Bed Bug Infested bedding and garments will probably need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum). Most dryers get hot enough to kill bed bugs.

Dispose of the bags you put infested garments and bedding in immediately by putting them in an unused trash bag and twist-tie tightly, then put in the trash outside.

Clutter should be removed.

Do not use any insecticide on a mattress unless the label says it is both for bed bugs and can be safely used on mattresses.

Smaller items that cannot be laundered can be de-infested by heating in a Packtite or sealing in giant ziplocks.

IMPORTANT: Bed bugs can remain alive for over a year without a meal, and your infestation can begin again if you remove infested items from sealed bags into your home.

Vacuuming and steaming can be very useful for removing bed bugs and eggs from mattresses, carpet, walls, and other surfaces.

Pay particular attention to seams, tufts and edges of mattresses and box springs, and the very edge of wall-to-wall carpets. Bed bugs can often be found in those places. Afterward, dispose of the vacuum bag or contents in a sealed trash bag and take to the outside trash.

Steam cleaning of carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture is also useful for killing bugs and eggs that vacuuming may have missed.

Repair cracks in plaster and glue down loosened wallpaper to eliminate bed bug harborage sites.

Bedding or linens should be dry cleaned at a dry cleaner that will take bed bug infested items (regular dry cleaning may not kill bed bugs and you should ALWAYS DISCLOSE YOU HAVE BED BUGS) or laundered in hot water and dried using the hot setting.

Chemical Treatment For Bed Bugs

What to expect

Pest companies that provide chemical treatment will give you a preparation sheet. Their suggestions may vary, but the information below is typical. Follow your pest company requirements even if they vary from the suggestions below.

How to inspect your mattress

Control of bed bugs is best achieved by following an integrated pest management (IPM) approach that involves treating your clothes, sanitation, de-cluttering, and applying chemicals to specific areas of your home.

Bed bugs are challenging pests to eradicate due to their small size and ability to hide in any crack or crevice the height of a credit card. This makes finding bed bugs challenging but not impossible.

Experienced pest control companies know where to find bed bugs, but the chemicals they use may differ greatly from company to company. You will need to assist the pest control operator (PCO) in making your treatment successful and getting rid of bed bugs in your home.

Chemical treatment includes insecticides specifically labeled for bed bugs. Roach sprays will do nothing to kill bed bugs.

Chemical treatment may be applied by treating all cracks and crevices where bed bugs tend to hide. Some PCO’s treat beds with portable steam machines or by using Cryonite freezing which like steam and alcohol, only kills what it hits directly, there is no residual.

Residual pesticides are applied as spot treatments to baseboards, moulding, cracks and crevices where bed bugs are hiding. Increased penetration of the insecticide into cracks and crevices.

Your PCO will probably instruct you to keep sleeping in your bed to attract bed bugs to you so they walk through the pesticides on their way back to their nests. Talk to your PCO before you isolate your bed.

Pesticides have varying residuals from five to 90 days. Light, temperature, and moisture can affect the length of time a pesticide remains effective. Residual pesticides to not kill bed bugs on contact and can take from 1-12 days, depending on the pesticide and home conditions, to kill bed bugs.

Diatomaceous Earth may be used to treat wall voids and attics. Diatomaceous Earth is effective in killing bed bugs but can take up to 10 days for them to die after walking through it. This dust will dry out their exoskeleton and kill bed bugs. Diatomaceous Earth contains silica and should not be inhaled or used on surfaces, like a sofa or mattress, where the powder can "fluff up" and be inhaled.

Repeat insecticide applications are common and should be expected, as most insecticides that kill bed bugs do not kill the eggs, so repeat treatments at 10-14 day intervals are typical to kill newly hatched bed bugs.