You may have said “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” at least a few times in your life without thinking much of it, but spoiler: bed bugs are a real thing. According to the CDC, bed bugs are “small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep.”
It’s easy to see why you wouldn’t sleep soundly with these pests around. Bad news first: bed bugs can be found all over the country, even in fancy hotels sometimes, and they can travel with you by hitchhiking in the folds of your clothes or luggage. They’re small and tend to stay hidden so they’re not always easy to spot. But there’s good news, too: bed bugs are annoying but they’re not known to spread disease. And it is possible to get rid of them, so don’t toss out all your bedding just yet.
How to tell if you have mattress bed bugs
Bed bugs are very small (1-7mm), oval, reddish-brown bugs. They may be more brown or more red depending on whether they have recently eaten, says Bailey Carson, a Home Care Expert at Angi. When they’re not feeding, bed bugs can hide in the smallest of places — near the seams of a mattress or in the cracks of a bed frame (but can sometimes even hide up to 20 feet away).
If you think you may have a bed bug problem, Carson says there are a few signs to look out for:
- Seeing them with your eyes: The surest way to know if bed bugs have invited themselves to your bedroom is if you see one crawling across your sheets or mattress. (There are other small insects though, so make sure you have bed bugs and not some other intruder.)
- Waking up with bites: Bed bug bites are red and itchy with a clear center. They may result in a mild burning sensation, and they’re likely to appear on areas of your skin that are exposed while you sleep.
- Finding blood on your sheets: After feeding, bed bugs tend to bleed, so finding blood on your sheets can be a second sign you have a problem, says Carson.
- Finding exoskeletons on your sheets: Like many other bugs, bed bugs molt and leave behind an exoskeleton. Since they shed this layer five times before reaching adulthood, spotting exoskeletons scattered about may be a sign of infestation.
- Finding bed bug excrement on your sheets: Bed bug excrement tends to show up in small groupings, and will appear as dark or rusty spots on your mattress, sheets, or pillows, and is about the size of a marker spot.
How do you get rid of mattress bed bugs?
As soon as you realize you have a bed bug problem, target everything that could be a bed bug hiding spot. Wash and dry all your sheets, pillowcases, curtains, and other linens at the hottest temperature they can handle. Then vacuum and steam clean your mattress and pillows, as well as any fabric headboard/footboards or bed frames.
And don’t just stop at your bed. “Get to steaming any other upholstered furniture in the room and throughout your home. While bed bugs can’t fly, they are very good at finding sneaky ways to travel on walls, floors, ceilings, or even you or your pets,” says Carson.
Hilife Steamer for Clothes Steamer
$29.99
For anything that’s not machine-washable, either throw them in the dryer on hot for 30 minutes, or if they’re not dryer-friendly, put them into plastic bags and freeze them for at least four days to kill off any bugs or eggs .
When in doubt, bring in a pro. If your infestation is small and relatively contained, talk to a pro about the best DIY options to try first, which could be to use an extermination kit or a “fogger bomb,” or for non-chemical options, buy or rent a steamer. If your bed bug problem is larger than you can tackle at home, or you want to fully exterminate the bed bugs, you can hire pros to use heat or thermal treatment, fumigation, chemicals and pesticides, steam, or even sniffing dogs.
McCulloch Heavy Duty Steam Cleaner
$149.99
How do you prevent bed bugs in the future?
Whether you’ve had bed bugs before, or don’t ever want to get them, there are a few preventative measures you can take. First of all, regularly clean your linens, vacuum frequently, and use a mattress cover. Carson also recommends covering your power outlets with baby-proof covers. “Outlets are a secret hideaway for bed bugs that also help them travel throughout your home, so it’s helpful to cover them up, especially if you’re already dealing with an infestation,” she says. Inspect your furniture on a routine basis to make sure you catch any possible infestations sooner rather than later.
And if you needed another excuse to KonMari your home, keeping your home decluttered can help prevent bed bugs, as well as other pests, from becoming unwanted, non-rent paying roommates. Clutter creates potential hiding spots for bugs, says Carson, so go through your things and only keep what you use regularly or what sparks joy (bed bugs definitely do not spark joy). If you’re putting things away into storage, use plastic bins or containers with lids that can prevent bugs from getting in.
Finally, if you’re traveling, regardless if it’s near or far, check the beds and furniture wherever you go. And wash everything you packed as soon as you get home, even if you didn’t wear it on your trip (we’re looking at you, five backup outfits for a weekend getaway).
Bed bug mattress covers
Getting a zippered cover for your mattress and box springs is a good way to prevent future bed bug infestations. They can also keep any bed bugs from getting away, but note, you’ll have to keep the covers on for about a year before all the trapped bugs die off, says Carson.
When picking out a mattress cover, look for a secure, sealed zipper so there is no way for any beds to get in or out, says Carson. And if you have a box spring, make sure to get a cover for that in addition to a mattress cover, since bed bugs can make their way into both.
Utopia Bedding Zippered Mattress Encasement
Utopia Bedding Zippered Mattress Encasement
Utopia Bedding
amazon.com
$21.99
Linenspa Mattress Protector
Linenspa Pillow Protector
$17.99
SafeRest Zippered Mattress Protector
SafeRest Zippered Mattress Protector
$57.87
Plush Deluxe Premium Bamboo Mattress Protector
Plush Deluxe Premium Bamboo Mattress Protector
$39.99
Linenspa Waterproof Proof Box Spring Encasement
Linenspa Waterproof Proof Box Spring Encasement Blocks Out Liquid
$24.99