Short answer: start with heat and cold on everything washable. Wash bedding and clothes at 60C and tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes. Bag what you cannot wash and put it in the freezer for 2 to 3 weeks (NHS, Bedbugs). Then add a labelled insecticide for the bed frame and cracks, and sticky traps to see whether the numbers fall. The NHS is clear that these home steps are “unlikely to get rid of bedbugs completely”. Its first advice is to “contact your local council or pest control service” (NHS). So treat DIY as a serious first round, and set yourself a point where you call in help.
Bed bugs are small, flat and very good at hide and seek. They don’t care how clean your flat is. They care about one thing: a warm sleeper who stays still all night. This plan matches each method to the job it does, so you spend your weekend on steps that count.
First, confirm what you are fighting
Before you buy anything, make sure it is bed bugs. The NHS warns that bedbugs “can be hard to find and may be resistant to some insecticides” (NHS). A spray on the wrong insect is money down the drain.
Sticky monitoring traps help here. Place them by the bed legs and along the headboard side of the room. If bed bugs walk into them, you have your answer, and you also have a baseline to compare with after treatment.
Which method for which stage
“Stage” here means two things. The first is the life stage of the insect (eggs, young nymphs, adults). The second is the stage of your problem (first signs, settled in, spreading). Each method covers some of that, never all of it.
| Method | What it does well | Where it fits | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot wash and hot dryer | Treats bedding, clothes, curtains, soft toys | Day one, every time | Only for items that survive a 60C wash; 30 min minimum in the dryer (NHS) |
| Freezer | Treats small items you cannot wash | Books, shoes, small bags | 2 to 3 weeks in a sealed plastic bag (NHS); useless for a mattress |
| Insecticide spray | Contact treatment for frames, slats, cracks, skirting | After the wash, on hiding places | Resistance is possible (NHS); follow the label on where you may spray |
| Insecticide powder | Thin layer in cracks and voids where a spray cannot reach | Gaps behind skirting, bed frame joints | Only products sold as bed bug biocides; keep away from bedding, children and pets as the label says |
| Steam | Flushes and treats seams, tufts, frame joints | Mattress seams, sofa seams | Slow work, item by item; read your steamer’s manual for fabrics |
| Mattress and box spring covers | Seal the mattress so nothing gets in or out | After treating the mattress | They contain, they don’t kill; leave them on |
| Sticky traps | Show you if bed bugs are present and if numbers fall | Before, during and after | They monitor, they do not cure |
Look at the table again. The hot wash and the freezer are the only methods with clear numbers from a health authority, and no line says “solves it”.
Step by step: one DIY round (two to three weeks)
- Strip the bed. Put bedding, pillowcases and nearby clothes straight into sealed bags in the bedroom, then carry the bags to the machine. Don’t shake things out on the way.
- Hot wash and dry. Wash at 60C, then tumble dry on hot for at least 30 minutes (NHS).
- Freeze the small stuff. Bag what cannot be washed and freeze it for 2 to 3 weeks (NHS).
- Vacuum. Go slowly along mattress seams, the bed frame, skirting boards and under the bed. Empty the vacuum into a sealed bag and put it in the outside bin.
- Steam the seams. Work along mattress seams and sofa seams, a small section at a time.
- Treat hiding places with a labelled product. Spray or dust the frame, slats, joints and cracks, following the label exactly. Never treat the surface you sleep on unless the label says you may.
- Cover the mattress. Fit a zipped cover once the mattress is treated and dry.
- Monitor. Put sticky traps back by the bed legs and check them every few days.
- Repeat. One round rarely reaches every hiding place, so plan a second round of steps 4 to 6. The label of your product tells you if and when a repeat application is allowed.
Products we list for bed bugs
Our pest control product ranking currently lists two bed bug products. Prices come from the retailer pages on the day they were recorded, so check the live listing before you buy. Scores are ours, out of 10.
| Product | Type | Price | Our score | Role in the plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compo Bed Bug Catcher Glue Traps, 4 Pack | Glue trap with attractant, insecticide-free (4 pieces), indoor | €11.49 | 6.5/10 | Confirm the problem, then check that treatment worked |
| 7Pets Bed Bug Spray 400 ml | Spray (400 ml), killing, indoor only | €12.89 | 5.5/10 | Contact treatment for frames and cracks, alongside the steps above |
The traps score higher because they do their one job well: they tell you the truth. The spray scores lower for a simple reason. A spray alone rarely ends an infestation, so it only earns its place inside a full plan with monitoring and repeat treatments.
A word on the name “glue traps”. The Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 bans glue traps for rodents in England (legislation.gov.uk). These insect monitors are not made for rodents. Still, the Act covers any glue trap set in England. It is also an offence to set one “in a manner which gives rise to a risk that a rodent will become caught” in it. So use them indoors as the label says, in spots where a mouse or rat cannot get stuck.
EU biocide rules, in plain words
A biocide is a product made to kill or repel a living pest, such as an insecticide spray or powder. In the EU, these products fall under the Biocidal Products Regulation, Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 (EUR-Lex). For you, at home, this has three practical effects:
- The label is the rulebook. It says what the product is for, where you may use it and how often. Using it any other way is outside its authorisation.
- Not every biocide may be sold to the public. Strong anticoagulant rat poisons are one example. A 2023 study in the Journal of Pest Science explains that those above 30 ppm are classified as toxic to reproduction. Under Article 19(4) of the regulation, they cannot be used by the general public (Journal of Pest Science). The regulation text confirms the Article 19(4) rule for products toxic for reproduction category 1A or 1B (point (b)). The 30 ppm threshold comes from the study, a secondary source. Pest controllers work under rules of their own.
- Store every product in its original pack, closed, and out of reach of children and pets.
UK difference: Great Britain applies its own version of the regulation, known as GB BPR (HSE consultation hub). So a product on a UK shelf may differ from one in France or Germany. Read the label of the product you use.
Safety first: children, pets and your skin
- Keep children and pets out of the room while you spray or dust, and until the label says it is safe to return.
- Never mix two insecticides, and never use an outdoor product indoors.
- Don’t put powder or spray on bedding, pillows or children’s mattresses unless the label clearly allows it.
- Wash your hands after any treatment.
For the bites themselves, see the NHS page on bedbugs or ask a pharmacist.
When DIY stops working
Give your plan a fair chance, then be honest with yourself. Call your local council or a pest control service, as the NHS advises (NHS), if:
- your sticky traps still catch bed bugs after two full rounds of treatment;
- you find signs in a second room, or in a sofa as well as the bed;
- you live in a flat or shared building, where neighbours may need treating too;
- you rent: tell your landlord or housing provider early, before the problem spreads;
- someone in the home reacts badly to bites, or you cannot keep children and pets away from treated areas.
Calling a professional is the step the NHS puts first, so there is no shame in skipping straight to it.
FAQ
Can you get rid of bed bugs yourself?
The NHS says home steps are “unlikely to get rid of bedbugs completely”. Its first advice is to contact your local council or pest control service. Treat DIY as a first round, with a clear point where you call in help.
What temperature should you wash bedding at for bed bugs?
The NHS says to wash bedding and clothes on a hot wash (60C). Then tumble dry them on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes.
How long should you freeze items that cannot be washed?
Put them in a plastic bag and into the freezer for 2 to 3 weeks, as the NHS advises.
Why does a bed bug spray sometimes fail?
The NHS warns that bedbugs “can be hard to find and may be resistant to some insecticides”. A spray works best inside a full plan, with washing, vacuuming, monitoring and a second round.
The short version
Wash hot, freeze small, vacuum slowly, treat the hiding places by the label, cover the mattress and watch the traps. If the traps still fill up after two rounds, the bed bugs have outlasted your weekend plans. It’s time to bring in someone with a bigger toolbox. For the other pests on our list, our product ranking sorts the options by job.
The Pest Extermination team
