How to Prevent Bed Bugs in Your Apartment: A Practical Checklist for Renters

TL;DR

• Pull the bed a few inches away from the wall and keep bedding off the floor, so bed bugs have no easy way up.
• Reduce clutter, vacuum under and behind beds, and seal cracks along baseboards. In a rental, ask your landlord before doing more than small caulking jobs.
• Check your bed regularly with a bright flashlight for dark spots, shed skins and live or dead bugs. Don't wait for bites: the US EPA notes that some people do not react at all.
• Watch what comes through your door. Never take a mattress or sofa from a curb, and be very cautious with second-hand items (Health Canada).
• Products that protect or monitor your bed work: mattress encasements and bed leg interceptors. Spraying a clean apartment is unlikely to keep bed bugs out, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension calls foggers mostly ineffective; essential oils and diatomaceous earth have not been shown to prevent them either.
• Need help? Get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.

Preventing bed bugs in an apartment starts with an uncomfortable fact: you control what comes through your own door, but not what your neighbours carry up the stairs. A spotless unit can still pick up bed bugs from a second-hand couch dragged past in the hallway, or through a gap around the pipes you share with the unit next door.

So prevention in a building rests on habits and early detection more than on any product. It works best once you know which shared routes bed bugs actually use to reach a new unit.

Why Are Apartments at Higher Risk for Bed Bugs?

Apartments are at higher risk for bed bugs because many people and their belongings move through the same building, and bed bugs can travel between units. Purdue University Extension describes multi-family housing as "at high risk for bed bug infestations", and UC IPM lists furnished apartments among the places most at risk. Knowing why helps you focus your prevention on what matters.

Constant Move-Ins

Constant move-ins are the main reason. People and their belongings frequently move into apartment buildings, according to Purdue, and bed bugs are likely to become a problem wherever used beds, couches and other furniture move from one apartment to another. Every new tenant, every delivery and every second-hand couch carried up the stairs is a chance for a few bed bugs to arrive.

Shared Walls Between Units

Shared walls let an established infestation spread. Bed bugs can move by crawling through cracks and openings in walls and ceilings (Purdue), and Health Canada advises checking entry points on walls you share with neighbours, including openings for pipes and wires. If you suspect the problem is next door, our guide on whether bed bugs can travel between apartments explains what to do.

Infestations Nobody Notices

Infestations nobody notices are what let bed bugs spread through a building. In a Rutgers University study of low-income apartments, nearly half of the infested apartments had residents who were unaware of the bed bugs. About 30 percent of people do not react to bites at all (University of Kentucky), and in people who do react, Health Canada says bites can take as long as 14 days to appear. This is why regular checks and monitoring matter more than waiting for bites.

Clean Apartments Get Bed Bugs Too

Clean apartments get bed bugs too. The City of Montreal notes that bed bugs can be found in all types of homes, "whether clean or unsanitary", and the University of Kentucky says there is often no relationship between bed bugs and cleanliness, because they feed only on blood. A tidy unit is easier to inspect, but it is not protected on its own. Read more in can you get bed bugs if your house is clean.

How to Prevent Bed Bugs in Your Apartment Every Day

Preventing bed bugs in your apartment day to day comes down to fewer hiding places, a bed they cannot easily reach, and regular checks. These habits come from Health Canada, HealthLink BC and university extension guides, and most of them cost nothing.

Reduce Clutter

Reducing clutter removes hiding spots. Health Canada's first prevention tip is "Get rid of clutter", and Purdue lists clothes, boxes, papers and general household items as the clutter to clear, especially around the bed. Fewer piles also make it much easier to spot a bed bug early. For the general prevention basics that apply to any home, see our guide on how to prevent bed bugs.

Vacuum Often

Vacuuming often picks up stray bed bugs before they settle. Health Canada advises vacuuming "under and behind beds", and HealthLink BC adds under and behind all bedroom furniture, mattresses and box springs, and under lamps and items on nightstands. Empty the vacuum or throw out the bag in a sealed garbage bag right after.

Move the Bed Away From the Wall

Moving the bed away from the wall turns it into an island. The University of Kentucky advises pulling the bed away from walls, and Purdue says to keep furniture, especially beds, away from walls. Bed bugs cannot fly or jump (Health Canada), so a bed that touches nothing but the floor through its legs is much harder for them to reach.

Keep Bedding Off the Floor

Keeping bedding off the floor removes the bridge bed bugs would climb. Do not let dust ruffles, bed skirts or blankets hang down to the floor (University of Kentucky, Penn State Extension), and tuck in sheets and blankets so they do not touch the floor or walls (Purdue). Avoid storing bags, shoes or boxes under the bed.

Seal Cracks Along Baseboards

Sealing cracks along baseboards closes hiding places and the gaps bed bugs use to move between rooms and units. Health Canada recommends sealing cracks and crevices on wooden bed frames, between baseboards and in walls, and checking openings on walls you share with neighbours. In a rental, ask your landlord before doing more than small caulking jobs.

Tighten Loose Electrical Faceplates

Tightening loose electrical faceplates closes a common route into wall voids. Health Canada and HealthLink BC both list loose faceplates on outlets and light switches, along with peeling wallpaper, as spots to repair. If a faceplate on a shared wall is loose or missing, report it to your landlord or building maintenance.

Check Your Bed Regularly

Checking your bed regularly is how you catch bed bugs while the problem is small. Adults are about the size of an apple seed (5 to 7 mm, according to the US EPA), and Health Canada advises looking on, under and beside beds, couches and upholstered furniture. Use a bright flashlight and look for:

• Small black or dark spots on sheets and along mattress seams
• Live or dead bed bugs and their pale shed skins
• Bugs in mattress seams, zippers, cushion tufts and behind the headboard
• Activity near the bed: baseboards, outlets, picture frames and nightstands

Hiding spots are usually within 6 feet (about 2 metres) of where people sleep or rest (UC IPM). Our guide to where bed bugs hide shows the full list.

How Do You Keep Bed Bugs From Coming In With Your Belongings?

Bed bugs usually enter an apartment on things people carry in, so checking what comes through your door is the most effective prevention step. Health Canada notes that bed bugs are easily moved from room to room on infested objects, and the same is true from building to building.

Second-Hand Furniture

Second-hand furniture is one of the highest-risk items you can bring home. Health Canada says to be very cautious with second-hand or refurbished items, HealthLink BC adds: "Do not rely on the word of the store owner or seller", and NC State Extension advises inspecting used furniture before accepting it. Inspect every seam, joint and cushion for dark spots and shed skins before it goes inside. Bring second-hand clothes home in sealed plastic bags and wash them right away in hot water.

Curbside Mattresses

Curbside mattresses and sofas are not worth the risk. Health Canada's advice is direct: "Never take a mattress or sofa from a curb." In apartment buildings, furniture left in hallways, garbage rooms or by the dumpster may have come out of an infested unit.

New Mattress Delivery

New mattress deliveries can bring bed bugs too. Health Canada points out that new mattresses are often delivered in the same truck that carries away old ones, and advises insisting that your new mattress be sealed before it is delivered. Check it again before it comes into your unit.

Travel

Travel is a classic way to bring bed bugs home. In a hotel, Health Canada advises inspecting the mattress corners and headboard first, and keeping your luggage off the bed, ideally on a tile floor or a checked luggage stand. When you get home:

1. Check your luggage on a hard surface before bringing it into your unit.
2. Wash all clothing and fabric items in hot water, worn or not.
3. Dry non-washable items in the dryer on the highest heat, usually for about 30 minutes.
4. Vacuum your luggage and throw out the bag in a sealed garbage bag.

Shared Laundry Rooms

Shared laundry rooms are where your clean clothes meet everyone else's. Health Canada's laundromat tips apply well to a building laundry room:

• Carry laundry in a light-coloured plastic basket, which is easy to inspect, rather than a cloth bag.
• Do not set the basket on the floor or near seating and garbage cans.
• Check the folding table before you put clean laundry on it, or fold at home.

Moving Day

Moving day is a high-risk moment for bed bugs, whether you are moving in or helping someone else. Health Canada advises checking items before they go into your vehicle and checking your vehicle after helping a friend move. Before you sign a lease, look at the mattress area, baseboards and outlets of the empty unit and ask the landlord about past treatments. Our guide on how to avoid bringing bed bugs when moving covers packing and unpacking.

Which Bed Bug Prevention Products Work in an Apartment?

The bed bug prevention products that work in an apartment protect or monitor your bed; products that promise to repel bed bugs do little. Two products are worth buying. The rest are mostly a waste of money.

Mattress Encasements

Mattress encasements are zippered covers that seal the mattress and box spring, so no bed bug can hide inside the seams and any already inside are trapped. Health Canada calls it good practice to keep the mattress enclosed for a full year. The University of Kentucky points out their limit: encasements alone may not stop bed bugs from crawling onto the bed and biting, so combine them with a bed pulled away from the wall and interceptors.

Bed Leg Interceptors

Bed leg interceptors are small plastic dishes placed under each bed leg that can catch bed bugs climbing up or down; they crawl or fall in and often cannot escape (University of Kentucky). Health Canada describes them as a way to detect bed bugs. In the Rutgers apartment study, interceptors detected more infestations than brief visual inspections. Purdue suggests checking them every 7 to 10 days. For a renter, they are the cheapest early warning system available.

Bed Bug Sprays

Bed bug sprays are treatment products, not prevention. Spraying a clean unit does not keep bed bugs out, and UC IPM notes that some bed bug populations are resistant to pyrethroid insecticides. If you ever use one, choose a product registered by Health Canada (look for the PCP registration number on the label) and follow the label exactly. Our review of the best bed bug sprays explains what to look for.

Essential Oils

Essential oils do not reliably repel or prevent bed bugs. In a Rutgers lab study of natural bed bug products, only two received top ratings, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and they may work best when sprayed directly on bed bugs. The researchers said effectiveness is probably much lower in real homes, where bed bugs hide in cracks that sprays do not reach.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is often sold as a safe bed bug deterrent, but the University of Kentucky says it "is messy to apply and will seldom help much". Spreading powder around your floors is not a prevention strategy.

Foggers

Foggers, or bug bombs, should never be used against bed bugs. The University of Kentucky calls them ineffective and potentially dangerous, and Purdue notes that the fog does not reach where bed bugs hide and can be a fire hazard near pilot lights; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension also calls foggers mostly ineffective. The University of Kentucky also warns against using rubbing alcohol for the same fire risk.

Bed Bug Prevention in an Apartment Building: Who Does What?

Bed bug prevention in an apartment building works only when tenants report early and landlords inspect and act building-wide. Purdue Extension calls education "the most valuable asset for keeping bed bugs out of apartments", for tenants and property managers alike.

Report Signs Right Away

Reporting signs right away is the single most useful thing a tenant can do. Quebec, Manitoba and BC tenant resources generally tell tenants to inform the landlord immediately, ideally in writing, and the City of Montreal asks tenants not to try to resolve the problem on their own. Delays let bed bugs reach the units next door. If you already have bed bugs, read what to do about bed bugs in your apartment; you can also get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form if you need a licensed professional.

Cooperate With Inspections

Cooperating with inspections keeps the whole building protected. According to Purdue, the tenant's role typically includes cooperating with management, reporting signs and following preparation guidelines. In Ontario, a landlord can generally enter for a pest inspection or treatment with written notice 24 hours in advance, according to the City of Ottawa's summary of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. Letting the inspector into your unit, even if you have seen nothing, helps catch infestations nobody has noticed yet.

Landlord Prevention Plan

A landlord prevention plan turns bed bug control from a reaction into a routine. Purdue recommends that property managers encourage tenants to report bed bugs, keep a log book of sightings, respond quickly to complaints with an inspection and run education programs. A landlord who charges tenants for treatment risks the opposite: a Virginia Tech bed bug plan for apartments notes it can cause tenants to stop reporting infestations.

Building-Wide Inspections

Building-wide inspections stop a problem in one unit from becoming a problem everywhere. Purdue says that in multi-family buildings, all apartments and rooms often need to be inspected and treated if bed bugs are found, along with common areas, offices and storage rooms. Infested furniture should ideally be wrapped in plastic, sealed and marked so no one takes it home.

Ottawa's Pest Management By-law

Ottawa's Rental Housing Property Management By-law (No. 2020-255) generally makes prevention a written obligation. Landlords must keep an integrated pest management plan for each rental property, with a schedule of preventive inspections, prevention information for tenants, a reporting process and a standing treatment plan for bed bugs. They may also have to re-inspect treated areas after treatment. Tenants, in turn, must report infestations and follow the landlord's treatment plan.

Ontario Rules

Ontario rules generally require a residential complex to be kept reasonably free of rodents, vermin and insects, and openings in the building to be screened or sealed against pests, according to the City of Ottawa's summary of the provincial regulation. Tenants generally have to promptly notify the landlord of a pest problem and prepare their unit for treatment. Rules in other provinces differ; to understand who covers the bill, see who is responsible for paying for bed bug extermination, and for everything else about these pests, visit our bed bug hub.