How to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress: vacuum, steam and encase

Step by step: how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress

Safety first. Never use rubbing alcohol, kerosene or gasoline on a mattress: they can ignite. Do not spray general insecticides on a mattress or bedding; use only products whose label lists bed bugs and allows that use. Do not use pool or food grade diatomaceous earth, which is harmful to breathe. Keep the steamer moving and away from electrical outlets.

1. 1

   Confirm it is bed bugs

   Look along the mattress seams, piping, tags and tufts with a flashlight. Signs are small dark spots that bleed into the fabric like marker, tiny pale eggs and shed skins, rusty smears, and the flat, reddish brown, apple seed sized bugs themselves. Bites alone do not prove bed bugs.

2. 2

   Bag and hot wash all bedding

   Strip sheets, pillowcases, blankets, mattress pads and bed skirts and put them straight into plastic bags in the bedroom so bugs do not drop along the way. Wash in hot water and dry on the hottest setting the fabric allows. Dry items that cannot be washed can go straight in the dryer on high heat for 20 minutes or more.

3. 3

   Vacuum the mattress and box spring

   Run the crevice tool firmly along every seam, under the piping, around tufts and buttons, and along the box spring frame and its underside fabric. Then vacuum the bed frame, headboard and the floor and baseboards around the bed. Seal the vacuum bag or canister contents in a plastic bag and put it in an outdoor trash can right away.

4. 4

   Steam the seams slowly

   Use a steamer that reaches at least 130°F with a fabric nozzle or diffuser so the steam does not blow bugs away. Move it about an inch every few seconds along seams, tufts and edges so the heat soaks in. The surface should be hot and damp, not soaked; let the mattress dry fully before covering it.

5. 5

   Encase the mattress and box spring

   Zip the mattress and box spring into bed bug proof encasements with tight zippers and a zipper end stop. Any bugs left inside are trapped and cannot feed, and new ones cannot hide in the seams. Leave the encasements on; bed bugs can survive many months without a meal.

6. 6

   Treat the bed frame and nearby cracks

   Vacuum and steam the joints of the bed frame, headboard and nightstands. Caulk cracks in the frame or along nearby baseboards. Pull the bed a few inches away from the wall and make sure no bedding touches the floor.

7. 7

   Put interceptors under the bed legs

   Set an interceptor cup under each bed leg. Bugs crawling up or down get caught in the outer well, which shows whether any are left. Check and empty them weekly.

8. 8

   Inspect and repeat

   Look over the encasement, frame and interceptors every few days for the first weeks, then weekly. Eggs that survived can hatch over the next couple of weeks, so repeat the vacuum and steam treatment if you find any bugs.

Where do bed bugs hide in a mattress?

Bed bugs hide in the seams, piping, tags and tufts of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks of the bed frame and headboard. The EPA describes their signs as dark spots of excrement that bleed into fabric like marker, and tiny pale eggs and shed skins about 1 mm long.

UC IPM notes that most bed bugs in a home are found in or near the bed, so start your inspection with the mattress, box spring, frame and headboard. Hiding places are usually within a few feet of where people sleep or rest, including the seams of chairs and couches.

Can you get rid of bed bugs in one day?

Not on your own. The EPA says treating bed bugs is complex and can take weeks to months, and you may need to repeat the steps to kill all the bugs and their eggs. One day of thorough work can knock the numbers down a lot, but expect follow-up.

The closest thing to a one-day fix is a professional whole-room heat treatment. UC IPM notes that commercial heating services aim for at least 140°F for two hours or 130°F for three hours, which kills most bed bugs and eggs. Do not try this yourself by turning up the thermostat or using space heaters: the EPA warns that it does not work and is dangerous.

Should you throw away a mattress with bed bugs?

Usually no. University of Kentucky entomologists call encasements an economical alternative to throwing out infested beds, and a new mattress will get infested too if bugs are still in the room. Replace it only if it is torn, worn out, or heavily stained.

If you do throw it out, wrap it in plastic, and follow the EPA’s advice to make it unusable (rip the cover, mark it “Bed Bugs”) and have it picked up quickly, so no one takes it home. Do not leave it on the curb for days.

Call a licensed pest control professional if bugs show up again after two rounds of treatment, if you live in an apartment (neighbors may need treatment too, and you should tell your landlord), or if they have spread to sofas and other rooms. For general mattress care after treatment, see how to clean a mattress.

Mistakes to avoid

• Setting off a bug bomb in the bedroom; the spray does not reach the seams and cracks where bed bugs hide.
• Carrying bedding through the house unbagged, spreading bugs to other rooms.
• Sleeping on the couch, which can move the infestation there.
• Taking the encasement off after a few weeks, before bugs inside have died.
• Throwing out the mattress but not treating the frame, headboard and room.