How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Yourself: A Step-by-Step Plan

Quick answer: Here’s how to get rid of bed bugs yourself: confirm the infestation, wash and dry all bedding and clothes on high heat, vacuum and steam the bed and furniture seams, seal the mattress and box spring in bed-bug-proof encasements, and put interceptors under the bed legs. Repeat steam and vacuuming every 7 to 10 days for at least a month. DIY works best on small infestations in one room.

Bed bugs are stressful, but they’re beatable. The EPA notes they aren’t known to spread disease, and a small infestation caught early can often be cleared without a full-scale professional treatment.

The key is doing several things well, in the right order, for long enough. No single spray or gadget does it alone. This guide walks you through how to get rid of bed bugs yourself, what to buy, what to skip, and when it’s time to call a pro.

How do I know it’s bed bugs?

Before you treat anything, confirm what you’re dealing with. Bites alone aren’t proof: many people don’t react to bed bug bites at all, and other insects and skin conditions cause similar marks. See a doctor if you have a skin reaction or other symptoms.

Look for these signs, especially along mattress seams, the box spring, the bed frame and headboard:

• Live bugs: adults are flat, oval, reddish-brown and about the size of an apple seed. Young nymphs are smaller and paler.
• Dark spots: small black or rusty dots (digested blood) that smear like a marker when wiped with a damp cloth.
• Shed skins and eggs: pale, papery skins and tiny white eggs about 1 mm long, usually in seams and crevices.
• Blood smears on sheets or pillowcases.

Use a flashlight and an old card to probe seams. Capture a sample on clear tape if you can, so a pro or your local university extension office can identify it.

What causes bed bugs?

Bed bugs aren’t a sign of a dirty home. They travel as hitchhikers in luggage, used furniture, secondhand clothing, and from neighboring units in apartments. Hotels, dorms, shelters and public transit are common pickup points.

Once inside, they hide within a few feet of where people sleep or sit for long periods, and come out at night to feed. Clutter doesn’t cause them, but it gives them more places to hide and makes treatment harder.

How to get rid of bed bugs yourself: step by step

1. Don’t move to another room. Keep sleeping in your bed. If you move to the couch or a spare room, bed bugs follow you and spread the problem.
2. Bag and launder everything washable. Seal sheets, blankets, pillowcases, curtains and clothes from the room in plastic bags, carry them straight to the washer, then dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes. Heat, not the wash, is what kills all life stages. Items that can’t be washed but can go in the dryer get the same 30-plus minutes on high.
3. Declutter the room. Remove piles of clothes, papers and boxes from around the bed. Bag items you remove and treat or inspect them before bringing them back.
4. Vacuum thoroughly. Vacuum mattress seams, the box spring, bed frame joints, baseboards, carpet edges and furniture with a crevice tool. Seal the vacuum bag or canister contents in a plastic bag and put it in an outdoor trash can right away.
5. Steam seams and hiding spots. Use a canister steam cleaner on mattress tufts and seams, the box spring, bed frame, headboard, couch seams and baseboards. Move slowly, about an inch per second or slower. Bed bugs and eggs die quickly on contact with temperatures above about 122°F.
6. Encase the mattress and box spring. Put both in zippered, bed-bug-proof encasements. Any bugs inside are trapped and eventually die, and new ones can’t hide in the seams. Leave encasements on for at least a year.
7. Isolate the bed. Pull the bed a few inches from the wall, keep bedding from touching the floor, and place interceptor cups under each leg. Bugs trying to climb up get trapped, which also tells you if the treatment is working.
8. Seal cracks. Caulk gaps along baseboards, around outlet covers and in bed frame cracks where bugs hide. Repair loose wallpaper.
9. Consider a targeted residual treatment. If bugs keep showing up, an EPA-registered bed bug product applied exactly as its label directs can help in cracks and crevices. See the safety note below.
10. Repeat and monitor. Eggs hatch in roughly one to two weeks, so repeat vacuuming and steaming every 7 to 10 days for at least three to four rounds. Keep checking interceptors weekly for two months after your last sighting before you call it done.

What about freezing, alcohol and foggers?

Freezing works for small items only if they stay at 0°F for at least four days, according to the EPA. A home freezer may not stay that cold, so use a thermometer.

Rubbing alcohol kills some bugs on direct contact but misses most of them and is a serious fire hazard. It’s not worth the risk.

Foggers and bug bombs are a bad idea for bed bugs. The EPA warns they don’t reach bugs hiding in cracks, can scatter bugs to new rooms, and can be a fire and health hazard when overused.

The equipment that helps

You don’t need a garage full of gear. These four items cover most small DIY treatments. For more options, see our best steam cleaner for bed bugs and best mattress encasement for bed bugs guides.

Wrap a cloth around a wide nozzle to diffuse the blast so it doesn’t scatter bugs, and keep the steam moving slowly. Our McCulloch MC1375 review covers setup and use in detail.

For quick spot monitoring in other rooms, Harris glue bed bug traps can help, though owner ratings are more mixed than for interceptors.

Pesticide safety: read the entire label before using any bed bug spray, and follow it exactly. The label is the law. Only use products labeled for bed bugs indoors, never outdoor or agricultural pesticides. Don’t spray bedding, pillows or mattress surfaces where people sleep unless the label allows it. Keep children and pets out of the room until surfaces are completely dry, ventilate well, wear gloves, and wash your hands afterward. Store products locked away from kids. Never mix chemicals, and never use more than directed: overuse doesn’t kill more bugs, it just increases exposure. If anyone in the home is pregnant, has asthma or other health concerns, talk to a doctor and consider a licensed pro instead.

Steam and heat safety: steam cleaners can cause serious burns. Keep kids and pets out of the room, never point steam at people or animals, keep it away from outlets and electronics, and let the unit cool and depressurize fully before opening the cap to refill. Test steam on a hidden area of fabric or finished wood first.

How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs?

Plan on at least four to eight weeks for a small infestation. The first two weeks knock down the active bugs; the next rounds catch nymphs from eggs that hatched after your first treatment. Then you monitor.

A good rule: you’re likely clear when interceptors and inspections have come up empty for about two months after your last treatment. Adult bed bugs can survive months without feeding, which is why encasements stay on for at least a year.

How to keep bed bugs from coming back

• After travel, keep luggage off the bed and floor at hotels, inspect the headboard and mattress seams, and put travel clothes straight in the dryer on high when you get home.
• Inspect secondhand furniture carefully before it comes inside, and avoid upholstered pieces left on the curb.
• Keep encasements on and check them for rips. Replace damaged ones.
• Leave interceptors in place as a long-term early warning system.
• Reduce clutter near beds and couches so any new arrivals have fewer places to hide.
• In apartments, tell your landlord or property manager right away. Bed bugs move between units through walls and hallways, and many local laws require building-wide treatment.

Encasements also help if you’re dealing with allergens in the bed. See how to get rid of dust mites in a mattress. For other household pests, our flea guide uses a similar vacuum-and-steam approach, and our guide to getting rid of mice covers rodent problems.

When to call a professional

Call a licensed pest management professional if bed bugs are in more than one room, if you live in an apartment, condo or other multi-unit building, if you’re still finding bugs after three to four weeks of consistent DIY treatment, or if anyone in the home has health symptoms or conditions that make pesticide exposure risky. Pros have access to whole-room heat treatments and products that aren’t sold to consumers. Renters should notify the landlord first, since treatment is often the landlord’s responsibility.

Frequently asked questions

Can you really get rid of bed bugs yourself?

Yes, for small infestations caught early and limited to one room. Success depends on combining several methods: high-heat laundry, vacuuming, steaming, encasements and interceptors, repeated every 7 to 10 days for several weeks. Larger infestations, multiple rooms and apartment buildings usually need a licensed professional.

What kills bed bugs instantly?

Direct heat kills bed bugs and eggs quickly. Contact with temperatures above about 122°F, such as steam from a canister steam cleaner, kills them on the spot. A clothes dryer on high for 30 minutes kills all life stages in fabrics. Sprays labeled for bed bugs can kill on contact but must be used exactly as the label directs.

Should I throw away my mattress?

Usually not. Vacuuming, steaming and sealing the mattress in a certified bed-bug-proof encasement is cheaper and effective, and a new mattress can get infested again if bugs remain in the room. If you do discard furniture, wrap it in plastic and mark it as infested so nobody takes it home.

How long can bed bugs live without feeding?

Adult bed bugs can survive for months without a blood meal, and longer in cool conditions. That’s why you should keep encasements on your mattress and box spring for at least a year and keep monitoring with interceptors after you stop seeing bugs.

Does diatomaceous earth work on bed bugs?

It can help as a slow-acting dust in cracks and wall voids, but it takes days to work and doesn’t replace heat, steam and encasements. Use only products labeled for bed bugs, apply a very thin layer where people won’t breathe it in, and avoid spreading it on beds or floors.

Can bed bugs live in my car or couch?

Couches, recliners and upholstered chairs are common hiding spots, so inspect, vacuum and steam them along with the bed. Cars are less common hiding places but can carry bugs on bags or clothing. Vacuum seats and dry fabric items on high heat if you suspect it.

Ready to pick your tools? Start with our best steam cleaner for bed bugs guide, which explains how to steam without scattering them.