How Much Does a Bed Bug Exterminator Cost?

Cost Range for a Bed Bug Exterminator

The cost to hire a bed bug exterminator varies by the number of rooms affected – up to the entire house – and the type of treatment used, which include heat, freezing, chemical applications, steam and fumigation.

Killing bed bugs in a single room costs $350 to $800 for the most common eradication methods with additional rooms added for $300 to $650. The total cost range can rise to $7,500 or more when entire homes need fumigation to remove severe bed bug infestations.

Average Extermination Cost

The average cost of bed bug extermination is around $2,450 for 4-6 rooms. When the infestation is wider, cost climbs closer to $5,000 to $6,000 in most homes.

Overview of Bed Bug Exterminating

While the CDC says bed bugs aren’t dangerous, they can cause a rash – and they are a pest nobody wants to sleep with. Exterminating bed bugs takes many forms, and costs vary based on which type your exterminator recommends. This is common with any type of extermination costs, regardless of the pest you’re trying to control.

The best approach is to have the exterminator do a thorough inspection of your home to determine which rooms are affected and to what extent. Bed bug sniffing dogs are sometimes used. When an infected site is located, traps are often set to verify the infestation and determine how heavy it is.

Once it’s known how widespread the bugs are, the best approach to ridding your home of them can be pursued. There are traditional options and newer technologies, just as there is with ant extermination and several other home pests.

Each bed bug treatment has its pros and cons:

Fumigation is considered the most sure-fire way to rid your home of a heavy infestation of bed bugs and their eggs. It leaves your home covered in potentially harmful substances and is the most costly.

Chemical treatments on surfaces are also potentially poisonous to people and pets, but the chemical cocktail can reach deep into bedding, carpet and upholstery to reach the bugs. DIY sprays are available and relatively cheap.

Heat kills bed bugs at all stages without chemicals. And bed bug heat treatment cost is affordable. But the prolonged 140F to 170F heat from the commercial-grade electric heaters can be damaging to electronics, house plants, photos, oil paintings and more.

Steam cleaning bedding, upholstery and carpet is also chemical-free and penetrates more deeply than dry heat. Killing bed bugs with steam costs more than heat too. Multiple steam treatments are often required.

Freezing is considered less effective than other options, and isn’t cheap. Freezing bed bugs with a chemical solution is safe and may be appropriate for light infestations.

Bed Bug Exterminating Cost Factors

These are pretty simple and will determine total cost to eradicate bed bugs.

• How Many Rooms are Infested – The more total square footage that needs to be treated, the higher the bed bug extermination cost. Whole-house extermination is rarely required. Most often, 1-4 bedrooms and perhaps a commonly used living room contain the infestation.
• Treatment Used – Specifics on cost are listed below along with total potential bed bug exterminator cost for spaces and homes of various sizes.
• How Cluttered the Space Is – The more furniture, boxes and other stuff the exterminator has to work around, the higher the cost.
• Replacing Items Damaged During Treatment – Furniture, bedding, electronics and other items can be damaged or left with stains or lingering odors.
• Leaving your Home – If fumigants or other chemical treatment are used, you might want to spend nights away for up to a week.
• Cleaning Costs – Many homeowners hire cleaners after fumigation and topical chemical treatments.
• Who Does the Work – Sprays bought at home improvement stores are really the only DIY option, but they certainly save money, but only if the treatment is effective. Hiring an exterminator is the best option for ridding your home of bed bugs.

Exterminator and Application Cost Details

Cost of Services

Here is a bed bug removal cost list for services and for each treatment type.

It is followed by total bed bug extermination cost for each treatment based on the amount of space affected.

• $75 – $200 | Inspection – Often waived if the company is hired for the extermination.
• $200 – $400 | Inspection using bug-sniffing dogs.
• $4.15 – $7.50 per square foot | Fumigation
• $2.25 – $4.00 per square foot | Chemical Spray Treatment
• $1.75 – $3.35 per square foot | Heat
• $2.00 – $6.75 per square foot | Steam (1 or 2 treatments)
• $3.75 – $7.00 per square foot | Freezing

How Much Does It Cost to Exterminate Bed Bugs?

The cost to get rid of bed bugs is $2.00 to $7.50 per square foot. See the bed bug treatment cost factors above.

Cost per square foot goes down slightly as the amount of space treated rises. Here are prices you can expect based on treatment type and square footage.

Rooms	Cost
1 Room Up to 300 square feet	$300 – $1,200
2 Rooms Up to 500 square feet total	$575 – $2,050
3 Rooms Up to 750 square feet total	$850 – $3,200
4 Rooms Up to 900 square feet total	$1,100 – $4,300
Whole House	$2,300 – $10,000+

*The cost of using a dog or dogs for the inspection is not included.

How Much Is Bed Bug Extermination in a House?

Here are average bed bug treatment cost options covering all extermination types.

House Size	Cost
1,000 Square Feet	$1,700 – $4,000
1,500 Square Feet	$2,000 – $4,750
2,000 Square Feet	$2,250 – $5,200
2,400 Square Feet	$2,600 – $5,550
2,700 Square Feet	$3,100 – $6,100
3,000+ Square Feet	$3,500 – $10,000+

Permits, Inspection, and Labor Costs

Permits and/or Inspection Cost

• $0 – $600 | Bed bug extermination does not require a permit, though the exterminator should be licensed and insured. An inspection and placing traps costs up to $200. When bug-sniffing dogs are used, cost can rise higher.

Exterminator Labor Cost

Labor costs are not itemized in most exterminator estimates. If costs were broken down by the hour, it would come to $45-$80 per hour for labor.

Treatment Time

Getting rid of bed bugs isn’t a one-day project. Here are common scenarios for how long bed bug extermination takes. Keep in mind that in spring and summer, when exterminators are busy, you might have to wait up to a week for an available appointment with Orkin, Terminix or other reliable contractor.

• A few hours | Initial inspection and placing traps
• 2-3 Days | Allowing the traps to capture bed bugs to locate the infestation and its severity
• 1 Day | Treatment – any type
• 1-7 Days | Cleaning and/or airing out the house after fumigation and chemical treatments

Related Projects

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DIY or Hire a Pro

Most homeowners don’t want to mess around with bed bugs. They want the bugs gone, and so they hire a pro who exterminates these pests every day of the week.

If you’re sold on DIY, you can give it a try for less than $200, a potential big savings if it works.

Consider starting by placing traps in every room in your home that you suspect contains the bugs – and in rooms adjoining them. Packs of 4 to 10 cost $16 to $40.

Determine which areas are affected.

Your best DIY choice for treating these insects is to buy bed bug spray, read the label completely and follow the guidance exactly.

Pay specific attention to coverage – how many square feet the container is designed to treat. This will prevent you from under-doing it and not getting rid of the bed bugs or overdoing it and making your living space toxic.

Final thought – Consider getting Orkin bed bug treatment cost estimates – or estimates from Terminix or other local providers – before deciding whether to DIY or hire a professional. Even the cost of an initial inspection might be worth the money to help you identify affected parts of your home and determine the best approach for bed bug extermination.