Can You Vacuum Bed Bugs Out of a Mattress?

If you have bed bugs, you may wonder if you can just vacuum them away. 

Vacuums are a great tool to help you control your bed bug infestation, and they work particularly well to get bed bugs out of mattresses. Yet, vacuuming will rarely get rid of an entire bed bug colony by itself. Thus, you should combine vacuuming with other bed bug treatments. 

Will a Vacuum Get Bed Bugs Out of a Mattress? 

A vacuum can definitely help get bed bugs out of a mattress. 

So, if you see bed bugs on your mattress or the surrounding area, you should go ahead and suck them up in the vacuum cleaner. 

But, it is doubtful that you will get all the bed bugs out of a mattress with a vacuum cleaner because the insects may hide deep in the mattress if there are any holes in the fabric. 

Therefore, you should combine vacuuming with another form of bed bug control. 

How to Get Bed Bugs Out of a Mattress With a Vacuum Cleaner

First off, you should make sure you use the suction tool on your vacuum because it is more effective at removing bed bugs than the broad part at the bottom. 

Then, make your way to your mattress and gently press the suction device onto any bed bug or bed bug eggs you see. 

And when doing this, be careful not to push too hard on your mattress, or the insects or their eggs may fall off without you noticing. 

Also, if you are going to move the vacuum into another room to clean up more bed bugs, you should cover the suction nozzle to ensure no insects fall out in transit. 

Will Bed Bugs Die When I Suck Them Up?

No, neither bed bugs nor their eggs will die when you suck them up in a vacuum. 

Thus, you need to be careful about disposing of the bed bugs and their eggs after you finish cleaning. 

If your vacuum has a bag, you can just remove it and seal it with tape to keep the bed bugs from escaping. 

Then, throw the sealed bag in the trash. 

If your vacuum doesn’t have a bag, you need to carefully transfer the contents of your vacuum into a sealable plastic bag. 

Make sure you shut the bag all the way so that no bed bugs can get out, and then throw the bag away. 

You should also wash the inside of the vacuum tank with hot, soapy water to kill any remaining insects or eggs. 

Will Bed Bugs Get Inside My Mattress?

Bed bugs may get inside my mattress. 

But, they can only get in your mattress if it has a hole because bed bugs have no way to chew through fabric or any other material. 

Yet, remember that bed bugs are pretty small and are flat when hungry, so they can get through tiny holes that you may not even notice. 

How to Kill Bed Bugs Inside a Mattress

There are a few ways to kill bed bugs that have gotten inside your mattress, but by far, the easiest way is to buy a mattress encasement. 

With a mattress encasement, all you need to do is put it around your mattress and zip it up. 

Any bed bugs that get trapped inside won’t be able to leave and will die. 

Are Mattress Encasements Expensive?

How much you will pay for a mattress encasement depends on its quality and the size of your bed. 

However, for the most part, you can expect to spend $50 to $100 on one.  

Should I Vacuum the Floors Too? 

If you have bed bugs, you should go ahead and vacuum the floors as well as your mattress. 

You should also look for other spots where bed bugs like to hide out, such as along the baseboards of walls and bed frames. 

Basically, you should vacuum all around your bed, especially in the dark areas where your bed meets the wall. 

These secluded spots are where bed bugs typically like to hide and lay their eggs. 

You should also inspect other areas of the room for signs of bed bugs, especially other pieces of furniture and inside drawers. 

How Often Should I Vacuum for Bed Bugs?

Ideally, you should vacuum once a day, every day, until your bed bug problem is gone. 

You need to vacuum often because bed bugs are notoriously sneaky, so continuous vacuuming will help you get rid of as many bed bugs as possible. 

Are There Other Ways to Get Bed Bugs Off a Mattress?

If you have bed bugs on or inside your mattress, there are other options for eliminating them besides vacuuming and encasements. 

For one, many people with bed bugs also spray their mattresses with bed bug sprays. 

If you do this, though, make sure you read all the instructions on the bottle to prevent adverse health effects on you, your family, and your pets. 

The other most popular bed bug remedy is to have a heat treatment performed by a professional. 

Overall, this option is the one most people prefer because it will treat the whole room or even the entire house if you wish. 

Basically, in a heat treatment, a professional pest expert heats your home to at least 120°F (49°C) for several hours. 

They also ensure that the entire house reaches the appropriate temperature so that the bed bugs have no place to hide from the heat. 

And since bed bugs can not withstand high temperatures, a heat treatment should kill all the bed bugs and bed bug eggs in your home. 

Conclusion 

Vacuuming every day will definitely help you manage your bed bug infestation. 

Yet, vacuuming alone will probably not get rid of all the bed bugs in your home, so you should pair this treatment with another option.