
Bed bugs can be found in homes, hotels — even libraries and buses — in Seattle, Spokane and cities across our state. How to get rid of bed bugs? How to prevent these biting pests? We cover all that and more in this guide.
Yes, bed bugs were found in libraries in West Seattle in 2023. Three branches had to be shut down for treatments to get rid of these biting, itchy pests. And Spokane fumigated two city buses to remove bed bugs in 2023.
Washington State law even spells out landlord-tenant rights when bed bugs are found in homes, apartments, condos, campus dorms, and rental homes. (More on this later.)
Are There Bed Bugs in Washington State?
Yes, bed bugs are a problem across Washington State and the U.S. Bed bugs can make a home wherever people sleep or sit (as in libraries and buses), because these pests feast on human blood.
Tourist cities like Seattle and Spokane typically have bigger problems with these tiny pests because so many people are coming and going and staying in hotels. Why? Bed bugs also are hitchhikers, traveling from place to place on our clothes and our luggage.
In fact, Seattle ranks No. 14 on Pest Gnome’s 2024’s Worst Cities for Bed Bug Infestations. The Emerald City also has been listed in the top 50 in Orkin’s ranking of bed buggy cities in recent years.
How do you know if you have a bed bug problem? Bed bug bites, tiny specks of blood on bed sheets, and a musty odor are some of the signs of bed bugs.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Washington State
“Bed bugs are very difficult to get rid of because they are hard to find and kill.” That’s according to the King County (Seattle) Health Department’s Bed Bug Fact Sheet. “Making your home bed bug-free will take time and effort from you; the housing manager (if the home is a rental unit); and a pest control company.”
Quoting again from the King County resource: “The best way to eliminate bed bugs is early detection, regular cleaning and inspecting, and targeted pesticide use by a pest management professional. This includes regular cleaning and vacuuming, steaming to kill bed bugs, laundering and drying clothes on high heat, and precisely applied pesticides directly on bed bugs.
“Bed bugs are killed when they are sprayed directly; sprays that have dried are not very effective. Pesticides should only be used by licensed pest control operators.”

Here are some of the steps the Washington State Department of Health recommends you take to get rid of bed bugs:
- Confirm that you have bed bugs. Contact a pest control company for bed bug identification help.
- Vacuum bed bugs and their eggs: Use your vacuum’s nozzle attachment on seams and crevices on your mattress, bed frame, baseboards, and any other objects close to the bed or furniture in the home found to be harboring bed bugs. Vacuum up bed bugs daily, and immediately place the vacuum’s contents into a sealed plastic bag and throw it away in an outdoor garbage can.
- Wash all your linens in hot water and place them in a hot dryer for at least 20 minutes.
- Hire a bed bug treatment pro: Contact a professional pest control company to assist you with these control steps and to see if pesticides or other bed bug control strategies should be included.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs in Washington State
These tips are from the Washington State Department of Health:
- Bed bug mattress covers: Cover your mattress, box spring, and pillows with a certified bed bug cover encasement.
- Keep your home clean: Remove all unnecessary clutter.
- Seal cracks and crevices between baseboards, on wood bed frames, floors and walls with caulking. Repair or remove peeling wallpaper, tighten loose light switch covers, and seal any openings where pipes, wires or other utilities come into your home. Pay special attention to apartments or rooms that share a wall. Here’s why: Bed bugs can move through extremely small gaps to infest new areas.
- Monitor nightly to catch the bed bugs. Trapping provides evidence of bed bugs, but it shouldn’t be used as the sole method of control because it probably won’t catch all the bed bugs. You can purchase a bed bug interceptors and bed bug traps or make your own, see UNL Extension’s Do-It-Yourself Bed Bug Trap (PDF).
The King County Bed Bug Factsheet includes this tip:
- Check all used items you bring into your home carefully for bed bugs and eggs. Inspect all used furniture, mattresses or box springs, bedding, and used clothing and books. Remember: Eggs and the immature bed bugs are very small and easily overlooked.

When traveling, be sure to heed these tips (from King County and Washington State Health Departments):
When you arrive at your hotel, motel, or vacation rental:
- Inspect your hotel bed: When you travel, ask your hotel about its bed bug inspection policy. Inspect your hotel bed as soon as you arrive — lift off the bed sheets, and check sheets and mattress edges for bugs or dark fecal dropping spots. If you see any signs, inform the hotel. Consider moving to another room or changing hotels.
When you get home:
- Inspect luggage: Carefully inspect your luggage immediately upon returning from a trip. Pay close attention to seams and pockets.
- Wash and vacuum everything: Immediately after trips, wash clothing and inspect luggage and shoes. Thoroughly vacuum luggage inside and out before storing. Use a dry scrub brush to remove bed bug eggs that may be present. You can also seal the luggage in a plastic bag for at least a year. Any eggs or bed bugs hidden in the luggage will hatch and the bed bugs will die without feeding.
See Related:
How to Check for Bed Bugs
How to Prevent Bed Bugs (11 Ways)
How to Avoid Bed Bugs in a Hotel
How to Prevent Bed Bugs When Traveling
How Essential Oils Can Help Deter Bed Bugs
Common Professional Bed Bug Treatments in Washington State
Professional bed bug treatments vary by provider across Washington State. The method used depends on the severity and location of your bed bug infestation.
- Western Exterminator, a regional Rentokil company with offices in Seattle, Spokane, and Marysville, offers heat treatments, fumigation, insecticide treatment, steam remediation, and bed bug covers.
- Stop Bugging Me Pest Control, serving the Puget Sound region and Olympia, Tacoma, Renton, Everett, and other cities across Washington, uses steam or heat treatments, dusting of wall voids, chemical crack and crevice treatment, and bed and headboard treatment. Bed bug inspections sometimes include bed-bug sniffing dogs.
- EcoGuard Pest Management, serving Clark, Cowlitz, and Skamania counties in southwest Washington, specializes in eco-friendly bed bug treatments, including chemical dusts and sprays (for bed bug infestations caught early), heat remediation, steam treatment, and fumigation.
- Sasqiatch Pest Control, serving Bellingham, Blaine, Alger, Bow, Ferndale, and Lynden, applies chemical treatments to get rid of bed bugs. Treatment requires you to vacate your home for 6-8 hours, and Sasquatch will schedule a 30-day follow-up.
- “For items that cannot be treated with our standard chemicals, like books, we will ask you to bag the items in black garbage bags and we will apply Nuvan strips to kill any pest in the bag and remove them two days later,” the website says.
- Northwest K9 Bed Bug Detectives, serving Seattle, Tacoma, and surrounding areas, specializes in — you guessed it — bed bug dog inspections to identify the scope of your problem — and then treatment options including vacuum cleaning, steaming, heat treatments, and using mattress encasements (instead of treating beds with pesticides).
Find a Bed Bug Exterminator Near You in Washington State. We have lists of pest control pros covering cities across Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Everett, and other cities across the state.
Questions to ask a potential bed bug exterminator? Washington State has a phone line and website with more info. King County has resources too.
See Related:
How Heat Treatment Works to Kill Bed Bugs
How to Prepare for Bed Bug Treatments
Bed Bug-Sniffing Dogs: Methods, Cost, What to Expect
Cost of Bed Bug Treatment in Washington State
The cost of bed bug treatment can vary significantly, but overall, homeowners nationwide pay between $917 and $1,917. The prices vary a lot depending on the type of treatment used:
- Heat treatment: $2,000 to $4,000 or $1 to $3 per square foot
- Fumigation: $4,500 to $50,000 or $4 to $8 per square foot
- Pesticides: $183 to $500 per room
- Steam cleaning: $250 to $1,000 per room
Here’s a starting point for what you might pay across Washington State:
- Sasquatch Pest Control’s bed bug control prices start at $350 per room for one-time treatments with a 30-day guarantee.
Western Exterminator, Northwest K9 Bug Detectives, and Stop Bugging Me Pest Control list no price ranges for bed bug treatments on their websites.
Who pays for bed bug treatments if you’re a renter and find bed bugs when you move in? Washington State laws cover landlord/tenant rights issues.
Washington State Bed Bug Laws
In Washington State, the laws surrounding bed bug infestations are outlined within the Landlord-Tenant Act, which sets clear expectations for how to deal with pests in general:
- Landlords are required to tackle any bed bug infestations before the tenant moves in.
- The landlord has the responsibility to control and eliminate bed bugs throughout the duration of the tenancy.
- The exception is for the case of single-family dwellings.
- Another exception is when the tenant is the cause of the infestations. In this case, the tenant must pay for pest control.
- Tenants are also expected to notify landlords when an infestation is suspected.
What You Need to Know About Bed Bugs
How to Identify Bed Bug Bites

Bed bug bites are itchy, usually small red bumps on your body. often found on your face, neck, arms, and legs. The good news? Bed bugs don’t transmit disease.
Bed bug bites often are confused with mosquito bites (bed bug bites are itchier) and other insect bites.
How to tell which pest bit you? See Bed Bug Bites vs. Mosquito Bites, Bed Bug Bites vs. Flea Bites, Bed Bug Bites vs. Spider Bites, and Bed Bugs vs. Chigger Bites,

How to Identify Bed Bugs (And Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs)
You need to know what bed bugs look like so you can address an infestation early.
Bed bugs are about a quarter-inch long, with a brown hue and oval-shaped body that resembles an apple seed.
Baby bed bugs, or nymphs, have a whitish-yellow coloration.
Bed bug eggs are white and roughly the size of a pinhead.
In Washington State, there are several insects that look like bed bugs. These include: baby cockroaches, booklice, carpet beetles, bat bugs, ticks, head lice, and mice.

Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Bat Bug: NY State IPM Program at Cornell University / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Professional pest control companies will also employ bed bug sprays or even heat treatments, which work by increasing a home or room’s temperature using fans to circulate the hot air.
It’s important to note that sometimes more than one round of treatment or a combination of methods may be necessary to completely eradicate an infestation.
When to Call a Bed Bug Exterminator
If you’ve discovered bed bugs in your Washington State home or business, find a local bed bug exterminator. Pest Gnome connects you to the best bed bug experts and other pest control pros near you.
Main Image Credits:
Photo Credit: Real Window Media / Canva Pro / License
Photo Credit: Dmitry Bezrukov / Canva Pro / License
Editorial Contributors
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Maria Isabela Reis
Author
Maria Isabela Reis is a writer, Ph.D. candidate, and plant enthusiast from an area where mosquitoes are as relentless in their pursuit of blood as she is in her quest for knowledge. When she’s not swatting away these buzzing annoyances, she’s playing with her dogs and savoring a cup of tea.
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