Should You Throw Away Your Mattress If You Have Bed Bugs
Finding bed bugs on or around your mattress does not automatically mean the mattress needs replacing.
Bed bugs can hide in mattress seams, but they can also be present in bed frames, headboards, divan bases, bedside furniture, sofas, skirting boards and small cracks around the room.
Throwing away the mattress without treating the rest of the infestation can leave you with an expensive new mattress and the same bed bug problem.
Should You Throw Away Your Mattress If You Have Bed Bugs?
In most situations, no.
A mattress does not become automatically unusable simply because bed bugs have been found on it. Many mattresses can remain in place and be treated as part of an appropriate bed bug control programme.
The more important question is whether the whole infestation has been identified and treated.
Disposing of an infested mattress without precautions can also risk spreading bed bugs while it is being carried through the property, communal areas or outside.
Keep It or Throw It Away?
✓ The Mattress Can Often Stay
Keeping and treating the mattress may be appropriate when:
- It is in generally good condition.
- There are no major tears or structural problems.
- It can be properly inspected and treated.
- The complete infestation is also being addressed.
✕ Disposal May Sometimes Make Sense
Replacement may be considered when:
- The mattress is already badly damaged.
- There are extensive tears or inaccessible areas.
- It is heavily soiled or in poor condition.
- You were already planning to replace it.
- A pest professional recommends disposal for a specific reason.
Why Throwing Away the Mattress May Not Solve Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are extremely good at exploiting narrow, protected hiding places. Mattress seams and piping are only some of the possible harbourages.
Bed bugs may also be present several feet away from the mattress. Removing the mattress could therefore remove only a small part of an established infestation.
Check More Than the Mattress
A proper bed bug inspection should consider the bed and surrounding areas, not just the sleeping surface.
Read our detailed guide to where bed bugs hide during the day .
Could a New Mattress Become Infested?
Yes. This is one of the strongest reasons not to rush into buying a replacement mattress.
If bed bugs remain in the bed frame, headboard, furniture or surrounding room, they can move onto a replacement mattress.
Treat the infestation first. You can then decide whether you still want to replace the mattress.
How to Inspect a Mattress for Bed Bugs
Bed bugs do not normally burrow straight through intact mattress material. Instead, they exploit existing seams, folds, openings and protected areas.
Where to Look
- Mattress seams.
- Piping around the edges.
- Labels and handles.
- Stitching and folds.
- Buttons.
- Existing tears or damage.
What to Look For
- Live bed bugs.
- Dark spotting.
- Cast skins.
- Small pale eggs.
- Young nymphs.
- Blood spotting on bedding.
Use a bright torch and inspect slowly. Young nymphs and eggs can be much harder to notice than adult bed bugs.
If you have only just discovered a suspicious insect, read I Found a Bed Bug in My Bed – What Should I Do?
Don't Forget the Bed Frame and Divan Base
The bed frame can be just as important as the mattress. Bed bugs favour narrow joints and protected gaps where surfaces meet.
Wooden frames can provide screw holes, cracks, slat supports, joining brackets and headboard connections.
Divan bases can contain fabric, timber, staples, feet, drawers and numerous internal gaps. Activity may be hidden underneath fabric coverings or within the structure.
Should You Move the Mattress Into Another Room?
Avoid unnecessarily moving an infested or potentially infested mattress around your home.
Moving mattresses, bedding, furniture and other belongings can transport bed bugs into areas that were previously unaffected.
Similarly, repeatedly changing bedrooms or moving onto a sofa can complicate control and may also move bed bugs on clothing, bedding or possessions.
If professional treatment is being arranged, follow the pest controller's preparation instructions before moving items.
Can a Mattress Encasement Help?
A specialist bed bug mattress encasement can be useful as part of a wider management and monitoring strategy.
It surrounds the mattress and removes many exposed seams and folds that can otherwise make inspection difficult.
However, an encasement should not be treated as a substitute for dealing with an established infestation elsewhere in the room.
Can Bed Bug Heat Treatment Treat a Mattress?
In many cases, yes. During professional heat treatment the mattress normally remains within the treatment area along with the bed frame, furniture and other potential harbourages.
The important factor is not simply how hot the room feels. Temperatures need to be monitored so that relevant harbourages reach sufficient conditions for the required exposure.
When sufficient temperatures reach the insects and are maintained for long enough, heat can kill bed bugs at different stages of their life cycle, including eggs.
Learn more about how bed bug heat treatment works .
Do You Need to Throw Away Bedding or Clothes?
Usually not.
Washable bedding and clothing can often be treated using a suitable method for the fabric. Always check care labels before exposing belongings to elevated washing or drying temperatures.
Where necessary, treated items should be kept separate from potentially untreated belongings to reduce the risk of reintroduction.
How to Dispose of an Infested Mattress Safely
If you do decide that disposal is necessary, take precautions to avoid spreading bed bugs.
Never knowingly sell, donate or give away a mattress or upholstered item that remains infested with bed bugs.
If you buy used furniture yourself, see our guide to signs of bed bugs in second-hand furniture .
What If You've Already Thrown Your Mattress Away?
The important thing is to establish whether bed bugs remain elsewhere in the property.
Inspect the bed frame, headboard, furniture, skirting boards and surrounding areas rather than assuming the infestation disappeared with the mattress.
If treatment has already taken place and you are still concerned about activity, read Still Got Bed Bugs After Treatment?
Professional Bed Bug Treatment Options
If your mattress remains in good condition, replacing it may be an unnecessary expense. The priority is dealing with the infestation rather than simply removing one potential hiding place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I throw away my mattress if I find one bed bug?
No. Finding one bed bug does not automatically mean the mattress needs to be discarded. Inspect the mattress, bed frame and surrounding area for further evidence and determine the extent of the problem.
Can you save a mattress that has bed bugs?
Many mattresses can be treated rather than discarded. Whether a particular mattress should remain depends on its condition and the treatment strategy being used.
Will buying a new mattress get rid of bed bugs?
Not if bed bugs remain elsewhere. Bugs in the frame, headboard, furniture or surrounding room can infest a replacement mattress.
Can bed bug heat treatment treat a mattress?
A mattress can normally remain within an appropriate professional heat-treatment area. Temperature monitoring is used to assess conditions in relevant harbourages rather than relying only on the room's air temperature.
Should I throw away my bed frame as well?
Usually not simply because bed bugs are present. Bed frames can often be included within a treatment programme, although badly damaged furniture may sometimes be replaced for practical reasons.
Can bed bugs infest a brand-new mattress?
Yes. If bed bugs remain elsewhere in the property, they can move onto a new mattress. Replacing the mattress alone does not treat the infestation.
Should You Throw Away Your Mattress If You Have Bed Bugs? – Final Thoughts
In most situations, no.
A mattress is only one of many places where bed bugs may hide. Throwing it away without treating the wider infestation can waste money, risk spreading bed bugs during removal and leave hidden insects behind.
Deal with the infestation first. Then decide whether replacing the mattress is actually necessary.
Found Bed Bugs Around Your Bed?
MothKill provides professional bed bug heat treatment using specialist heating equipment, air circulation and temperature monitoring to treat relevant harbourages throughout the treatment area.
