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I’m sure I’m not the only one who has experienced annoying chigger bites. Chiggers usually latch onto your skin when you’re outdoors, and you end up carrying them home with you. In this article, we tell you how to get rid of chiggers in your bed and how to prevent them from getting on your mattress.
Steps for how to get rid of chiggers in your bed
Follow these steps to get rid of chiggers in your bed:
- Wash all bedding with hot water
- Clean and vacuum the mattress and surrounding area
- Sprinkle sulfur powder on your bed
- Put essential oils on your sheets
- Use a commercial steam cleaner (if needed)
Did you know that chiggers are the larvae of harvest mites?
Adult harvest mites are actually beneficial since they eat mosquito eggs and other harmful bugs. It’s during their larval stage (chiggers) that they can bite you and cause UNBELIEVABLY ITCHY reddish bumps.
I’ve experienced both chigger and bed bug bites and they are equally awful. I remember not being able to fall asleep because of extreme itchiness all over my arms and legs. We wrote this article to help you avoid what I went through and hopefully avoid having to deal with fumigating your mattress. Follow each step below to get rid of chiggers in your bed.
Step 1: Wash all bedding with hot water
The first thing you have to do is wash your bedding and other fabric that might have come in contact with chiggers. Wash everything at the highest possible temperature, and only use bleach if needed. You also have to make sure to dry all your bedding at max temperature.
Step 2: Clean and vacuum the mattress and surrounding area
Now that you’ve finished washing all your bedding, you’re going to vacuum the surface of your mattress.
We recommend using a vacuum with an upholstery attachment, and a crevice tool for those who have a bumpy pillowtop mattress (you HAVE TO get into ALL those crevices). After you’re done with your mattress, vacuum your bed base (if you have one) and your bed frame.
You should also vacuum your carpet, for good measure, as it might also have chiggers.
If you want to take cleaning your mattress a step further, follow the instructions in our article on how to freshen up a mattress.
Step 3: Sprinkle sulfur powder on your bed
At this point, your mattress should already be chigger-free. But we’re not finished just yet.
Sulfur powder is an effective insect repellent to keep chiggers (as well as other pests like ants and bed worms) away from your bed. You can buy sulfur powder at the nearest Walmart or other home furnishing centers.
Don’t forget to wear a pair of gloves before sprinkling sulfur powder on your mattress, since it can irritate your eyes and skin if you aren’t careful.
Step 4: Put essential oils on your sheets
If you have a sensitive nose, or if it’s for your kid’s mattress, you can use essential oils as a natural alternative to sulfur powder. Essential oils such as lavender, lemongrass, and citronella can act as natural insect repellents. If you look at commercial insect repellents, you’ll see that essential oils are one of the active ingredients.
Step 5: Use a commercial steam cleaner (if necessary)
Last but not least, you can use a commercial steam cleaner if you want to thoroughly disinfect your mattress.
Combine steam and soap water and you’ll have a potent chigger-killing mix. Apply the steam cleaner to your bedding, mattress, and any other place that has chiggers.
How to prevent chiggers from getting on your mattress
Since chiggers typically attach to your skin outdoors, you’ll have to take certain measures to keep them from entering your home.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants
- Tuck pants into your boots
- Wear bug repellant
- Shower with hot water
- Wash clothes with hot water
Chiggers usually live in damp areas and in tall grass and vegetation. We recommend avoiding such places to prevent coming in contact with chigger larvae.
If you can’t avoid going outdoors due to your job or other reasons, you should follow these steps for extra protection.
Step 1: Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants
Don’t leave any skin exposed. Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants whenever you go hiking. This is a great way of avoiding chigger bites, especially if you wander into grassy or wooded areas.
Step 2: Tuck pants into your boots
Another you can do is tuck your pants into your boots. This protects your legs from an irritating chigger bite. Moreover, do your best to stick to paths and mowed trails where there is a lesser chance of encountering chiggers.
Step 3: Wear bug repellent
Apply insect repellent spray or lotion on any exposed skin before going outdoors.
The most common and most effective repellents contain DEET, so stick it’s best to stick with those. Bug repellents will not only protect you from chiggers but also from mosquitoes and ticks.
Step 4: Shower with hot water
Most of you already do this, but it’s vital that you shower with hot water as soon as you get home from hiking or wandering outdoors. Make sure to use industrial-strength soap or better yet, sulfur sopa, to remove any chiggers that have latched onto your skin.
Step 5: Wash clothes with hot water
Besides washing your body, you should also wash all the clothes that you wore while walking in a wooded or grassy area.
Do this as soon as you get home to eliminate any chiggers that might have attached themselves to your clothes. Don’t wait until the next day because chiggers can latch onto a family member and spread to other parts of your house.
Can chiggers live in your bed?
Yes, chiggers can live in your bed but only for a few days.
This is if you don’t take any measures to clean and disinfect your mattress. Follow the steps we’ve given above to get rid of chiggers in your bed immediately.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, chiggers are the larvae of harvest mites. In the next stage of their life cycle, they become nymphs which need to feed on insects and their eggs. At this point, they will die if they remain in your bed since they need to be outdoors at this stage of their life cycle.
If adult harvest mites (mature chiggers) manage to get on your mattress by attaching to your skin, they will die since they need a moist environment to thrive. This is why we always recommend that you regularly clean your mattress and launder your sheets.
A sweaty, yellow-stained mattress can develop mold, accumulate dust mites, and start showing signs of bed bugs. Whereas, a clean and fresh mattress keeps allergens, chiggers, and other pesky insects away.
Chigger vs. bed bugs
Chiggers and bed bugs have several differences such as size, color, number of legs etc.
I’ll list their main differences below to help you distinguish one from the other.
Size
The first and most noticeable difference between chiggers and bed bugs is their size. Bed bugs are much bigger than chiggers, especially after feeding. Bed bugs can grow up to 1.5 inches, while chiggers only grow up to 0.04 inches.
Color
Most chiggers are red, and bed bugs are brown but turn reddish after feeding.
Number of legs
Chiggers have six legs but that’s because they are still in the larval stage. Once they mature into adults, they will have eight legs. Chiggers are a member of the arachnid family, same as spiders and ticks.
Bed bugs, on the other hand, are insects which have six legs.
Bites
Chiggers bites appear as small pimple-like bumps that are raised and dark red. These bites are usually grouped into clusters around the areas of your body where you wear tight clothing.
Unlike chiggers, bed bug bite marks can appear after days or weeks. Their bites cause inflammation and are quite similar to mosquito bites. Bed bug bites are typically found on exposed skin during sleep.
Habitat
Chiggers hatch from eggs in damp, grassy areas and they look for an animal to feed on to proceed to the next stage of their life cycle. Once chiggers mature into adult harvest mites, they become useful to humans by eating mosquito eggs.
Bed bugs are different. They prefer staying indoors, especially in small dark spaces (preferably with a nearby blood source) and have no useful purpose whatsoever but to torment us. See our guide to the most common states with bed bugs for more info about where they’re common.
FAQs
Chiggers can live on your body for a few days before maturing into nymphs. Once they’ve reached this stage, they will need to feed on insects and their eggs.
No, chiggers cannot live long on furniture inside your house. They need to be outdoors once they reach the nymph and adult stage if their life cycle.
Conclusion
Chigger bites are not fun, let me tell you. The good news is that you can easily get rid of chiggers in your bed and prevent them from getting into your house. All you have to do is follow the instructions above, and your bed will be chigger-free in no time.
Next step: Read our Purple mattress review. If you have an infested mattress then it’s definitely time to consider a new one. Purple is one of the most popular brands for a reason. We tested out all of their top products and came up with a list of benefits and drawbacks for each so you can decide for yourself if a Purple mattress is right for you.
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