When you lie down in bed each night, the last thing you want to think about is bed bugs.

Bed bugs (scientific name cimex lectularius) are small, flat, invasive insects who rely on the blood of sleeping people and animals as their only food source.

These unattractive insects are red-brown in color, and are about 1mm-7mm in length. While they rely on blood to keep them alive, they can go several months between meals.

Since a healthy female bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime, you can wind up with a serious infestation in a matter of just weeks.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs A Step by Step Guide

1. Inspect for bed bugs

Since bed bugs multiply quickly, it’s essential to find them before they start to reproduce. With that in mind, inspect the following areas for signs of bed bugs:

1. The seams of your mattress and box spring. Look for tiny blood stains on your sheets or pillowcases.

2. Cracks between your bed frame and headboard.

3. Between the cushions of your sofa, and along the seams of the cushions.

4. Along the seam of your carpets, where the carpet meets the wall.

5. In the joints of furniture like couches, accent chairs, and futons.

6. Follow the scent of any offensive musty odors in your room or around your bed, which some people say reminds them of “locker room smell.”

7. Use a flashlight and check each area carefully. Look for tiny dark or rust-colored droppings, live bedbugs, or small pale yellow eggs.

8. If you find signs of bedbugs in any of these places, you’ll also want to check your nightstand, dresser drawers, and closet.

2. Contain the bugs

Once you’ve identified an active bed bug infestation, you have to contain it so it doesn’t spread. One quick and easy way to contain live bed bugs is by sucking them up with your vacuum.

Thoroughly vacuum your mattress, the insides of your dresser, the seams and joints of your furniture, your carpets, and any other place you’ve noticed signs of bed bug infestation.

Seal the contents of your vacuum canister in a plastic bag and throw it away.

Wash and dry affected linens, clothing, and other textiles in hot water and on a high-heat setting in your dryer. If you cannot wash and dry an item (a couch cushion, for example), use steam to kill bed bugs instead.

Note: This will not get rid of the bed bug infestation–it will only pick up live bed bugs. If there are eggs left behind, they may still hatch and cause a secondary infestation.

3. Kill the bed bugs

Now it’s time to actually get rid of the bed bugs. Here’s how:

Non-chemical Methods

1. Heat or cold. Temperature is an effective way to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress or other important area. With that in mind, gather affected bedding or clothing and wash it in very hot water for 30 minutes. Once the wash cycle is done, dry the items in your dryer on the highest possible heat setting for at least 30 minutes.

Alternately, put affected items in a freezer that is at least 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave them there for four days to make sure all bed bugs are dead.

2. Steam. To kill bed bugs without an exterminator: Use a steamer on mattresses, couches, and other places where bed bugs hide.

3. Mattress encasement. Purchase bed bug-proof covers to place around your mattress and box spring. When zipped all the way up, these covers will prevent bed bugs from entering, and will kill bed bugs trapped inside. They also form a protective barrier that prevents the bed bugs from biting you while you sleep.

4. Dessicants. Desiccants are substances that kill bugs by destroying their protective coating. Without this coating, the bugs dry out and die. Two popular desiccants are silica aerogel and diatomaceous earth. Bed bugs cannot become resistant to desiccants, and these substances have a high kill rate.

Chemical Methods

1. Insecticides. If non chemical methods don’t appeal to you to get rid of bed bugs, you can turn to insecticides. Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are two common insecticides used to kill bed bugs. As far as pesticides go, these have a relatively low toxicity to pets and people, and are fast-acting and provide residual protection.

They also require a low dose to kill insects. The drawback, however, is that some bed bugs are resistant to these chemicals. In that case, you (or your exterminator) may need to use an alternate insecticide, such as pyrroles like chlorfenapyr, or neonicotinoids, which are synthetic versions of nicotine.

2.Bug bombs. Foggers and bug bombs both kill bed bugs and are good broadcast solutions. They are, however, highly toxic to both people and pets, and will require you to vacate your home while they go to work.

4. Monitor affected areas

Bed bug infestations can take weeks or even months to wipe out.

To make sure your treatment is working, check the infested area once a week for a few months.

If you notice new signs of bedbug activity, treat the area again.