DIY Bed Bug Control: What Works and What Doesn't

You’ve just discovered bed bugs in your house. What do you do? Extreme measures are probably the first things that come to mind, but before you throw away everything, torch your mattress, or put up a For Sale sign, you should probably consider a more level-headed approach. Although bed bugs are not a fun infestation to deal with by any stretch of the imagination, there are ways to eliminate them successfully. Find out what works and what doesn’t with Lindsey Pest Services’ DIY bed bug control guide.

Understanding Your Bed Bug Problem

There are a few things you should understand about bed bugs because there is a lot of misinformation about these tiny pests. The first thing to know, which will offer a little peace of mind, is that bed bugs do not spread diseases. If you have an infestation, you certainly don’t want to allow it to remain, but at least you can rest assured that you won’t contract an illness from these biting pests.

Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends. A bed bug infestation is bad news because of how quickly they multiply, how easily they hide, and how difficult it is to eliminate them. Often, when you realize you have a bed bug problem, it has already grown and spread, moving beyond the mattress and bedframe. 

Bed bugs have also built up a tolerance to many pesticides over the years, making it even more difficult to eliminate them.

Common DIY Bed Bug Treatments That Don’t Work

Tossing or Torching Your Mattress

You might be tempted to throw away (or set fire to) your mattress when you discover bed bugs, but it won’t solve your problem. First of all, bed bugs don’t only live in beds. You might eliminate some bed bugs in your house by disposing of the mattress, but it won’t take care of the bugs that have found other hiding spots. 

If you get rid of your mattress one way or another, you’ll have to buy a new one. Not only is this costly, but it will probably also result in the new mattress becoming infested. Now you’ve spent hundreds of dollars for absolutely no reason.

Using Space Heaters or Hair Dryers

You’ve probably heard about bed bug heat treatments. These treatments heat a space to a specific temperature unsustainable for bed bugs, effectively killing them. With this knowledge, you might think you’ve found the DIY solution you’ve been looking for. If you have a space heater or a hair dryer, why not fire them up in the area where you’ve seen bed bugs and get rid of them yourself? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.

Heat treatments are surprisingly precise treatments that require special equipment and know-how. A space has to reach at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit and remain at that temperature for a set period. The temperature has to be consistent throughout the entire space; otherwise, the bed bugs will simply move to a cooler area. Space heaters and hair dryers cannot heat a whole room evenly.

Furthermore, using space heaters and hair dryers in this way is dangerous. Simply attempting a DIY heat treatment poses a significant fire risk.

Foggers and Bug Bombs

Foggers and bug bombs are popular DIY products for pests like bed bugs or fleas, but they don’t usually work as well as advertised. The major issue with foggers and bug bombs is that they typically drive bed bugs deeper into wall voids or other areas where they can hide out of danger. The problem hasn’t gone away, but instead has become even harder to treat because they’ve found spaces where they can be further out of reach.

Foggers and bug bombs can also be dangerous if used incorrectly. They can put your family’s health at risk.

DIY Chemical Sprays

Like foggers and bug bombs, incorrect usage of a DIY chemical spray can harm your family’s health. These products are easily misused and expose your home to toxic chemicals. 

DIY chemical sprays also don’t work very well. They’re usually not strong enough to effectively eliminate an infestation, often because the bed bugs have already developed a resistance to the product. You might see a reduction in bed bugs for a few weeks, but the infestation will soon return in full force. 

DIY Methods That Can Help as Part of a Larger Plan

Vacuuming

Vacuuming your house will not eliminate a bed bug infestation, but it can be an effective tool alongside professional bed bug control. Vacuuming will help get rid of bed bugs that you can see and remove the remains of bed bugs that professional treatments have eliminated. You must be sure to discard your vacuum bag immediately after, and not indoors. 

Mattress Encasements

Mattress encasements are an important part of a comprehensive bed bug control solution. They help prevent bed bugs from hiding around the seams, tufts, and other parts of the mattress. However, this alone will not eliminate your bed bug infestation since bed bugs hide in other areas.

Washing and Drying Bedding at High Heat

Washing and drying your bedding on high heat will eliminate the bed bugs on your sheets and blankets. However, it will not eliminate the bed bugs anywhere else in your house. Combined with professional bed bug control, washing and drying bedding on the highest heat setting the fabric can handle can help ensure full bed bug elimination.

Decluttering

It’s a myth that bed bugs prefer cluttered spaces, so you’re not more likely to end up with a bed bug infestation if you have a lot of clutter in your house. However, eliminating clutter does a couple of things. First, it reduces hiding spots, making identifying an infestation in its earliest stages easier. Second, it makes treatments more effective sooner since there are fewer things to work around.

Why Professional Bed Bug Control Works

Professional bed bug control is different from DIY methods. Highly trained and licensed pest control pros understand bed bug behavior and habits and use effective bed bug extermination methods to address the entire infestation. They also have access to tools and materials unavailable as over-the-counter remedies.

At Lindsey Pest Services, we start with a thorough inspection to confirm whether bed bugs are present. If we find them, we’ll provide a free estimate and walk you through the preparation steps before treatment.

Our team uses a customized approach that combines:

• Steam treatments that penetrate fabrics, cracks, and crevices where bed bugs hide.

• Targeted applications along walls, baseboards, and flooring edges.

• On-site heat chambers for heavily infested furniture, reaching lethal temperatures for bed bugs.

By combining these methods, we eliminate bed bugs in all life stages and give you the best chance of a lasting solution.

Don’t Waste Time – Get Real Relief

If you find bed bugs in your home, the best time to act is immediately. The longer you wait, the worse the infestation can become and the harder it is to treat. Instead of turning to DIY methods that will cost you time and money, trust Lindsey Pest Services!

Serving Greater Jacksonville and Florida’s First Coast, our local, woman-owned pest control company is here to help you sleep soundly again. Are you ready to take your home back from bed bugs? Contact Lindsey Pest Services today for fast, effective bed bug control.