How to get rid of bed bugs?  Bed bugs are nocturnal, hiding during the day and coming out at night.  An adult bedbug is approximately ¼ inch long.  Bed bugs particularly like wood and fabric.  They hide in cracks, crevices, narrow spaces and voids in proximity to where humans sleep or rest such as beds, and bed frames, nightstands, dressers, desks, recliners and sofas.  Heavier infestations spread behind baseboards, in windows, and door casings.  Look for them behind items attached to walls and ceilings, pictures, electrical switch plates, smoke detectors, loose wallpaper, in the pleats of drapes, and the upholstery of furniture.Bed bugs are difficult to eliminate. 

Depending on the bed bug infestation more than one treatment may be necessary in order to exterminate or get rid of bed bugs.  To maximize the bed bug treatment's effectiveness, it is important to prepare in advance.  Residents scheduled for an initial or major bed bug service need to prepare by doing the following:

Strip your beds

• Remove all sheets, blankets, mattress covers, pillowcases, etc. from your beds.
• Wash stripped bed linens in hot water.
• Fold them and place them in plastic garbage bags. Leave bed unmade; do not put them back on the bed until the evening after pest control service.

Remove everything from bedroom and hall closets

• Your closets must be empty. Empty all dresser drawers and night stand drawers. Take everything out of nightstands and other furniture near the beds. Dresser drawers and nightstands must be empty as they will be treated.
• Remove all clothing, toys, boxes, etc. from bedroom floors.
• Place items in the living room.

Wash ALL clothing, towels, and other linens

• This means everything… and place the clean items inside plastic storage bins or plastic garbage bags.
• Store them in the living room until after treatment.

Vacuum

• Vacuum floors, furniture, and inside closets, dresser drawers, and bedstands.
• Also vacuum mattresses and box springs.
• Dispose of vacuum bag.

Provide access for pest control technician

• Make sure the technician can get into all closets.
• If possible, move bedroom furniture away from walls so there is a 3-foot space between the furniture and walls.

Avoid contact with insecticide until dry

• Make sure there are no animals or people in the apartment during treatment and for at least 3 hours afterwards.
• Check with the pest control technician for the exact time.

Additionally, residents should buy “special” bed bug proof mattress covers

• Buy special bed bug proof mattress covers and put them on mattresses and box springs after treatment… allow mattresses to dry completely before covering with mattress covers. The covers trap any bed bugs hidden inside the mattress and box spring so that they can’t come out and bite. They will eventually die. The covers also prevent any new bugs from finding hiding places in mattresses and box springs.

Do NOT wash floor for 2-3 weeks

• Floors may be vacuumed but not washed, as you will wash away the residual that is intended to kill the young that will hatch in approximately 7-10 days.

NOTE:  Properly designed encasements completely cover and seal the mattress and the box spring and trap bed bugs inside. The bed bugs are then unable to feed and will eventually starve. In addition, once the beds are protected, other bed bugs cannot get into the mattress or box spring. They can only get on the surface of the encasement where they are easy to spot and remove. Not all encasements will protect against bed bugs. The encasements must be both bed bug “bite proof” and “escape proof.” Low-cost encasements may be ineffective.

Choose an encasement specifically designed for bed bugs, or a quality encasement designed for people with allergies to dust mites, and expect to pay significantly more. Some encasements claim to be “bite proof’ and “escape proof” based on laboratory testing with bed bugs. Some of these were designed specifically for bed bug protection with special seams and zippers. Other encasements touted for bed bugs were designed for allergy protection, but subsequent testing has shown them to be effective against bed bugs.  

NOTE:  It’s not uncommon to be bitten following treatment.  You need to give the treatment time to work - at least 7-10 days.