The fastest reliable way to get rid of bed bugs is a combination: confirm them, bag and heat-dry all bedding and clothes, vacuum and steam every seam and crack, encase the mattress and box spring, put interceptors under the bed legs, and treat the room, either with professional heat (usually one visit) or with EPA-registered insecticides applied two to three times, two weeks apart. Expect it to take two to eight weeks. Home remedies such as essential oils, baking soda and rubbing alcohol don’t end infestations, and bug bombs make them worse.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Confirm It’s Bed Bugs
Bites alone can’t prove it. Find at least one of these: live bugs, pale shed skins, tiny white eggs, black ink-like spots or rusty stains in mattress seams, bed frames and headboards. Catch a bug on clear tape for identification. See what bed bugs look like and what bed bug bites look like.
Step 2: Don’t Spread Them
- Keep sleeping in your bed. Moving to the couch or another room spreads bugs.
- Don’t throw furniture out unwrapped or move items to other rooms.
- Bag items in the infested room before carrying them anywhere.
Step 3: Heat Your Fabrics
Put bedding, clothes, curtains, stuffed toys and shoes in the dryer on high for at least 30 minutes. Keep clean items sealed in bags or bins until treatment is done. Full guide: bed bugs in clothes.
Step 4: Vacuum and Steam
- Vacuum mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, couch seams, baseboards and carpet edges with a crevice tool. Seal and throw out the bag outdoors right away.
- Steam the same places with a dry-vapor steamer, moving slowly, about an inch every few seconds. Steam kills bugs and eggs on contact.
Step 5: Encase and Isolate the Bed
- Zip bed bug-proof encasements on the mattress and box spring and leave them on for a year. See mattress encasements.
- Pull the bed a few inches from the wall, keep bedding off the floor, and put interceptor cups under every leg. See bed bug traps.
Step 6: Treat the Room
| Option | How it works | Visits | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional heat | Room heated to about 135°F to 145°F for hours; kills all stages | Usually 1 | $1 to $3 per sq ft |
| Professional chemical | Several insecticide types applied to cracks, seams and furniture | 2 to 3, two weeks apart | $2 to $5 per sq ft |
| DIY insecticides | EPA-registered bed bug sprays and dusts on cracks and seams, never on bedding you sleep on unless labeled | Repeated | $50 to $200 in products |
Many bed bug populations resist common pyrethroid sprays, so professionals rotate products. If you treat yourself, use only products registered by the EPA for bed bugs and follow the label. Costs and methods: bed bug treatment cost and bed bug heat treatment.
Step 7: Check That They’re Gone
Keep interceptors in place and inspect weekly. No new bites, no catches and no new signs for 6 to 8 weeks after the last treatment means you’re likely clear. See how to know bed bugs are gone.
Home Remedies: What Works and What Doesn’t
| Remedy | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Heat (dryer, steamer, heat chamber) | Works. Kills all stages. |
| Freezing at 0°F for 4+ days | Works for small items. |
| Vacuuming | Removes bugs and eggs; doesn’t prevent return. |
| Food-grade diatomaceous earth | Slow; kills some bugs that crawl through it in cracks. Apply thin, not in piles. |
| Rubbing alcohol | Kills only on direct contact; fire hazard, and the EPA advises against it. See does alcohol kill bed bugs. |
| Essential oils (tea tree, lavender, cedar) | Little effect on infestations. |
| Baking soda, salt, baby powder, black walnut tea, pepper | Don’t work. |
| Bleach, ammonia, Pine-Sol, Lysol | Kill only by direct soaking; unsafe and impractical. |
| Mothballs | Don’t work and are toxic to people and pets. |
| Bug bombs and foggers | Don’t reach hiding bugs and can spread them. See bed bug foggers. |
| Cold weather, leaving the home empty | Bugs survive months without feeding. |
Bed bug DIY kit
- Mattress and box spring encasements trap bugs inside
- Interceptor cups catch and monitor
- Dry-vapor steamer kills bugs and eggs on contact
- Dissolvable laundry bags move bedding safely
- EPA-registered bed bug spray for cracks and seams
- Diatomaceous earth and duster for wall voids and cracks
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FAQs
Professional heat treatment is usually the fastest, often clearing a home in one visit. Combine it with hot-drying bedding and clothes, encasements and interceptors.
A small, early infestation can sometimes be cleared with laundering, vacuuming, steaming, encasements, interceptors and EPA-registered products, but it takes weeks of repeated work. Larger infestations usually need a professional.
Direct steam and high heat kill bed bugs and eggs instantly. Some insecticides kill on contact but miss bugs hiding in cracks.
The cheapest effective approach is hot-drying fabrics, vacuuming, steaming, encasing the mattress and box spring and using interceptors, followed by targeted EPA-registered treatments.
Heat treatment can work in one day. Chemical and DIY approaches usually take two to eight weeks with repeat treatments, plus monitoring for 6 to 8 weeks after.
Sources
- US EPA: Do-it-yourself bed bug control
- University of Minnesota Extension: Bed bug prevention and control
- University of Kentucky Entomology: Bed bugs
Facts in this guide are checked against the sources above and reviewed when they change. See how we research in our editorial policy.
Related guides
- What Attracts Bed Bugs & things they Hate /Dislike Most
- How do Bed Bugs Spread? Are they Contagious? How Fast/Easily from Person, Room or House?
- How to Kill Bed Bugs with Steam: Best Steamers & Guide + Tips
- Where Do Bed Bugs Hide? 12 Places to Check (Bed, Couch, Car & More)
- Bed Bug Bites vs Flea, Mosquito, Spider & Dust Mite Bites (Pictures)
- Bed Bug Interceptor-How it works, DIY & Reviews