There is a wide range of bedbug products on the market, and not all of them are suitable for use at home. This guide explains the main categories, what each is genuinely useful for, and how to stay safe. It is not a substitute for reading the label of the specific product you buy.
Start with the non-chemical tools
Mattress and box-spring encasements
A good encasement fully encloses the mattress with a zip that closes tightly. It traps any bedbugs inside, removes hiding places on the mattress surface, and makes new activity easy to see. Encasements are useful both before and after treatment, and for protecting a new or second-hand mattress. Look for a design with a zip end-stop and fabric that does not tear easily.
Monitors and interceptors
Interceptor cups placed under bed legs catch bedbugs climbing up or down. They do not eliminate an infestation, but they help with early detection and with checking whether treatment has worked.
Torch and inspection tools
A bright torch and a thin card are the most useful inspection tools you can own. See how to identify bedbugs in your mattress and bedroom.
Household insecticide products
If you decide to use an insecticide, choose only products that are:
- Registered with Kenya's Pest Control Products Board, with a registration number on the label.
- Labelled for bedbugs as a target pest.
- Labelled for household use in the places you intend to treat.
Sprays
Useful for cracks and frame joints where the label allows. Many are not approved for mattresses or bedding. Read bedbug spray: what to consider before buying.
Dusts and powders
Applied as a very thin film into cracks and voids, not spread on open surfaces or bedding. Too much dust is less effective and creates an inhalation risk. Wear the protection the label specifies.
Products to avoid at home
- Professional-use-only products. These are intended for trained, authorised operators. Household customers should not buy or apply them.
- Agricultural and livestock chemicals. Not designed or approved for indoor use.
- Foggers ("bombs"). They generally do not reach bedbugs in cracks and can spread them; some are a fire risk.
- Paraffin, petrol and improvised mixtures. Dangerous and ineffective.
Safe use, every time
- Read the whole label before buying and again before using.
- Use only the amount directed, only where directed.
- Keep children and pets away as the label instructs.
- Never mix products.
- Store products in their original containers, out of reach of children.
Know when products are not enough
Products for home use are best for prevention, monitoring and very early problems. If bedbugs are established, a professional programme is more likely to succeed. Our two-treatment bedbug eradication programme includes two treatments six days apart, which a shop-bought product cannot replicate.
Browse our shop, or ask us for advice on which product suits your situation.
