Bed bugs are one of the most stressful pests to deal with — and getting rid of them takes patience and repeated effort.
With the right approach, you can often stop them spreading and bring an infestation under control at home, even if complete elimination sometimes needs professional help.
In this guide, we’ll start with what to do today, then walk you through a practical DIY plan using heat, careful cleaning, targeted treatment and monitoring.
Quick Answer: How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
The DIY goal is to reduce spread today, then use repeat heat + careful cleaning + targeted treatment + monitoring to bring the infestation under control over the next few weeks.
- Contain first: don’t move bedding, clothes or soft items into other rooms until they’ve been treated.
- Heat-treat fabrics: wash at 60°C (or the hottest safe setting) and tumble dry hot for at least 30 minutes.
- Bag first, carry second: seal items in strong bin bags before moving them to the washer/dryer (reduces drop-off).
- Isolate the bed: pull the bed away from the wall and keep bedding off the floor to remove “bridges”.
- Vacuum harbourages now: mattress seams, bed frame joints, skirting edges and cracks/crevices. Empty/dispose outside immediately in a sealed bag.
- Start monitoring tonight: place interceptor traps under bed/furniture legs and record what you catch.
Understanding Bedbug Behaviour
What Are Bedbugs?
Bedbugs are insects that feed on blood, especially human blood, feeding every 5 days on average using a proboscis through which they pierce the skin of their host and inject an anaesthetic. They live as close to us as possible so that they're never far from their food, despite being able to survive for prolonged periods without eating.
As disgusting as bedbugs are, it's important to know a bit about them if you want to be able to get rid of them.
Identifying bedbugs
An adult bedbug is around 4-5 mm long, with an oval shape. They are broad and flat unless they have recently fed, and are a reddish-brown colour. They look like apple seeds with legs.
Although visible to the naked eye, bedbugs are good at hiding. They get their name from living in beds where humans spend the night.
Bedbugs are nocturnal. They come out at night when people are asleep to feed on our blood. They have a needle-like mouth to pierce human skin. In our experience, generally, you won't feel a bedbug bite.
Why Bedbugs Infest Homes
Bedbugs aren't a sign of an unclean home. Bedbugs live happily in clean homes or even five-star hotels.
Bedbugs can't survive outside. They don't live on humans, but they can hitch a ride on us. If you've been somewhere that has bedbugs, including a hotel, you may end up with a bedbug on your clothing that you bring home.
Once almost extinct, bedbugs made a dramatic comeback at the start of the 21st century, partly because people travel more these days.
Another way bedbugs get into a home is by travelling on furniture. Second-hand furniture is a big risk, as bedbugs can hide in cracks and crevices, including in the furniture.
Finally, we find that bedbugs can easily travel between units in multifamily housing. If you live in a flat, you might get bedbugs from your neighbours.
Breeding Habits of Bedbugs
This is where things get a little gross and a lot scary.
Bedbugs are tough to get rid of, as they can be hard to detect and have a high reproduction rate. An adult female can lay 500 eggs in her lifetime. It takes around 21 days at room temperature for an egg to hatch and become an adult. Then, if the bug is female, she can start laying eggs.
The maths here is terrifying. A bedbug population can double in size every 16 days. Under ideal conditions, a single female bedbug could have 38 million descendants in a year!
An individual bedbug isn't hard to kill. What's hard is finding and killing every single one of them. But that's what you have to do to solve a bedbug problem.
Health and Safety Risks
There aren't many good things about bedbugs, but one nice thing you can say about them is that they don't spread disease.
That doesn't mean they're harmless. The bites can be extremely itchy and cause raised lumps as a result of an allergic reaction. Bites can cause insomnia, anxiety, and skin problems.
Many people find that one of the worst aspects of bedbugs is the psychological stress. It's impossible to sleep when bugs start biting you once the lights are out. That's why it's important to get rid of bedbugs as soon as you identify a problem.
Identifying Signs of a Bedbug Infestation
Regular and effective monitoring is essential to identifying and treating a bed bug infestation.
The first clues of a bedbug problem are bed bug sightings or bites. You'll find people saying you can identify bedbug bites by size, shape, or pattern. But in our experience, that's not true. Everyone reacts differently to bedbug bites. Some people get huge, itchy red welts, while other people don't react at all.
Bedbug bites look like the bites of other insects, like mosquitoes. But if you get lots of bites without being outdoors or you get bitten in the winter, you might have bedbugs.
Along with bed bug sightings and bites, you may start to notice some of these other signs of a bedbug infestation:
- Droppings. Because bedbugs only feed on blood, their droppings leave stains. Bedbug droppings resemble small black dots, like from a permanent marker. You'll find droppings on bedsheets, mattress seams, bed frames, or other places bedbugs hide.
- Blood spots. Sometimes, you'll crush a feeding bedbug by moving in your sleep. That can leave a small blood spot on the bedsheets.
- Shed skins. Bedbugs shed their skins to grow. The shed skin looks a lot like the adult insects, but is an orange colour and hollow inside.
- Eggs. Bedbug eggs are white and visible on dark surfaces. However, they are only 1 mm long, so you'll need good eyesight.
Common Locations for Bedbugs
The hardest part about getting rid of bedbugs yourself is finding them. This is especially true when they are in their early nymphal stages, when they can be very hard to spot. Remember to think in three dimensions; these bugs climb walls. Bedbugs will travel up to 100 feet or 30 m from their hiding place to feed. Some common places we typically find bedbugs are:
- Mattress seams. This is their favourite place to hide.
- Gaps in your bed frame, especially a wooden bed frame.
- Behind the headboard, especially in hotels with wall-mounted headboards.
- Seams on upholstered furniture like armchairs and couches.
- Wooden furniture, like tables and chairs, especially joints or screw holes.
- Behind skirting boards and the faceplates of plug sockets and light switches.
Preventing Bedbug Infestations
Remember, bedbugs have to get inside your house to become a problem. Here's what we recommend you do to make that less likely:
- When staying in hotels, keep your bags in the bathroom. Don't put them on the bed. Inspect beds in hotels for signs of bedbugs. If you find any, get another room.
- Avoid second-hand furniture. Or at least treat it for bedbugs before bringing it home. See below for effective treatment methods.
- Wash all your clothes after a trip or when coming back from somewhere which may have had a bedbug problem.
- If you live in an apartment, seal up gaps around pipes and electrical wires that allow bedbugs to travel between units.
You can also help bedbug-proof your home by keeping it clean and organised. The less clutter you have, the quicker you will spot any infestation, making it easier to get rid of.
DIY Bedbug Solutions
If you’ve found bed bugs, you can make a big difference with a careful, step-by-step approach. The aim is to remove bugs and eggs , reduce hiding places , and monitor so you know whether it’s improving.
1. Start with safe, proven non-chemical steps
Avoid risky “home remedies” like rubbing alcohol — it’s flammable and can be dangerous.
Focus on:
- Hot washing + hot tumble drying
- Vacuuming
- Steam (heat) treatment
- Mattress encasements
- Monitoring traps/interceptors
- Products specifically labelled for bed bugs, used carefully and only where they hide
2. Vacuuming and steaming (high impact if done thoroughly)
This is one of the best DIY combinations because high heat can kill bed bugs and eggs in harbourages.
How to do it:
- Vacuum first (mattress seams, bed frame joints, skirting edges, cracks/crevices).
- Immediately seal and dispose of the vacuum bag (or empty the canister) outside.
- Then steam slowly over seams, joints, tufts/buttons and cracks. Move the steamer head slowly enough that heat can penetrate fabric and crevices.
- Expect this to take time — thoroughness matters more than speed.
3. Washing, drying and freezing clothes (clear, easy options)
Bed bugs hide in fabrics, so treat clothing, bedding and soft items early — and keep them protected afterwards to prevent re-infestation.
Choose one of these options:
- Wash at 60°C (or the hottest safe setting for the fabric), then tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes , or
- Dry clean items that aren’t suitable for hot washing/tumble drying, or
- Seal items in a bag, check the freezer temperature and place them in a deep freezer for at least 3 days
After treating fabrics:
- Store clean items in sealed bags or plastic boxes until the infestation is under control.
4. Desiccant dusts (e.g., diatomaceous earth )
Desiccant dusts can help in cracks and crevices, but they must be applied carefully.
- Apply a very light dusting only into harbourages (skirting gaps, bed frame joints, cracks/crevices).
- Avoid airborne dust: ventilate, apply sparingly, consider a mask, and keep children/pets away during application.
- Don’t dust open surfaces where it can be disturbed.
5. Bed bug interceptor traps (good for monitoring)
Interceptor-style bed bug traps sit under bed/furniture legs and help you see activity levels.
- Pull the bed slightly away from the wall.
- Ensure bedding doesn’t touch the floor.
- Traps won’t solve an infestation on their own, but they’re excellent for monitoring and confirming whether numbers are dropping.
Avoid these common mistakes
- Don’t rely on foggers/bug bombs as your main method — they often don’t reach cracks where bed bugs hide.
- Don’t try to “heat treat” a room with heaters/thermostats/fireplaces — it’s unsafe and won’t deliver controlled temperatures.
- Don’t move rooms to escape bites — you can spread the problem.
Chemical Solutions: When to Use Chemical Bedbug Killers
Chemical products can help when used correctly, but they are not a shortcut and must be used with care. They also often need to be part of a wider treatment plan, as eggs and hidden bugs can survive an initial treatment.
For many bed bug problems, products designed for longer-lasting control, such as residual bed bug sprays, are often more effective than fast knockdown sprays alone, because they continue working in treated harbourages after application. Many effective bed bug products also include an insect growth regulator (IGR) to help disrupt the life cycle.
If you prefer a gentler first step, a pesticide-free, low-risk, or pesticide-free spray labelled for bed bugs can be useful for spot treatment and light activity, but it is usually best used alongside thorough vacuuming and/or steam treatment, decluttering, and ongoing monitoring.
Only use products specifically labelled for bed bugs, and always follow the label instructions exactly.
Focus treatment on harbourages such as cracks and crevices, bed frame joints, skirting edges, and mattress seams (only where the label allows), rather than spraying large open areas unnecessarily.
Wear gloves, ventilate the room well, and keep children and pets away until treated areas are dry and it is safe to re-enter according to the product label.
Avoid overapplying, overusing, or mixing products, as this can increase exposure risk and reduce treatment effectiveness.
Re-check and repeat treatment only as directed on the label, as newly hatched bugs may appear after the first treatment.
When to Use Professional Bedbug Control Services
Have you taken all our advice on how to stop bedbugs, but don't appear to be getting anywhere?
Many bedbug problems, especially low-level infestations, can be solved on your own. But sometimes, it's necessary to call a professional pest control company. They have access to chemicals and equipment you don't. Plus, experience helps when dealing with bedbugs.
Some companies can heat your entire home hot enough to kill all bedbugs. While this treatment is expensive, it is very effective. This can save you time and stress, and many companies offer guarantees for peace of mind.
Bed Bug FAQs
How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs yourself?
Usually weeks, not days. You’re trying to catch new hatchlings through repeat cleaning/treatment cycles, not just kill what you can see.
Do bed bugs live in clothes?
They can hide in clothing and fabrics, especially items near the bed. Heat (hot wash + hot tumble dry) is the quickest DIY win.
Should I throw away my mattress or furniture?
Not always. Encasements and targeted treatment can work, but if you must discard items, do it responsibly so others don’t take them home.
When should I call a professional or my local council?
If you’re seeing bed bugs in multiple rooms, you’re not making progress after repeated cycles, or someone is vulnerable (e.g., severe reactions), get help. NHS specifically recommends contacting your local council/pest control.
Final Thoughts
Bedbugs deserve their reputation as one of the toughest pests to get rid of. But tough isn't the same as impossible. Washing all your clothes, then storing them in plastic bags while you steam your furniture and apply diatomaceous earth around baseboards, is a ton of work. Plus, to defeat the bedbug lifecycle, you'll probably have to do it 2-3 times in a month or so.
It's worth it if it means you won't have bedbugs anymore. By keeping your home uncluttered and being careful about what you bring home, you can make sure you never have to deal with this problem again.
At PestBuddy, we're here to empower you with effective, fast and easy-to-use DIY bedbug control products. Explore our range of products to take control of your pest problems with confidence.
