed bug populations resist pyrethroids, a common insecticide group ^[4]. Most household sprays have limited effect once dry, and baits do not work because bed bugs feed only on blood ^[6].

If you use a product, choose an EPA-registered one that lists bed bugs on the label ^[3]. Read and follow the label. The label is the law. Keep children and pets away from treated areas, and never apply products to sheets, pillows or anywhere you sleep unless the label says you can.

• Dusts: Silica gel and some diatomaceous earth products are registered for bed bugs. EPA says desiccant dusts can work but may take several months, and warns against pool or food grade diatomaceous earth, which can harm you if inhaled.
• Bug bombs (total-release foggers): UC IPM calls over-the-counter foggers ineffective and potentially harmful. EPA says fogger mist does not reach the cracks where bed bugs hide, foggers should never be your only method, and misuse can cause a fire or explosion.
• Rubbing alcohol and other flammable liquids: EPA lists rubbing alcohol among the things to avoid because it is dangerous. Kentucky adds that bleach, alcohol and open flames are ineffective and can start fires.

When should you call a licensed pest professional?

Call a licensed pest professional once you have confirmed bed bugs, especially if they have spread past the bed. UC IPM says confirmed infestations should be handled by trained professionals, and renters should contact their landlord or property owner ^[4]. Professionals can heat whole rooms or homes to lethal temperatures, follow up with targeted crack and crevice treatments, and inspect the units around yours.

Kentucky recommends routine building-wide inspections in apartments and other multi-unit buildings, because bugs move between units ^[6]. If cost is a barrier, the same source says encasements, interceptor traps and careful hand inspection can still hold numbers down.

Ask any company for a written plan with follow-up visits, and keep doing your part: laundering, decluttering and checking interceptors.

How do you keep bed bugs from coming back?

Prevention is mostly about what you carry home. Bed bugs hitch rides in the seams and folds of luggage, bags, clothing, bedding and furniture ^[5].

Situation	What to do	Source
Hotel or rental stay	Check behind the headboard, under sheets and along mattress seams before unpacking; keep luggage off the floor	UC IPM, Kentucky
Coming home from a trip	Inspect luggage, then wash and dry clothes on the hottest safe setting	UC IPM
Used furniture or mattresses	Inspect thoroughly before bringing them inside; avoid curbside mattresses and sofas	UC IPM, Kentucky
After treatment	Inspect at least every 7 days and keep checking for a year	EPA
Throwing out infested items	Wrap them in plastic and label them as having bed bugs so nobody takes them	Kentucky

Keep the encasements and interceptor cups in place after treatment; they are your early warning system. EPA advises inspecting at least every 7 days during the evaluate and prevent step and continuing to check for at least a year. If you also have pets scratching, read our guide on getting rid of fleas, since flea bites are sometimes blamed on bed bugs. The bed bug profile collects size, range and lookalike facts in one place.