To get rid of bed bugs in your mattress, encase it in a bed-bug-rated cover after vacuuming and steaming the seams, and treat the frame and box spring too rather than throwing the mattress out. Encasement traps any survivors and removes the seams bugs hide in, so most mattresses can be saved.
Key Takeaways
- Encase the mattress — a rated cover traps bugs inside and eliminates seam hiding spots.
- Vacuum then steam — clear and heat-kill bugs and eggs along every seam and tuft.
- Don’t toss it needlessly — encasement usually saves the mattress and your money.
- Treat the frame too — box springs and bed frames harbor as many bugs as the mattress.
- Isolate with interceptors — cups under the legs cut the bed off from the rest of the room.
Should you throw out an infested mattress?
Usually not. Tossing a mattress is expensive, and a new one can be re-infested within days if the rest of the bed and room are not treated, so it often solves nothing. The better move is to clean and treat the mattress and then seal it. A discarded mattress also has to be wrapped and clearly marked so no one drags it home, which is extra hassle for no real gain in most cases.
Replacement makes sense only when a mattress is heavily infested, badly stained, or already worn out. Even then, you must treat the frame, box spring, and room first, or the new mattress is at risk immediately.
How do you treat the mattress itself?
Start by vacuuming every seam, tuft, fold, and the piping around the edges with a crevice tool. This pulls out live bugs, eggs, and shed skins. Empty the vacuum into a sealed bag and put it in an outdoor bin right away. Vacuuming will not get everything, so it is the opening move, not the whole treatment.
Next, apply steam to the seams and surface. Steam delivers lethal heat that kills bugs and eggs the vacuum missed, reaching into the seams where they cluster. Move the steamer head slowly so the heat penetrates rather than skimming. The EPA’s do-it-yourself control page describes combining mechanical removal with heat like this.
Then encase the mattress in a quality, bed-bug-rated cover. A good encasement seals any survivors inside, where they cannot bite or escape and will eventually die, and it smooths away the seams that gave them shelter. Leave the cover on for at least a year, since trapped bugs can survive a long time without feeding. Options are compared in best bed bug mattress covers.
Why must you treat the frame and box spring?
The mattress is only half the bed. Box springs are hollow and full of fabric, staples, and wood, which makes them prime harborage, often worse than the mattress. Bed frames offer cracks at every joint. Encase the box spring along with the mattress, and treat the frame by vacuuming, steaming, and working a labeled desiccant dust into joints and cracks.
Finally, isolate the bed. Place interceptor cups under each leg so bugs cannot climb up from the floor, and pull the bed away from walls and other furniture so the only path to you is through the traps. This containment, paired with the full plan in how to get rid of bed bugs, turns the bed into a defended island while you finish clearing the room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will encasing the mattress kill the bed bugs inside?
It traps them so they cannot feed or escape, and over time they die. A bed-bug-rated encasement also removes the seams bugs use, so any that survive on the outside have nowhere to hide. Keep the cover on for at least a year to outlast trapped bugs, which can live a long time without a blood meal.
Can I just spray the mattress with insecticide?
Sprays are a weak standalone option here. Many do not kill eggs, pyrethroid resistance is common, and you also want to limit chemical contact with a surface you sleep on. Vacuuming, steam, and encasement are safer and more effective for the mattress, with any labeled product reserved for cracks and the frame.
Do I need to treat the box spring separately?
Yes. Box springs often harbor more bugs than the mattress because of their hollow interior and fabric layers. Vacuum and steam it, then encase it just like the mattress. Skipping the box spring leaves a major refuge intact and can undo the rest of your work.
How long until the mattress is safe to sleep on?
Once you have vacuumed, steamed, and encased it, you can use the bed right away with interceptors in place. The encasement keeps any trapped bugs away from you. Continue monitoring for several weeks, since eggs elsewhere in the room may still hatch and need follow-up treatment.