If you decided to do a simple, quick search on bed bugs, it would probably make you want to throw away your mattress and sheets. Understanding how to remove bed bugs from your mattress is pretty important, especially if you suspect you may have some in your home.
Even if you frequently wash your bedding and keep your room tidy, those little creatures might still manage to get inside.
In this article, we will discuss what bed bugs are and include specific instructions on how to get rid of them from your mattress.
What Are Bed Bugs
Before getting into how to remove bed bugs from your mattress, we have to mention what they are. Bed bugs are brownish-red, tiny, but easily noticeable, oval-shaped bugs that feed on human blood.
They are wingless, can move quickly, and usually feed at night and hide during the day. They typically form groups and hide in places where they can have access to you during the night. Bed bugs are difficult to spot right away because of their size and their hiding places
They can hide underneath your mattress, in your bed frame, under carpets, and even in wall cracks in your home. It doesn’t matter how clean your home is; human presence is what attracts them to your house.
The main concern is that they feed on your blood, leaving several itchy marks on your body. Also, female bed bugs can lay hundreds of eggs in their lifetime, so there can be so many in such a short time. So, you must get rid of bed bugs as soon as possible.
How To Remove Bed Bugs From Your Mattress
1. Find The Infested Area
If you think you may have bed bugs in your mattress, you have to start locating their hiding spots before any female bugs start laying eggs. You need to remove the sheets from the mattress and look for tiny brownish-red bugs, droppings, or even tiny blood spots.
Also, pay close attention to cracks and crevices, as bed bugs are small and can hide in hard-to-reach areas. Although it is pretty common for those bugs to infest places near your bed, they can settle anywhere with shelter and access to humans and pets to feed off.
2. Wash and Vacuum
Next, you need to wash your sheets, pillows, pillowcases, blankets, mattresses and anything else you can think of that might have some bed bugs hiding in. Make sure to put those items in a trash bag, not a laundry basket, because they might move to other places in your home easily.
It’s best to use hot water when washing the bedding items for 30 minutes if you can, and then throw the trash bag outside of your home when you’re done. Once you’ve removed and started washing the bedding, make sure to vacuum your mattress and the area around your bed.
Also, when you start vacuuming, make sure to use the hose of the vacuum instead of the brush, because sometimes bugs can hide in the bristles.
Check out our guide on how to clean your mattress.
3. Prep The Area
When you're 100% sure everything is vacuumed, you then need to minimize the number of places where the bugs can hide. Remember that bed bugs can hide in the tiniest places, so you need to take the bed frame apart and clean it thoroughly.
Also, throw any piles of clothes surrounding the mattress in the washing machine, and make sure to use hot water if you can. Keep an eye out for any cracks in the walls, bed frame, or floor, and seal them with caulk to prevent bed bugs from using them as hiding spots.
As you move things around and put things away, make sure not to unintentionally move the bugs to another area.
4. Eliminate Bed Bugs
If you have a steamer at home, you can use it to kill any bed bugs left on or inside the mattress without using chemicals. Put it on 150 degrees or higher, but if you don’t have a steamer at home, we have another method for you.
You can spray your mattress, but before you do that, you need to make sure your room has good ventilation and open the windows. The easiest way to kill bed bugs without harming your mattress is to use an aerosol spray and use it as instructed.
You will find this spray specifically made to be used on mattresses and other furniture. There are other insecticides such as pyrroles, neonicotinoids, desiccants, and plant-based products you can use.
These sprays will kill the bed bugs right away, we recommend getting out of the room and leaving the windows open for an hour before returning. Don’t forget to keep your pets out of the room too for a couple of hours.
How To Prevent Future Bed Bug Infestations
It can take months to completely eliminate bed bugs from your home. To fully prevent having bed bugs in your mattress, you need to keep checking every couple of days and redo the process if you find any.
Try to frequently vacuum and wash your mattress sheets, and don’t forget to clean your bed frame every now and then. If you decide to buy a new mattress, clean your bed frame thoroughly to prevent bed bugs from getting on it.
Conclusion
Bed bugs are tiny, pesky insects that are hard to spot, and they can hide in several places, mainly your mattress or its surroundings, to feed on your blood at night. They can’t spread diseases or anything like that, but you will find itchy, red bites all over your body if your mattress is infested.
The good news is that you can prevent bed bugs from infesting your mattress or being in your home. There are several sprays you can use to kill them for good, but you need to follow the instructions provided and leave the room for a while.
You can wash your items with hot water and steam your mattress. And don’t forget to keep checking if there are any bed bugs left every few days.
FAQs
Can Bed Bugs Spread To Other People?
No, they cannot travel from one human to another directly, but they can travel on clothes or items. That is the only method of transferring bed bugs to other people unintentionally.
How Can I Know If I Have Bed Bugs?
You’ll know for sure that you have bed bugs when you see blood stains on your bedding; this will be the result of crushed bed bugs. If you find unexplained red, itchy bites on your body, this will be confirmation that you have bed bugs, and you’ll also smell a musty odor near your bed.
What Does a Bed Bug’s Bite Look Like?
A bed bug’s bite looks like a mosquito's bite and will typically form a curve-shaped pattern with up to four bites that are very itchy and may form small blisters on top. Bed Bugs feed during the night, so you’ll find those marks once you’re up.
Dom Abraham
As the lead content writer at Sleepiverse. Dom pours his heart into writing mattress reviews, bedding product reviews, and medically-reviewed health articles. Dom is from Portugal and likes to spend his free time writing on the beach as it gives him a sense of comfort. Aside from writing mattress reviews in front of the soothing beach view, Dom likes to experiment with new amazing food ideas.