Everything to Know: How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Fast

Why Speed Matters Regarding How to Get Rid of Bed Bug Fast

Bed bugs are notorious for their ability to spread rapidly, multiply quietly, and ruin a good night’s sleep. Knowing how to get rid of bed bugs fast is essential for preserving your home, your health, and your sanity. Time is not on your side when these pests invade.

They typically hide in mattresses, bed frames, and small crevices, making it challenging to locate them all at once. If you’re wondering how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, it requires a combination of cleaning, encasing, and professional-grade solutions.

What makes bed bugs even more difficult to eliminate is their resilience and reproduction rate. That’s why learning how to get rid of bed bugs permanently is more than just treating visible signs—it’s about breaking their life cycle.

Native Pest Management says, “A single pregnant bed bug can lead to a full infestation in just a couple of months.”

In this guide, we’ll explore step-by-step solutions, both DIY and professional, that teach you how to get rid of bed bugs fast and keep them from coming back for good.

Identifying a Bed Bug Infestation

The first step in learning how to get rid of bed bugs fast is correctly identifying the problem.

Bed bugs are tiny, oval-shaped insects that feed on human blood, usually at night. Their bites often appear in straight lines or clusters on exposed skin.

Look for signs like small blood stains on sheets, dark spots (excrement), or shed skins around mattress seams and headboards.

Knowing how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress starts with locating the bugs and their eggs.

Because bed bugs hide so effectively, it’s easy to mistake them for fleas or carpet beetles.

Misidentification can lead to ineffective treatments, which is a major setback if you’re trying to figure out how to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Use a flashlight and magnifying glass to inspect furniture, crevices, baseboards, and of course, your mattress. Accurate identification ensures you’ll take the right action.

Check out this article from WebMD for more information regarding how to identify and treat bed bug infestations. 

Isolating the Infested Area

Once you confirm an infestation, the next step in how to get rid of bed bugs fast is isolating the area. Close off the room if possible and avoid moving items that may carry bugs to other parts of the house.

Remove clutter, launder bedding in hot water, and dry it on the highest heat setting.

This is a crucial part of learning how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, as heat is lethal to these pests at all life stages.

Place infested clothing or soft materials in sealed plastic bags until they can be cleaned.

Avoid moving furniture or linens from the room—they could spread bed bugs further and make it harder to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Vacuum floors, bed frames, baseboards, and the mattress itself, disposing of the vacuum bag immediately in a sealed trash bag.

Mattress Treatment Techniques

To understand how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, focus on comprehensive treatment. Start by vacuuming all surfaces, especially seams and corners. Follow up with a handheld steamer to reach deep into the fabric and kill eggs.

Apply a bed bug spray labeled safe for mattresses.

After drying, encase the mattress and box spring in a zippered bed bug-proof encasement for at least a year to trap any surviving bugs.

This process is central to how to get rid of bed bugs fast. Mattresses are the primary hiding spots and skipping this step will render other efforts ineffective.

By treating the mattress thoroughly and using encasements, you're taking a significant step toward how to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Steam Cleaning and Heat Treatments

Steam and heat are two of the most powerful allies in bed bug eradication. Heat kills bugs and their eggs instantly at 120°F or higher, making it essential in strategies for how to get rid of bed bugs fast.

Use a steamer on your mattress, headboard, couch, curtains, and baseboards. Steam penetrates fabrics and cracks where bed bugs hide.

Professional heat treatments involve heating an entire room to lethal temperatures. If you’re serious about how to get rid of bed bugs permanently, hiring a company for this service is highly effective.

These treatments also help address how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, as heat penetrates deeply without damaging materials.

Chemical Treatments and Insecticides

For those looking to learn how to get rid of bed bugs fast with over-the-counter or professional insecticides, it’s critical to choose EPA-approved formulas labeled for bed bugs. These products can be used in cracks, baseboards, and behind wall outlets.

For how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, use only products that specifically say they are mattress-safe. Always follow the label instructions, and use protective gear if necessary.

Chemical sprays can reach areas that steam or vacuums miss. However, repeated applications may be needed to fully eliminate all bugs and their eggs.

For how to get rid of bed bugs permanently, integrate chemical treatments with steam, encasements, and consistent monitoring.

Vacuuming and Disposal

Vacuuming is one of the easiest first steps when researching how to get rid of bed bugs fast. Focus on baseboards, cracks, the bed frame, and all sides of the mattress.

Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and a crevice tool to reach tight areas. When considering how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, pay close attention to seams, tags, and the space between the mattress and box spring.

After vacuuming, immediately place the vacuum contents in a sealed plastic bag and discard it outside to prevent re-infestation.

Vacuuming alone won’t help you get rid of bed bugs permanently, but it is a powerful support strategy when combined with heat and chemicals.

Laundry and Fabric Treatment

Washing and drying on high heat is one of the easiest ways to kill bed bugs. This is essential in every guide on how to get rid of bed bugs fast.

Remove bedding, clothes, curtains, and washable items from the affected room.

Bag them tightly to avoid spreading bed bugs, especially if you're targeting how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress environment.

Use the highest heat settings your fabrics can handle. Bed bugs die at 120°F, so drying is just as important as washing.

To get rid of bed bugs permanently, continue to wash bedding weekly and store extra linens in sealed containers or plastic bags.

Mattress Encasements

Bed bug-proof mattress encasements trap bugs inside and prevent new ones from settling in. If you're serious about how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, investing in an encasement is essential.

These zippered covers are designed to be bite-proof and escape-proof. Once installed, leave them on for at least a year to ensure any trapped bugs die off.

Encasements won’t eliminate an infestation on their own, but they’re a vital part of the process in how to get rid of bed bugs fast.

Combined with regular inspections, mattress covers contribute significantly to how to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Treating Furniture and Baseboards

Bed bugs don’t only live in mattresses—they infest couches, chairs, nightstands, and even behind wall hangings. So learning how to get rid of bed bugs fast means expanding your focus.

Use a flashlight and apply steam or residual sprays to couch seams, drawers, and under furniture. In treating your home, never forget how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress as your starting point.

Disassemble furniture if possible to treat inner cracks and joints. If something is beyond saving, dispose of it responsibly and mark it as “bed bug infested.”

Thorough, multi-surface treatment is the only way to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Monitoring with Bed Bug Interceptors

Bed bug interceptors are small traps placed under bed and furniture legs. They trap bugs climbing up or down, helping you identify active populations while exploring how to get rid of bed bugs fast.

These traps provide passive monitoring and help assess whether treatments are working. For example, if no bugs are found in interceptors around your bed, it's a good sign that your mattress is improving.

Use interceptors under every bed leg, and inspect them weekly. Pair this tactic with your mattress strategy to reinforce how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress.

They are affordable, chemical-free, and critical in your long-term plan for how to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Preventing Reinfestation

Preventative habits are your best bet once you’ve managed how to get rid of bed bugs fast. That includes keeping suitcases off beds, inspecting secondhand furniture, and sealing cracks.

To maintain how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, avoid storing dirty clothes on or near the bed and continue vacuuming weekly.

Traveling? Always inspect hotel mattresses, headboards, and nightstands. Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers and commonly enter your home through luggage.

Following a strict prevention protocol is necessary if you’re determined to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Knowing When to Call a Pro

Sometimes DIY just doesn’t cut it. If you’re not making progress and need to know how to get rid of bed bugs fast, it’s time to call a pest control expert.

Professionals have access to heat treatments, fumigation, and commercial chemicals that are far more effective than retail options.

They also provide inspections and follow-up treatments—ideal if you’ve already tackled how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress but still see signs of infestation.

A good exterminator will also help create a strategy for how to get rid of bed bugs permanently through ongoing monitoring and integrated pest management.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A major mistake people make while learning how to get rid of bed bugs fast is only treating the bed. This allows bugs hiding in baseboards, dressers, and carpets to survive.

Another issue is not treating the mattress correctly. If you don’t fully understand how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, you could leave eggs and nymphs behind.

Using ineffective DIY sprays or skipping follow-ups are also pitfalls. Getting rid of bed bugs permanently takes time and consistency.

Avoid spreading bugs by moving infested furniture or failing to isolate affected areas early.

Long-Term Success Strategies

You’ve done the hard part—now it’s time to maintain it. Vacuum regularly, steam clean periodically, and inspect furniture seasonally to know how to get rid of bed bugs fast if they reappear.

Continue to check mattress encasements and use interceptors under bed legs. If you're still thinking about how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress, remember it may take multiple treatments.

Replacing your mattress? Only do so after the infestation is fully gone, or you’ll just reinfest a brand-new bed.

Persistence and vigilance are what it takes to get rid of bed bugs permanently.

Use Liquid Death Solutions to Get the Job Done Right

Don’t let bed bugs rob you of sleep and peace of mind. If you’re still wondering how to get rid of bed bugs fast, Liquid Death Solutions offers powerful, easy-to-use pest control kits designed for DIY warriors.

Our products help you take back control—safely and effectively. 

Ready to kill bed bugs for good? Shop Liquid Death Solutions products and start your path to a pest-free home today.