Sourcing the best bed bug treatment may not be as easy as you think. For a start there are now hundreds if not thousands of products on the market all claiming to rid you of your infestation in the blink of an eye. However, the sad fact is that getting a bed bug infestation under control can be a difficult and time consuming task.

This article has been written to help you make an informed choice and decide on the right bed bug treatment for your circumstances first time instead of wasting hundreds of dollars.

For information about the bed bugs themselves and their life cycle go to The Life Cycle of a Bed Bug in Pictures article on the Treatment for Bed Bugs site where you will find all you need to know.

For now, lets look at your bed bug busting options.

1. The first option and one which certain people will prefer is to telephone for professional exterminators. This is the costly way to get rid of bed bugs it could lighten your wallet by hundreds of Dollars. You will most likely have to move out of your property whilst it is treated and the chances are that the chemicals used to kill the infestation may be fairly dangerous and could have an effect on the health of those living in the house for some time after.

2. The first DIY bed bug treatment is the use of steam. This won't hit you hard in money terms (perhaps the price of a good steam cleaner) but it will take time and effort. So, here is what you do.

a. Seal off and de-clutter the room, get rid of everything possible such as books, magazines etc. where bed bugs may sleep in day time. Place them in a sealed plastic bag and dispose of them. It is vital that the bags are sealed tightly so not to spread the infestation to other areas of the house.

b. Remove all clothing from drawers and closets and closely examine for bugs at all stages of development. Go to The life cycle of a Bed Bug In Pictures on the Treatment For Bed Bug site for pictures which may help in the identification of the bugs. If possible wash all clothing on a hot wash cycle, do this with sheets etc. too. Anything which can't be washed - try placing in in a tumble dryer for on a high setting for approximately ten minutes - bed bugs cannot withstand heat.

c. Now it's time for the room Firstly vacuum EVERYTHING, the mattress, the box spring, the curtains, soft furnishings, inside drawers and closets, furniture and the floor particularly round the edges. At this point if you find and cracks or holes in the wall or floor SEAL them because they are ideal hiding places for bed bugs. Don't forget to check the more unthought of places too like smoke alarms, alarm clocks, picture frames, electrical sockets these are also favourite hiding places.

d. Once you have completed this repeat the whole routine using a steam cleaner. You will discover more information on exactly how to use your steam cleaner for this task by visiting Kill Bed Bugs With Steam on the Treatment For Bed Bugs site.

e. You could leave it at that. However, as an insurance policy you could spray the whole room with a non toxic bed bug spray like Bed Bug Patrol which is completely natural as well as child and pet friendly.

3. The second DIYbed bug treatment is to use as mentioned above a non toxic bed bug spray, now, I am aware that there are numerous available on the market but I personally have used Bed Bug Patrol and it seemed to work. But I did carry out steps 2a,b and c above before I used the spray so I would definitely advise you to do the same.

One thing which I haven't mentioned is that you must empty the contents of your vacuum cleaner as soon as you finish into a plastic bag, seal it tightly and dispose of it - make sure you do this in the same room as the infestation.

4. The last Do IT Yourself bed bug treatment is to use encasements on your mattress, box spring and possibly pillows. Now, be aware that this will only get rid of bed bugs if the whole room has been treated using one of the other bed bug treatments mentioned above first because it is very unlikely that the bed is the only place in the whole room where they are hiding.

These encasements can be used in one of two ways. You can use these to trap any live bed bugs inside where they will eventually die but, be warned bed bugs can live up to a year without food! Secondly you can use them to stop bed bugs from infiltrating your mattress and box spring in the first place. This is a particularly good idea if you have gone out and purchased a new bed following an infestation.