Bed bugs are hitch-hikers. They arrive in luggage, second-hand furniture, packed mattresses and shared laundry — not from dirt — which is why spotless homes get them too. They feed at night and spend the day hidden within a few feet of where you sleep.
Two things make the difference between a solved problem and a recurring one: treating every harbourage in the room rather than just the mattress, and doing the second round on time.
How to confirm it is bed bugs
- Small rust or dark brown spots along mattress seams, piping and the stitching of the bed base
- Bites in a line or cluster on skin exposed while sleeping — arms, shoulders, ankles
- Pale shed skins and white eggs in screw holes and joints of a wooden cot
- A sweetish, musty smell in a heavily infested room
- Live insects the size of an apple seed in the headboard joint when you shine a torch at night
Every place that has to be treated
The mattress is where you find them, not where they all live. A treatment that skips the rest of the room will fail.
- Mattress seams, both sides, and the box or plywood base beneath it
- Cot joints, screw holes, headboard cavity and the underside of the frame
- Sofa and armchair seams in rooms where people nap
- Skirting, switch plates and the gap behind the bed-side wall
- Curtain hems and the folds of stored bedding in the same room
What the two rounds are for
Insecticide reaches live bugs but not reliably the eggs inside joints and screw holes. Those eggs hatch over the following one to two weeks, so a second visit roughly two weeks after the first is scheduled to kill that generation before it can breed. Skipping it is the most common reason a bed bug job appears to fail.
Expect the room to be vacated for a few hours after each round and bedding to be washed hot and dried thoroughly on the same day.
Stopping a repeat
- Wash and hot-dry all bedding from the affected room on treatment day
- Keep suitcases off the bed and store them away from the bedroom after travel
- Inspect second-hand furniture and mattresses in daylight before bringing them in
- Seal cracked cot joints and screw holes once treatment is finished
- In hostels, PGs and hotels, treat adjacent rooms in the same round
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to throw away the mattress?
In most cases no. A treatable mattress is sprayed along the seams both sides; replacement is only worth it when the fabric is already torn and heavily soiled.
How long before the room can be used again?
Usually a few hours of ventilation after each round. The technician will confirm on site, and bedding should go straight into a hot wash.
Why is a second visit necessary?
Eggs hidden inside joints and screw holes survive the first round and hatch over the next one to two weeks. The second visit clears that generation before it breeds.