FAQs: how to get rid of bed bugs
The following FAQs explain how to determine if you have bed bugs, and how to get rid of bed bugs.
Bed Bugs 101: the following three FAQs should be read by everyone:
Think you have bed bugs? Some do’s and don’ts
How to determine if you have bed bugs:
Identifying the problem: do I have bed bugs, or something else?
Make sure you also read about detecting bed bugs.
How to get rid of bed bugs:
pest control, treatment, pesticides, natural remedies, etc.
who pays for bed bug treatment, and other legal issues
getting bed bugs out of your bed (and keeping them out)
eliminating bed bugs from clothes, shoes, furniture, books, and other stuff
How do I say “bed bug” in Spanish? Arabic? Swedish? Czech? (And 26 other languages…)
questions about Bedbugger.com and how to use it
To see a list and/or purchase products recommended on the site by Bedbuggers, see:
this page on Encasements and this one about other Useful Stuff.
Comments are now closed. Please post a message on our Bedbugger Forums if you have questions or need support. If you have suggestions for improving the FAQs, you can contact me here.
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Hi Nick!
I don’t know this company — don’t think I have heard of them. Please come to the forums where you will get more responses — and, if you wish, see many threads on NYC PCOs.
I bought a mattress second-hand back in September. I remember my first week at my new job and I was itching like crazy on my arms. For some reason, I never really thought that I might have bed bugs (foolish mistake). I think I had a bite on me at all times since I had bought that bed. About two weeks ago I realized that I probably had beg bugs and I checked out my mattress. Sure enough I found some, about two on the mattress and about four or five on the box springs.
I threw out my bed (labeling that it contained bedbugs) and I threw out my chair. I emptied my desk and put all the possessions in a plastic bag and inspected my entire desk, spraying most areas with bleach. I washed nearly everything I own (except for a few pants that need dry-cleaning) and put them in ziplock bags, or plastic trash bags. While everything was in the wash, I bleached my closet. I washed my sheets, then put them in plastic bags out in the cold for one night, then washed them twice more. I then mopped the floors with bleach/water solution and sprayed the area where my bed had been with insecticide. Because my bed had been thrown out, I slept on the floor, in a sleeping bag on a camping mattress pad for about five days. No bites. Now I have an aerobed and so far no bites….
…But, I’m still worried. Especially about the aerobed and my roommates. Do you know of steps I can take to protect my aerobed? What steps should I take to kill the bugs that might remain? How about to prevent my roommates from having bedbugs if they are still in the apartment?
Also, I read somewhere that bedbugs cannot travel up or down metal bed frames, is this true?
Shane,
It’s not true that bed bugs can’t walk on metal bed frames.
The most important thing, Shane, is that you need a professional to treat your home. Depending where you live, if you rent, the landlord may be responsible for treatment. It’s important to make sure they are gone from your home, since they don’t only infest beds, but walls, floors, and furniture.
You can read our FAQs to see ways to “isolate” or “protect” a bed during an infestation. “Isolating” is controversial and you should think carefully about whether to do it, in general. If done, it must be done carefully and you must be sure all items are bed bug free when you begin. For example, using a bed frame which might contain bed bugs would mean you had not really isolated the bed.
With an aerobed, I would assume that since you can wash the surface (yes?) and wash the bedding on hot and dry on hot, the bed frame is the main concern.
Please come to the Bedbugger forums if you want more advice or to discuss this further.
I think I have bed bugs but I can’t find one, and the exterminator says that I have to have an actual bug before they can treat. I clearly don’t have a major infestation, but I am getting bitten, and it happened right after a trip to NY, so I do think it’s bed bugs. Can you give me any advise on how to catch a bed bug so that I can prove to the PCO that I have bed bugs? thanks!
Eric,
Unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to find bed bugs or their signs. This is often true early in an infestation.
Some PCOs do very detailed inspections which may take an hour or more. They seem to be few and far between. And even a close, detailed inspection may not yield evidence in a light infestation.
Another option would be to hire a good bed bug sniffing dog. They are not 100% accurate and their effectiveness varies depending on the team. However, they are often helpful in detecting a light infestation.
Please come to the forums if you want to discuss this or other questions further:
http://bedbugger.com/forum/
In august my daughter was complaining about being bitten at night. I finnaly realized that it could be bed bugs so i called a exterminator friend who told me he had just treated the apartment above me that was infested. I bought plastic covers and washed everything and he came and fumigated and she is no loger being bitten. But now i am being bitten in my living from. I think its my sofa. I informed my landlord and he said he would could have a exterminator come in but i would have to get rid of my sofa’s. I am going crazy. i find myself waking up early in the morning to inspect my sofa’s trying to catch the bugs. And i have caught some. I feel like a crackhead sitting on my desk chair starring at my sofa’s waiting for something to move while im scatching all over. I am the only one getting bit. Do i really have to get rid of sofa’s? Its not like i can really afford to get new ones and i dont want to end up sitting on the floor. The landlord says he has taken care of promblem but it wasnt untill third floor apt was infested and now im the last one. He also offered to change my carpets but i would have to get rid of everything. is there anything i can purchase myself to save sofa’s and myself.
Thank you Paula,
One more question. This morning it is 8 degrees below zero F., If I bag items that can’t be washed and put them outside, will it kill them?
Hi Becky. I would not rely on cold temps to kill them. There are studies that show they can live a while (weeks, months) in much colder weather than that. Heat (above 120 degrees)is a good source for clothing. In the FAQ’s on clothing it describes there is a section that explains for “delicate clothing” such as some sweaters, leather coat, lingerie and what have you….you can just put them in the dryer on high temp for a good while to get them piping hot. You can do this with most of clothing I would think. Just don’t pack the dryer full. Leave it half full or less to ensure every part of materials get to death temp.Most dryers get over 120 degrees. I have read that people have used a dryer rack for shoes for many hours to heat through the shoe, and some have “baked” their shoes in the oven at low temp for a 1/2 hr or so to get them heated through as well. (that one sounds risky to me though) Best to you.
Help….our tenants moved in and now our house is infested with bedbugs….we never had them when we lived in the house over two years ago, then we had tenants for the past two years who never complained of bedbugs but then the new tenants move in and within a few days they are getting bitten by bedbugs….the one tenant has been bitten before from traveling, I understand she still travels but she and her roomate are trying to blame us for the bug infestation….ps, the tenants before them have moved and denies having bedbugs in his new place….what’s your opinion on this??? we believe the new tenants are responsible
Hi wondering,
The problem is this: many, many people do not react to bed bug bites. It is fully possible your old tenants did not, but had them. It happens a lot.
It sometimes also happens that people have them but are ashamed and won’t tell the landlord, try to deal with a problem themselves, etc. Many people move for this reason. It happens a lot.
Your new tenants could have brought bed bugs in. They might even have gotten them from something like a new mattress or moving truck.
It is theoretically possible that you yourself picked them up somewhere, too. They make great hitchikers and people have gotten them from new purchases, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels, etc. Nice places, I might add.
But the bottom line is, it’s impossible to know who brought them in and when. You can obviously follow the laws of your town/county/state regarding whether you have to pay for treatment or not, but I’d recommend getting someone knowledgeable to get rid of them ASAP and completely.
Please come to the forums if you have more questions or want to discuss this! http://bedbugger.com/forum/
Becky, there’s no reliable way to kill using outside temperatures– the cold temps have to be maintained for a long time, without fluctuating. This FAQ should help.
This is the only product which will get rid of Bedbugs for good.
DDT impregnated elastic bands. Legally packed for vector control.
[URL deleted]
DDT is still sprayed in open air applications in Africa which is dangerous to wildlife. It is perfectly safe in its impregnated form and being that it is residual, any bed bug that passes the band will die.
Since most other insecticides will only kill bed bugs while they are wet and applied directly. If you continually spray any kind of insecticide in a room you will notice, household birds dying and babies vomiting. I lived through it.
Khamtan, you linked to a product being sold out of Thailand called “DDT bed bug bands.”
I am not sure of the legality of people in certain countries purchasing DDT from other countries, so I have deleted this link.
You should know, however, that even though DDT was once quite successful in killing bed bugs, they also showed resistance to DDT as early as 1948.
A recent report from the BBC said that when DDT was sprayed in African huts to kill malarial mosquitos, the bed bugs got excited and more active, but did not die.
Help!!!!! I have moved into a infestation and I have tried so many different things. I am limited on money and the exterminator told me it would cost 500 dollars to come in and treat. I do not have that kind of money is there something I can do to kill these little blood suckers it is horrible.
I am washing my laundry now but i have no idea where to go from there. I dont have any chemicals or a pest control person and i dont want to strip the bed and them scurry everywhere. any advice?
shelly and zigga,
We recommend a knowledgeable professional with lots of bed bug experience because bed bugs are really hard to treat (much, much harder than ants, flies, roaches, etc.)
If you rent, check out the local laws (this FAQ may help). It may be the landlord’s duty to get rid of the problem.
If not, read the FAQs and come to the Bedbugger forums where you will get lots of support from others.
I was attacked by bedbugs starting last week. At first I assumed it was allergies, until my cousin identified what it was that I had. Today The PCO came (Terminex) and sprayed the affected area… since this is a recent problem It has not spread. Yet I have done my research and found these helpful tips.
1. Matress encasing even if you decide to buy a new one.
2. CALL A PROFESSIONAL (home sweet home, bed sweet bed)
3. Wash all clothes and items in extremely hot water. Dry them and store them in bags until your visitors have gone to hell for all the misery they have put you through.
4. Spray alcohol on surface areas after scrubbing.
5. Vacuum EVERYTHING you can,
6. Apply diatomecous earth to everything you can in your house.
7. And keep cluster to a minimum.
If you live in NYC and have to take trains… I would advise everyone to prevent getting on crowded trains… as tired or in a hurry as we may be at that given moment. I rather get fired from work than to ever go through this again.
I hope this is helpful to all.
Hi BugsBeGone,
Thanks for your succinct list of recommendations. We do have extensive FAQs here– the page you’re commenting on is the index page. Many of your recommendations come up and are elaborated on in more detail.
This one, however, is definitely very bad advice:
Some types of diatomaceous earth (DE) — namely food grade DE — may be used safely, but “applying it to everything” is NOT a safe use of DE.
I advise anyone considering DE or other types of DIY treatment to read as much as they can, perhaps starting with our own FAQs, esp. the FAQ on DE. Some types of DE are harmful in any type of situation (for example, pool grade DE). The safer type (food grade) still must not be inhaled, and should not come in regular contact with your skin. It should not be used in such a way that you will be kicking it up and breathing it.
Although we’d all like to give really succinct advice, sometimes more detail really is necessary to avoid people harming themselves and others.
I just started getting bites a few days ago and I’m pretty certain they’re bed bugs. I purchased the protect-a-bed casings for my mattress, box spring and pillows and am waiting for them to arrive. I’m concerned about the washing all my clothes in hot water part though. First of all, I don’t know if my apartment’s washer water gets up to 120º even on hot, and second, can’t most dark/bright colors not be washed on hot? I’m worried that I’ll ruin all of my clothes. Are there any other options here? I.e., washing clothes with color safe bleach or sealing them up in garbage bags and leaving them in a hot car in the sun for a few days?
Buggedindc,
If you’re going to dry the items in a machine on hot, then I would not worry about washing on cold. Drying alone on hot for the right amount of time will kill bed bugs.
Drying DRY items on hot for a short period (Michael Potter said 5 minutes for bed bugs in a dry sock) will kill bed bugs and eggs. 5 minutes makes me nervous, so I’d prefer more like 20 dried on hot minutes IF the items are already dry. If you’re drying wet items, then dry until dry (at any temp) and do 20 minutes on HOT.
This FAQ and its comments will be illuminating:
http://bedbugger.com/2007/05/18/dryer/
Hello,
I am 16 and recently I have spotted bed bugs on my sheets and under my mattress. The mattress is brand new from the mattress factory so I don’t know how it could ALREADY be infested but apparently it is. Due to the fact I am extremely afraid of bugs I can’t sleep knowing there are blood sucking demons lying beneath my covers. I have sprayed an entire canister of Tick And Mosquito killer/repellent on every crevice of my bed / box spring and it seems to have killed the few bugs that I’ve seen ( less then 10 in the past 2 days ). I need to know how to fix this problem ASAP.
Thanks in advance.
-Brennan
Brennan,
It is possible that the bed bugs came on the new bed, in the delivery truck, or from neighbors or another source. If you are in an attached home or apartment, they can come through a wall. They are often picked up in public places. But the possibility that they were in the delivery truck or on the mattress itself is a good one.
Please read the FAQs. They will give you a lot of important information. it is important to know all you can before taking action.
Repellents are unlikely to help much. They may even spread the bed bugs around.
If you read the FAQs and have questions or need support, please come to our forums where you will get more of a response to further questions.
As you can probably tell by my username, I am FREAKING OUT! My boyfriend stayed at a hotel this past Friday – Monday and he saw 3 bugs the entire time he was there. However, neither of us knew what these bugs were. But since I am terrified of any bug I made him leave his stuff on our balcony when he came home. The next day (yesterday) he unpacked his stuff and brought it inside and put it away. Today I read an article about bedbugs in the newspaper and the picture was identical to the bugs he saw in his hotel room. Now I’m FREAKING OUT and am convinced that they must be in my apartment. Is it certain that if they were in his room they are now in my house? How long will it take to know for sure one way or the other whether or not we have them??? How soon is too soon to call an exterminator? I am so scared of bugs that I probably will not be able to sleep until this situation is resolved. I have put all of his things back on the patio and bought a mattress cover claiming it has bed bug protection and I am currently washing all of his clothes, our towels, sheets, etc. What else can I do? PLEASE HELP!!!!!
I am currently living in a furnished apartment and this is the second outbreak of bed bugs i’ve had in the past 4 months. The first time the landlord changed the bed (but not the couch) and a washed all my sheets and everything seemed to be fine. Also, the exterminator comes in every month, which I guess is not enough b/c I woke up this morning with bites on my back, neck and arms. It is extremely frustrating and makes my skin crawl.
I’ve done some research online and know that it has come from somewhere else, b/c I am very clean and tidy and clean my apartment every other day.
These bites are extremely irritating and I have been using Triamcinolone Cream on them, which I think is crap b.c the bites still itch like crazy. The worst part is the scar the leave on my skin- I don’t want to have scars all over my body for the rest of my life due to these pesty little things!
Are there any steps or procedures I should be taking to further increase my chances of getting rid of these things?
honey..rent a dog trained to sniff them out. i had a problem and thought i got rid of them. i wanted to be sure so rented a dog trained to smell them. he found more.i had my apartment treated with heat and its gaurenteed.now i sleep tight.
Where can you find these dogs? and how much does it cost?
Freakingout, bedbugsinchicago, cachevalier,
If you have bed bugs you need good knowledgeable treatment from someone who knows bed bugs.
I am sorry I can’t go into lots of detail here.
If you need to detect them and want leads on a local dog, please come to our forums and tell us your general location. Maybe someone will have a local recommendation.
If you’ve read the FAQs and have other questions, you can also get advice in the forums. Simply copy and paste what you wrote above to a new thread there.
i have bed bugs where i live i live in a apartment with no carpet..i get bit on my bed and on my couch occasionally i i trying very hard for them not to get in my babies’ matresses… my question is i am moving soon ..within a month or two…i have a two bedroom apartment… i am not taking my dressers , bed, or sofa in my move but i still have tons of clothes the large things i have is an entertainment center, kitchen table and chairs , and two cribs..plus several boxes….what can i do to prevent taking these basterds with me…i am gonna sleep on the floor at my new place to prevent my bed from bringing them i will spray the mattresses with bed bug killing spray just to be safe (made of plastic since they are from cribs),and wash what can be washed what else can i do to prevent these blood suckers from getting to my new place…
also i have diatomatious earth can i use it in any way to stop the bed bugs from coming with me
one more question i apologize can i bomb the moving truck with anything is there anything you can use to infumagte a area to get rid of it
tessa,
The only reliable way to prevent taking bed bugs with you is to treat the moving truck with vikane TM gas fumigation (sulfuryl flouride).
You can find out more about this, or ask other questions in our forums: http://bedbugger.com/forum/
There are no do it yourself methods for this.
DE can be helpful in fighting bed bugs, but since bed bugs must walk across it to die, and since it can only be used sparingly in cracks, where people will not breathe it or touch it, and since it takes 10 days ONCE bed bugs cross it to kill them, it will not prevent you bringing bed bugs to your new home. You will bring them and they may live a very long time without ever making contact with DE.
NEED ADVICE.DISCOVERED BED BUGS IN MY BATHROOM AND HALL WAY CLOSET.SPARYED ALCOHOL 91% UNTIL THE EXTERMINATOR ARRIVED WHICH WAS A WEEK LATER FROM MY MANAGEMENT.THE DAY THEY ARRIVED ONE WAS FOUND IN MY DAUGHTERS SPRING BOX.THE SPRAYED OUR ROOMS AND TREATED OUR BED FRAMES.COMING BACK IN 2 WEEKS FOR A FOLLOW UP TREATMENT.I COVERED THE MATTRESS AND SPRING BOXES.MOPPED UP THE DEAD ONES.IT’S BEEN 6 DAYS HAVEN’T SEEN ANY.WHAT DO I NEED TO DO FROM NOW UNTIL THE SECOUND TREATMENT?? I HAVE WASH AND DRIED AND HAVE EVERY THING DOUBLE BAGGED.ANY INFO WOULD BE GREAT SINCE THE EXTERMINATOR WASN’T THAT HELPFUL AND WAS ONLY IN THE APARTMENT FOR 5 MINUTES SPARYED THEN LEFT.DIDN’T SPRAY THE WHOLE HOUSE ONLY THE ROOMS AND MY COUCH.
WE HAVE OUR WINTER COATS IN BAGS AND OUR BOOKS,DVD’S AND CD’S.THERE DOUBLE BAGGED.MY BOYFRIEND WANTS TO WAIT UNTIL OUR HEAT WEAVE AND LEAVE THEM OUT ON OUR BALCONY FOR A WEEK IS THIS GOOD TO DUE. I LOVE TO READ AND HAVE OVER 200 BOOKS AND I DON’T WANT TO THROW THEM OUT.WILL THIS METHOD WORK??THANKS
Hi Marcy,
Glad you have found us. Be sure and get your PCO back for that follow up (about 2 weeks after the first treatment).
As for the bagged items, we always suggest people ask their PCOs when infested items in sealed bags should be removed from the bags.
The answer should not be “after treatment.”
Unfortunately, natural temperatures during a heat wave are not likely to hit 120 F. They need to do so — and to stay there long enough until the core temps of everything in the bags has hit that point. It can take a long time.
Even bags in a hot car can not be reliably expected to reach bed bug killing temps long enough to heat everything to its core.
Instead, I suggest you consider a Packtite, which would allow you to de-bug smaller batches of items. Here’s a FAQ on it.
Here are additional FAQs on removing bed bugs from your stuff.
THANKS FOR THE INFO.PACKTITE IS TO EXPENSIVE AND MY BOYFRIEND DOESN’T WANT IT.ANY IDEAS WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE BOOKS DVD’S ETC…HOW MANY DAYS AFTER THE FIRST TREATMENT WILL I SEE ANY BUGS.IT’S BEEN 6 DAYS SO FAR,AND I’M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ANOTHER ONE THE FREAK ME OUT.MY NEXT TREATMENT IS IN A WEEK.IS THIS A GOOD SIGN.DO I HAVE TO DO ANYTHING BETWEEN TREATMENTS CLOTHES ARE BAGGED.BEDS AND PILLOWS ARE COVERED UP.ANY INFO WILL BE GREAT.WHAT DID U DO FOR YOUR BED BUGS PROBLEMS??AND A BIG KISS FOR STARTING THIS WEBSITE IT HAS HELPED ME OUT ALOT,THANKS MARCY
Hi Marcy,
For things which cannot be put in a hot dryer, I am afraid the packtite is one of the cheaper options which will reliably kill bed bugs in your stuff. Another is having a truck of stuff gassed with Vikane TM fumigant. The option existing before these ones came along was to wait up to 18 months with the stuff sealed in bags.
The best idea is not to do anything in between treatments, as self-treatment can actually sabotage the work of the PCO. It’s best to ask them before you do anything else.
If you want more input, please re-post your question in the forums, where many more will see it and may respond: http://bedbugger.com/forum/
i live in airzona and the temp gets well over 120 in car or left in a bag out side…. will this work 4 me?
i have been spraying this stuff called suspend sc it contains delta gard. is this stuff any good? HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!
bitallover, no, I do not think you can rely on your car. Please read this comment above.
As for the suspend SC, I cannot advise you on pesticides. There are some licensed PCOs in the forums who may be able to comment. Please click here to go to our forums.
im all out of $$$$$ it’s me and my 3 boys we have alot of clothes! how mouch are these zip lock bags? or can i buy the big storge bins and keep them out side?
bitallover,
Sorry you are dealing with this.
The XL Ziplocs run in the $5-6 range for four bags, in the US. If you simply need to store clean, dried clothing (drying on hot in a dryer will kill bed bugs and eggs (you can seal in a black contractor’s bag (3 mil thick, thicker than reg. garbage bags). Make sure you seal the bag in an airtight manner. Normal twist-tie as for garbage may not be sufficient.
If you want to store outside, you could seal in garbage bags inside the bins — I would not use bins on their own as they generally are not AIRTIGHT.
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