bedbugs are smart tough and they reproduce quickly finding these tiny bugs needs attention and dedication because they know where to hide to avoid detection they can live for months between meals these bloodsuckers can wreak havoc in your home if they get into bed with you they can leave red itchy welts all over your body and give you discomfort the good news is you can get rid of bedbugs patience is key removing bed bugs often takes some time and effort you may have to try a few different chemical and non chemical approaches especially to get rid of a large infestation step 1 identify all infested areas it s much easier and cheaper to treat a small infestation than a big one find it early before it begins to reproduce a healthy female can lay 500 eggs in her lifetime it is harder to detect small infestations search for bedbugs yourself or hire a professional to do an inspection some inspectors use specially trained dogs to hunt down bedbugs by scent bed bugs can squeeze into tiny spots like the seams of a mattress or couch and the folds of curtains because of their small and narrow bodies also look for them in places like these near the tags of the mattress and box springin cracks in the bed frame and headboardin baseboardsbetween couch cushionsin furniture jointsinside electrical outletsunder loose wallpaperunderneath paintings and posters on the wallsin the seam where the wallpaper and ceiling meet use a flashlight and magnifying glass to go over all of these areas you can spot bed bugs by these signs live bedbugs which are reddish and about half a centimeter longdark spots about the size of a period these are bed bug droppingsreddish stains on your mattress from crushed bugssmall pale yellow eggs eggshells and yellowish skins that young bedbugs shed step 2 contain the infestation now that you ve identified the areas that these tiny monsters are living in you need to keep them contained so you can get rid of them asap a quick and easy way to trap bed bugs is with your vacuum run the vacuum over any possible hiding places these include your beddressercarpetselectronics like tvs seal up the vacuumed contents into a plastic bag and throw it away then thoroughly clean out the vacuum it is imperative to seal up all your linens and affected clothes in plastic bags until you wash them then put them on the highest possible temperature setting in the washer and dryer anything that can t be treated in the washer and dryer rather throw it in a plastic bag leave it there for a few months if possible to make sure all the bugs die if you can t clean furniture throw it away tear it up first and paint the words bedbugs on it so that no one else tries to take it home step 3 home cleaning methods you can first try to remove bed bugs without chemicals these bugs are pretty easy to kill with high heat 46 c or intense cold less than 0 c here are a few ways to treat bedbugs using these methods wash bedding and clothes in hot water for 30 minutes then put them in a dryer on the highest heat setting for 30 minutes use a steamer on mattresses couches and other places where bed bugs hide pack up infested items in black bags and leave them outside on a hot day 95 degrees or in a closed car it can take two to five months to kill sealed up bugs in cooler temperatures put bags containing bedbugs in the freezer at 17 c use a thermometer to check the temperature you can leave them in there for at least four days once you ve cleaned all visible bedbugs make the area inhospitable for their friends place bedbug proof covers over your mattress and box spring zip these covers up all the way bugs trapped inside will die and new bugs won t get in if these methods don t wipe out all the bugs you may need to try an insecticide