How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Guide Note

Bed bugs are a tiny problem that are becoming a big nuisance. From campus dorms to hotels and even into our homes, more people are finding themselves plagued by this tiny insect that bites us in our sleep. If you're tired of being stalked in the night by this bloodsucker, then its time you learn how to get rid of bed bugs.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Signs and Symptoms
• Cleaning
• Using Heat
• Chemicals and Pest Control
• Preventing Bed Bugs
• When Returning Home
• Conclusion
• References

Bed Bug Tips

1. Bed bugs can live in very small crevices.
2. They can survive for over a year without eating.
3. Prevention is the best way to control bed bugs.
4. Only a few pesticides are available that will kill bed bugs.
5. Bed bugs can be killed using heat.

Newest How To Guides

Tips on dealing with difficult people

Great ideas for mixed drinks

Beat the cold of winter by making the perfect cup of hot chocolate

Need to save money? Learn how to spend less on food

All the information you need to make the digital TV switch

• by Darcy Logan

Introduction

• Most people have heard the old rhyme "Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite." However, unless they have been bitten by a bed bug, few people realize how problematic bed bugs can be; and they are becoming worse every day. Bed bug infestations have been increasing over the past few years all over the country.¹ People with bed bugs have been known to throw out all their furniture and clothing while spending thousands of dollars trying to eradicate the pests.² Getting rid of bed bugs does not have to cost you everything you own if you know how to properly treat a bed bug infestation and take steps to prevent it from happening in the first place.

• YouTube: Health Department Reports Increase In Bedbug Infestations (Time: 1:53)

Signs and Symptoms of Bed Bugs

• Appearance: Bed bugs are oval-shaped, flat, wingless insects that are rusty red or mahogany in color and only 1/4 to 1/5 of an inch long.
  1. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches.³
  2. Bed bugs are nocturnal and will only come out at night.⁴
  3. Bed bugs can go without food for as long as 550 days.⁵

• YouTube: Live Bed Bugs (Time: 0:15)

• Location: Bed bugs will usually be found in the area about 10 to 15 feet from your bed.⁶
  1. They are commonly under the fabric stapled to the frame in the box springs.⁶
  2. They will also reside in tiny cracks in furniture and on the floor.^{3 7} These cracks can be as small as the width of a credit card.⁶
  3. Other places bed bugs may commonly hide include the seams in mattresses, under loose wallpaper, behind picture frames, inside furniture, behind curtains, corners of dressers and in the spaces of wicker furniture.^{5 3}

• Spots: Bed bugs leave brown or black fecal stains around their hiding spots.
  1. You may also notice tiny bloodstains on your sheets and mattress.⁸
  2. They may also leave egg cases and exuviae (shed skins) lying around.⁵
  3. Fecal stains will only tell you if the bugs have been present, not if they are still active.³

• Bites: Bed bugs will bite any exposed areas of skin when the person is sleeping, which can lead to a localized area of itching and swelling.³
  1. Bites may look similar to mosquito or flea bites.³
  2. Bites do not have a red spot in the center like flea bites do.⁹
  3. About 30 percent of people do not have any reaction to bed bug bites.¹
  4. One characteristic of bed bug bites is to have rows of three or more welts on exposed skin.⁹
  5. Bites will look different on different people.¹⁰

• Odor: Bed bugs produce a distinctive odor described as musty and sweet or rotting coconuts.^{6 1}

• YouTube: Bed Bugs (Time: 2:10)

Who's at Greatest Risk

• Although bed bugs are being found almost everywhere, including on public transit and movie theaters, there are some populations are at greater risk of picking up a bed bug than others.¹¹ They include:

1. College students living in the dorms.¹¹
2. Travelers.¹²
3. People living in apartment complexes.⁷

• YouTube: Bed Bugs Gone Wild! (Time: 1:13)

Cleaning

• Bed bugs are more commonly found in areas with poor sanitation conditions or crowded living conditions, but can also just as easily can survive in clean environments.³ Still, there are some cleaning methods, however, that are a useful first step in reducing the bed bug population.
• Note: It is especially helpful to perform a thorough cleaning immediately before your home is treated by a pest control company.

1. 

   Vacuum all areas—even the hard-to-reach ones—within the vicinity of a bed bug infestation. (Creative Commons photo by Beatrice Murch)
   Vacuum areas thoroughly every other day.
   1. Vacuum all the furniture including the mattress, box spring, headboard and sofa.⁶
   2. Use the suction wand along the seams and fabric folds of the furniture and the perimeter edge of the walls.¹³
   3. You also need to vacuum cracks in wood doors and floors.⁸
   4. Seal the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and take it to the trash immediately.⁶
2. Using a stiff brush can also be good to clean surfaces.
   1. Use the brush to scrub along the seams of mattress to dislodge bug and eggs.⁹
   2. Dismantle bed frames and furniture to ensure you get all of the bugs when cleaning.³
3. Remove wood and paper trash piles and other debris from around your house where bed bug may be hiding. ⁸
4. Eliminate any clutter in areas infested with bed bugs. This will reduce their hiding spaces and make treatment more effective.⁶
5. Some experts will advise you to throw out your mattress.⁶
   1. If the mattress or box spring is heavily infested or if the mattress has holes in it that allow the bugs to hide inside, it is a good idea to throw it out.¹³
   2. However, a new mattress will also become infested unless bed bugs are killed.⁹
6. Mattress encasements, such as those used by allergy sufferers, are a good alternative to throwing out a mattress and box spring.
   1. Leave the cover on for at least a year.⁹
   2. Cover both the mattress and the box spring.⁶
   3. The mattress encasement will trap living bed bugs and make it easier to spot and destroy any bugs in the future.^{8 13}
   4. You can find mattress encasements online:
      • Google Product Search: Mattress Encasements
      • Overstock.com: Mattress Encasements
      • Amazon.com: Mattress Encasements

Using Heat

• Heat is an effective method for killing bed bugs and their eggs. Heating to 97° to 99°F will kill most bugs, but most experts advise heating to a higher temperature of 120°F.^{5 13} Here are some ways you can use heat to get rid of bed bugs:

1. Washing clothes and bedding in hot water and then dry them with the hot cycle of the clothes dryer will kill all stages of bed bugs.⁸
   1. You can also place toys, shoes, backpacks and other items into a dryer at a medium to high heat setting for 10 to 20 minutes.¹³
   2. Most "dry clean only" garments will not be harmed if they are placed (dry) into a clothes dryer at a moderate setting that is below 160°F.¹³
   3. Do not send them directly to the dry cleaners or you'll risk infesting them.¹³
2. Place small items into a dark plastic bag and leave them outside in the sun for two to three days.⁸
3. You can also place items in a closed vehicle parked in the sun on a hot summer day.¹³
4. Steam can also be used to kill bed bugs.
   1. Steam cleaning carpets should be coordinated with the pest control company to ensure it doesn't interfere with the treatments.⁶
   2. Steam cleaning mattresses is not recommended since it can lead to problems with mold, mildew and dust mites.⁹

• MSNBC: Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite! (Time: 4:55)

Using Chemicals and Calling Pest Control

• Getting rid of bed bugs can be near impossible, so don't be discouraged if your cleaning methods have not eliminated the infestation. As stated earlier, bed bugs live in tight corners and can live without food for extended periods of time, which often means professional help is required.⁶

1. Make sure you have a positive identification that you have a bed bug problem before hiring anyone.¹⁴
2. Before hiring any company, ask them about their experience and success rate of treating bed bugs.⁶
3. Pest control companies should use a variety of tactics to eliminate bed bugs including crack and crevice sprays, sticky traps and dusting inside walls.⁶
4. Be warned, it can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to treat your home.¹⁴
5. It will take several treatments to get rid of bed bugs.¹⁵
6. Three pesticides that are known to kill bed bugs that are available to consumers include pyrethrins, resmethrin (0.3% spray) and allethrin. Most other pesticides that are effective in killing bed bugs are only approved for professional use.¹⁶
7. You can also try placing inorganic materials such as diatomaceous earth and silica aerogel in tight places, which causes the bugs to become dehydrated and die. They will only work in places with low humidity.⁶

• YouTube: Bed Bugs! Attack! (Time: 6:57)

Preventing Bed Bug Problems

• When Benjamin Franklin said "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" he must have been thinking about bed bugs.¹⁷ Here are a few tips that can help you prevent bed bugs from invading your home.

1. Do regular inspections of your home to look for infestations early when they will be easiest to control.¹³
2. Do not pick up items found on the road or curbside.¹³
3. Examine any secondhand items thoroughly before bringing them in your home.⁹
4. Remove debris from around your home.⁵
5. Repair cracks in your walls.⁵
6. Caulk windows and doors as well as any exterior cracks and crevices.⁵
7. Screen any openings to prevent birds, bats and rodents from entering your home, which can serve as alternate hosts.⁹
8. You can use physical control methods to keep them off your bed around your bed legs such as standing legs in soapy water, coating them with petroleum jelly or double-sided tape or placing the legs inside glass jars or metal cans.⁵

What to Do When Returning Home

• Returning home, either from vacation or college, is one of the main time periods when bed bugs will get into your home. Therefore, it is wise to be diligent at these times to make sure you have killed any hitchhiking bed bugs.

1. 

   Be wary when staying in unfamiliar hotels or other public places. (Creative Commons photo by Craig Anderson)
   No matter how nice the hotel is, inspect your hotel room as soon as you arrive.¹⁴
   1. Look for both fecal spots and bed bugs.¹³
   2. Examine the upper and lower seams of the mattress and box spring, the sheets and behind the headboard.¹³
   3. If you find any signs of bed bugs, request another room in a different area of the hotel.¹³
2. Elevate your suitcases off the floor on a luggage stand, tabletop or other hard surface.¹³
3. Leave your suitcase zipped whenever you are not using it.¹⁴
4. Place all clothing in disposable plastic bags and directly into the washer and dryer when you return home.¹³
5. Inspect and clean your luggage when you arrive home.
   1. Do not set your luggage on your bed before it has been inspected and cleaned.¹⁵
   2. Use a stiff brush to remove eggs in crevices.¹⁴
   3. Vacuum the luggage thoroughly.¹⁴
6. Leaving your luggage in a closed vehicle in the full summer sun or placing it in a black plastic bag in the summer sun may also kill the bed bugs if the temperature is high enough.¹⁴

Conclusion

• As the problem with bed bugs increases, so will the sleepless nights as people delay going to bed for fear of being attacked in their sleep. While everyone agrees that getting rid of bed bugs can be a difficult task, knowing the proper way will eliminate any wasted efforts on your part.

Subscribe to Mahalo's Weekly How To Email Newsletter

• Get our best How To tips and ideas in your inbox each week
• Email
  

References for How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} SFGate: Bedbugs bounce back: Outbreaks in all 50 states (April 8, 2007)  
2. ↑ IndyStar.com: $60,000 Has Been Spent, and They've Still Got Bed Bugs
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7} MedicineNet.com: Bed Bugs
4. ↑ National Pest Management Association: Bed Bugs
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7} UCIPM Online: Bed Bug Management Guidelines
6. ↑ ^{6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13} University of Nebraska Lincoln: Managing Bed Bugs
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} USATODAY.com: 'Don't let the Bedbugs Bite' is Advice Tough to Follow (November 7, 2007)  
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5} WebMD: Bedbugs
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7} Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Bed Bugs
10. ↑ Bedbugger.com: FAQ: What are bed bugs? Do I have them? What else could be causing this?
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} USATODAY.com: Bedbugs Move into Dorms (August 8, 2008)  
12. ↑ UMNNews: Bloodthirsty Travelers: Bedbugs are Biting Again (October 12, 2006)
13. ↑ ^{13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14} University of Kentucky Entomology: Bed Bugs
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6} WebMD: Don't Lose Sleep Over Bed Bugs
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} MSNBC.com: It's Back-to-school Time for Bedbugs (August 29, 2008)
16. ↑ New Mexico State University: Bed Bugs and Their Control
17. ↑ USHistory.org: Ounce of Prevention

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Videos

• YouTube: Health Department Reports Increase In Bedbug Infestations (Time: 1:53)
• YouTube: Live Bed Bugs (Time: 0:15)
• YouTube: Bed Bugs (Time: 2:10)
• YouTube: Bed Bugs Gone Wild! (Time: 1:13)
• YouTube: Bed Bugs! Attack! (Time: 6:57)
• MSNBC: Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite! (Time: 4:55)