Buy a bed bug-proof encasement for your mattress and box spring. It zips up like a straightjacket and traps any bugs inside. Think of it as their final, airless condo. They’ll starve within a year, but that’s their problem, not yours.
Don’t toss the mattress until you’ve verified the infestation is gone. Dumping a buggy mattress in the alley just deposits your drama onto the neighbor’s doorstep. Instead, cut the handles off the mattress or spray-paint “INFESTED” on it—not out of spite, but to prevent scavengers from giving it a new home.
