A careful inspection takes about 20 minutes and tells you whether you have a problem worth treating. You'll need a strong flashlight, a credit card or old plastic card, and a small ziplock bag for samples.
Start with the bed
Strip the bed completely. Examine the mattress seams, tufts, and piping along all four edges. Flip the mattress and check the underside. Lift the mattress off the box spring and inspect every seam, corner, and the underside of the wood frame. Bed bugs love the staples and gauze underside of a box spring.
Headboard and frame
Use the card to scrape along screw holes, cracks, and joints. Look behind the headboard if it's wall-mounted — this is one of the most common hiding places professionals find.
Nightstands and dressers
Empty drawers and inspect the runners, joints, and the underside of each drawer. Bed bugs gather in screw holes and where two pieces of wood meet.
Soft furniture
Inspect couches, recliners, and reading chairs near the bed. Pull cushions and check all seams, the underside of the frame, and inside any tears or zippers.
Walls and surroundings
Check baseboards, the edges of carpet, behind picture frames, inside electrical outlet covers (turn off the breaker first), and along the top edge of wallpaper. In heavier infestations bed bugs spread up the walls and across the ceiling line.
Luggage and bags
Anything that travels with you is suspect. Inspect zippers, internal seams, and small pockets.
What to do if you find something
Capture a sample in your ziplock for ID, do not start spraying. DIY products often scatter bed bugs into new hiding places, making treatment harder. Contact Sleep Tight Pest Control for a free inspection and we'll confirm what you have.
Ready for a free inspection?
Sleep Tight Pest Control offers same-day inspections and a written guarantee across Chicago and the suburbs.