How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs In A Mattress? 6 Ways Explained!

It’s dark in the night. The only sound you can hear in your room is of that ticking clock – tick, tick, tick! But you can feel something slowly coming at you. You know it’s coming to suck your blood.

No! We’re not talking about vampires. As the headline said, it’s the bed bugs. Killing them with hands isn’t anything hard. But when you think about how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress for good, the difficulty level goes directly to a whole other level.

But that’s only when you’ve got no clue about how to pull the job off. Well, it’s time to ease the job up.

Bed Bugs: The History and Nature

Bed bugs or Cimex lectularius are sustaining in this world for more than thousands of years. So, it’s kind of tough not seeing one in a lifetime. Though it isn’t hard seeing one online just by hitting the search button, for your ease, we’d say they can be of any color like red-brown or mahogany.

Just because they’ve got the name ‘bed bug,’ don’t think that’s the only place where you can find them. They can literally hide anywhere in your house, and that includes your switchboard, kitchen, living room, etc. It might sound unbelievable, but they’ve been found in prosthetic legs as well.

With a 5mm length and the thickness of a paper, these little ‘hassles’ can simply chase you down even if you’re in a place 30 meters high from the ground. But do you know the scariest part? A single colony of bed bugs can contain 3500 of them. Yup, you’ve heard it right – 3500!

Though they can survive on the blood of mammals and insects, it seems humans are their favorite food source. Doesn’t sound like a piece of good news, does it? But what’s good is, unlike some of the insects, they’re unable to jump or fly. So, they won’t scare the hell out of you like a flying cockroach, at least.

16 Major Places Bed Bugs Reside in Your House

The only thing you can be thankful for is that, unlike dust mites, not every house is a living place of bed bugs. But once they get in, it can be a hell of a job to get rid of them. Still, no matter whatever you do, don’t think about letting them live in your house for long.

Now, the question is, where are you going to find them in your house. Well, often, the following places have been perfect for them to bury their root.

1. Mattress and Bedding

As their name itself says where they can possibly be, your mattress and bedding are going to be or have the most chance of being their hotspot. The reason is kind of clear as they want to be in a place closer to their food source, which is you.

2. Carpets and Cracks

Their next favorite spot can be any place that you’ll find hard to reach, like under the carpets and cracks. That’s because these places are what you don’t often check out or clean. So, these spots are kind of secured for them, too, and it’s on you to decide whether you want to keep it that way or not.

3. Couches and Chairs

Any place that you feel comfortable while sitting or lying can turn into the perfect nest for the red devils. That includes the seams of couches and chairs too. Even they can reside between the cushions with ease in case you forget to notice, of course.

4. Folds of Curtains

We don’t know how many times you check them out, but yes, they can slip in the folds of your curtains too. They can’t survive at high temperatures. The curtain folds are among those places that the heat of the sun doesn’t reach directly, which clearly makes it a good place for them.

5. Drawer Joints

When was the last time you’ve checked the joints of your drawers? Don’t panic, it’s nothing impossible that a pile of bed bugs can be there too.

6. Electronic Appliance

No other places probably can be more secure than this for bed bugs. Most of the electronic appliances come with vents for air circulation. And obviously, you don’t open up those electronic appliances very often. So, they easily get in there.

7. Wall Hangings and Wallpapers

Don’t forget to count the wall hangings and wallpapers in too. After all, these places are also among those that you don’t frequently check out.

8. How Do They Get In?

You might be thinking – “why should I care? I keep my house nice and clean after all.” But to be honest, not always a dirty house is the main reason why bed bugs count it as the best place to hang out. There are other ways of their transportation to your home, too, like –

9. Clothing

It might sound hard to swallow, but a piece of clothing you were wearing outside can carry bed bugs in your house too. So, clearly, no matter whatever you or anyone else is wearing can work as a ride for them. They can jump into your clothes from any place like hotels, schools, hospitals, etc.

10. Second-Hand Stuff

More or less, we all have a fascination with having old things as they make us feel a bit nostalgic at times. Moreover, with time it’s possible to get better value out of them. But bringing in any other things like second-hand furniture or painting can lead you to bed bug infestations.

11. Through Walls

If you’re living in an apartment and your neighbor has them, they can slip in your one too through the walls. So, not every time it’s going to be your fault. After all, you haven’t made those walls, did you?

12. Public Transport

Public transports are usually the subject of least maintenance. So, they’ve turned into an ideal place for bed bugs too. And when you’re getting into one of them, there’s a chance that they can reach your home with you too.

13. Bed Bugs: The Signs

Nothing comes without a sign. And for bed bugs? They’re clear as a day if you know how to recognize them. So, rather than assuming if you’ve got the new guests or not, you can simply look for the following signs.

13. Stains

The first and most common sign you need to look for to be sure about the existence of bed bugs in your house is stains, and they’ll be rusty or reddish. These kinds of stains take place when someone intentionally or accidentally crushes a bed bug.

14. Black Dots

When you start seeing black dots in different places of your mattress, or any other spots, then there’s a chance that you’ve just got attacked by bed bugs. These spots are mainly bed-bug excrement.

15. Eggs and Eggshells

Bed bugs are good at increasing their number, which obviously they’re going to do through laying eggs. Seeing these eggs and eggshells works as a sign of their existence as well. The size of them will be around 1 mm. Another sign you’ll see is the pale-yellow skins they shed while growing up.

16. Live Bed Bugs

What can be a clearer sign than this? So, when you see one or a bunch of them roaming around, you can get ready to take the initiative to wipe them out.

6 Way To Get Rid of Bed Bugs in a Mattress: Step By Step

We know you want to have a sound sleep at night. But we don’t see a way of that happening when a pile of bed bugs has decided to rule your mattress. So, the only way left is to get rid of them. But these red devils can be much tougher than you think when it comes to wiping them out.

Well, not if you have got a clear idea about how to do that. Don’t worry; that’s what you’re about to get.

• Step – 1: Removing Sheets and Covers

First of all, take off the sheet, pillowcases, and all the other removable covers on your mattress. Right after that, put them directly into the garbage bag. That’s because if you carry them openly to the washing machine, there’s a chance that you might contaminate other stuff as well on the way.

Then, put them into the washing machine and give all of them a wash. Don’t forget to use hot water as bed bugs can easily survive cold water. So, it’s better to drown them in the water at a high temperature. And, of course, the detergent you’ll be using has to be formulated to kill bed bugs.

• Step – 2: Vacuuming

The next thing you need to do is take out the pillow. Then pick up your vacuum machine and go for a thorough vacuuming on your mattress. Use the hose attachment for a better result. Don’t miss the seams, indentations, and crevices, as these are the favorite places for the bed bugs to reside and hide.

Once you’re done with the vacuuming, take the cleaner bag outside. Don’t take cleaning the vacuum container lightly, as bed bugs can hide there too.

• Step – 3: Put on the Encasement

It’s time to take an encasement, a bed-bug-proof one, and put the mattress in there. As these mattress protectors are made in a way where it covers the entire mattress, there will be no way out for the bed bugs no matter how hard they try. Even the zipper is literally impenetrable for them.

Make sure that you’re keeping it on for a year at least. This way, you can be sure of the death of all the bed bugs within, along with their eggs. The suggested period of time is one year because, for a bed bug, it’s possible to sustain even for months without having any food.

• Step – 4: Checking the Joints

Now, check out the headboard and bed frame. If you see any of the bed bugs there, kill them immediately. But when you’re using pesticide spray to do that, make sure you’re following the usage instructions properly after reading the level thoroughly, of course.

That’s because not every pesticide is made to be applied directly as it can turn fatal under certain circumstances. If you want to avoid that hazardous aspect, ensure that you’re not missing even a single instruction.

• Step – 5: Isolating the Bed

The next thing you need to do is isolate your bed. Don’t worry; we’re not saying that you’ll have to drag it to a separate room. You just have to keep it a bit distant from the wall. Next, you’ll have to put the bed-bug interceptor-cups under all its feet.

Those cups have to be filled partially with insecticide so that if any bed bug tries to get back to the mattress, they die under the effect of the insecticide. And you can’t let anything be on the mattress that connects the bed and the floor, except feet, of course, not even a wide blanket or bed skirt.

• Step – 6: Vacuuming The Floor

You don’t want the bed bugs to return, do you? If so, then make sure you’re vacuuming the floor properly without missing any spot. Keep your eyes open and detect if there’s any other place where bed bugs have made their nest.

It’s better to do this at periodic intervals as there can be recently-laid eggs around that can retrieve the infestation.

Final Words

Maybe bed bugs are among all the insects that make you feel more ‘yuck-ish.’ If so, then trust us, you’re not the only one. But feeling that way won’t get them out of your house, right?

So, it seems you’ve got no choice but to know how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress as that’s the place you’re more vulnerable to them. After all, you can’t fight them in your sleep, can you?

So, the best way to ensure a happy sleep from now on is following the instructions above, and you’ll have a bed-bug-free mattress in no time.

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