How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

Spot the signs. One is being bitten, usually in the night and in rows, but some people don’t wake up. Look for other clues—rusty spots on sheets or mattresses (from crushed bugs) or dark spots (from their droppings, eggs, and shed skins).

With a flashlight, look for bugs in: the folds of mattresses, box springs, furniture, curtains; cracks in bed frames & headboards; under chairs, couches, beds; in dresser drawers; behind baseboards; under rugs & around carpet edges; crevices near doors & windows; behind loose wallpaper or wall hangings; in cracks in your plaster; & in electronics.

Verify that you’ve found bed bugs by getting a pest control expert to visit your home, or sending a dead bug to a university lab, which will let you know if it is in fact a bed bug.

Clean up. The less clutter you have on your floor, under your bed, and throughout your home, the fewer hiding places for the bugs.

Vacuum up dirt, bugs, and eggs. Vacuum your mattress, box spring, and furniture thoroughly every day until you’re sure the bugs are gone. After each vacuuming, remove the bag, wrap it carefully in plastic, and dispose of it immediately.

Purchase a plastic or plastic and cloth encasement for your mattress. Cover the zipper with duct tape and leave the cover on for 18 months.

Clean all clothes, linens, blankets, pillows, and drapes. You need either to have them dry cleaned or wash them in water that is at least 120 degrees and dry them on high heat (at least 140 degrees) for at least half an hour.

Make your bed an island. Pull it away from walls, make sure none of the bedding drapes onto the floor, and place the legs of your bed in bowls of soapy water or boric acid. Placing sticky tape around the legs might also work.

The most reliable way to get rid of bed bugs is to hire a pest control expert. He will find and destroy their hiding places, and, if he must, treat your home with insecticides. He should be willing to make return visits.

Make sure that bed bugs can’t invade your home again by sealing all crevices, including cracks in paint and plaster and spaces where any pipes enter your home.

Bed bug eggs aren’t always killed, even with pesticides. They take four to 12 days to hatch, so be prepared to employ your bug-fighting methods and/or have the exterminator treat your house again. Have faith—with perseverance and patience, you can defeat these little suckers.