How do I get rid of bed bugs?

Regardless of the size of the infestation, you should take precautions to avoid spreading it and contact a professional pest control company (PCO) to guide you through which measures you should take.

PCOs should view the situation as one requiring strict containment, and act accordingly. Thus it is important that things stay where they are until a PCO inspects.

To kill bed bugs and their eggs in your clothing, you should bring it, in tightly closed plastic bags to the laundry room and wash it at over 140°F (60°C) or dry it (drying tumbler!) for an extended period of time at 140°F (60°C).

Things/clothes that cannot stand this high temperature should be frozen at -0.4°F (-18°C). Two hours direct exposure to -0.4°F (-18°C) kills all bed bug stages, but for 2.2 lbs (2.5 kg) of clothing in a bag it takes at least 10-12 hours to kill off all stages.

While your living space is being treated it is important that you stay and sleep there, so that bed bugs exposed to your exhale (CO₂) start to move around and thus may be exposed to residual treatments or captured in traps.