How to check your home for bed bugs and what to do next

Check the bed first

Start your search at the bed, since that is where most bed bugs live. About 85% turn up in or near the bed, and about 15% hide in other furniture. Most hiding spots sit within 6 feet of where people sleep (UC IPM).

Bed bugs feed at night and spend the day in dark cracks. They like wood, paper, and fabric more than metal or plastic, so give wood and cloth the most time (UC IPM).

Think small. If a crack can hold a credit card, it can hide a bed bug (EPA).

Know what you are looking for

Adult bed bugs are about 1/5 inch long and have no wings. You can see adults and young bugs with your eyes alone. Eggs are only 1/20 inch, so you need a hand lens to spot them (UC IPM).

Look for small spots too. Bed bug droppings leave marks that tend to be reddish brown or dark brown to black. A musty smell can also point to a problem (UC IPM, CDC).

Don't judge by bites

Bites make a poor sign of bed bugs. Some people don't react to them at all, and marks can take up to 14 days to show. Even when marks appear, telling a bed bug bite from other bug bites is hard or impossible (EPA, CDC, UC IPM).

The good news is that no one has shown bed bugs spread human disease. They do cause skin irritation and lost sleep (UC IPM, CDC).

Use traps and dogs to help you search

Interceptors beat your eyes. They trapped six times more bugs than visual searches did (UC IPM).

Trained dogs can help too. They scored very well in lab studies, but their accuracy in the field varies a lot (UC IPM).

Why a quick check pays off

A small problem costs less to treat than a big one. The catch is that low-level problems are hard to find, so look closely even if you only suspect bugs. A clean home doesn't rule them out, either (EPA, CDC).

Call a pro first

If you find bed bugs, hire a licensed pro with bed bug experience. Getting rid of them is hard but not impossible. Insecticides alone won't clear them, and the best pesticides go only to commercial applicators (UC IPM, EPA).

Skip foggers and other over-the-counter bed bug products. Tests have shown foggers don't work and may cause harm. No one knows how well the other store products work in real homes (UC IPM).

Steps you can take at home

Wash bedding and clothes in 120°F water. Give them at least 10 to 15 minutes in the dryer. Watch your laundry bins too, since bugs and eggs can hide there (UC IPM, EPA).

Cover the mattress with the Utopia Bedding bedbug-proof encasement. Lab research shows these covers work, and bugs trapped inside starve. Leave the cover on for one year (UC IPM, EPA).

Vacuum often. It removes bugs and eggs, but one pass rarely gets them all. A steam cleaner can kill bed bugs at every life stage (UC IPM).

Heat works, but home freezing is iffy

Bed bugs die when their bodies reach 113°F, but a room has to run even hotter to hold that heat. Turning up the thermostat or using space heaters won't work (EPA, EPA).

Pros heat rooms to 140°F for two hours, or to 130°F for three hours. That kills most bed bugs and eggs (UC IPM).

Cold can kill bed bugs too, if it gets cold enough for long enough. Home freezers may not get that cold, so freezing items yourself may not solve the problem (EPA).

After treatment

Check for bugs every day after treatment. Cut clutter and keep vacuuming on a regular basis (UC IPM).