The best Bed bug killers, compared.
Top pick: Zero In bed bug and dust mite killer, 2 × 300 ml – Highest review count in this set: 4.2 from 8,217 amazon.co.uk reviews, at about £11.00, with cyphenothrin and prallethrin named. Best value: Pestshield bed bug and flea spray, 6 × 200 ml – Six 200 ml cans, 1,200 ml stated, at about £11.99: the most spray per pound where the fill is unambiguous, at 4.0 from 614 reviews. Updated October 2026.
A bed bug killer is a household spray, aerosol or one-shot fog sold to kill bed bugs. In the UK you usually buy one after bites that followed travel, a second-hand bed, or insects in a rented flat. NHS guidance is that a DIY treatment is unlikely to clear an infestation, so the product is a limited step beside a hot wash and, where insects have spread, the council or a pest controller. A usable product carries a general-public label, a named active, a stated residual time, and a pack size the listing and the can agree on. The actives on the clearer labels are cypermethrin, cyphenothrin, prallethrin or pyrethrins. A surface spray is aimed at seams, frames and skirting. A one-shot bomb fills a closed room, and then you leave. Mattress and frame are not sheets or pillowcases: bedding is washed, not sprayed. How to read the label before you pay is in the [bed bug killer buying guide](/hub/pest-control/bed-bug-killer/sub/bed-bug-killer-buying-guide).
A bed bug killer is a household spray, aerosol or one-shot fog sold to kill bed bugs. In the UK you usually buy one after bites that followed travel, a second-hand bed, or insects in a rented flat.
32 products checked · 61 hrs invested · +18,400 readers
Swipe for more
1-2 of 9
Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Where will you use it?
The Zero In bed bug and dust mite aerosol, model ZER968, is £11.00 for two 300 ml cans, and the amazon.co.uk line is 4.2 out of 5 from 8,217 reviews, the longest trail in this set. In the first fifty UK texts, buyers describe fewer bites when they repeat the spray and also wash or steam, using it on mattress edges, furniture and floor gaps. The listing names cyphenothrin and prallethrin and claims protection for over two weeks, which is a seller line rather than a lab result on this page. The same sample includes choking fumes, a direct spray that left two bed bugs alive after two hours, and a blocked cap on one can. There is no HSE number, the pet question is unanswered, and the item-weight field prints 200 g against a 600 ml pack, so you still check the can count in the basket.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A single bedroom where you will spot-test fabric, repeat the aerosol on seams and skirting, and wash bedding separately.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a printed HSE number before checkout, a pet that cannot leave the room, or a flat where bugs are already in more than one room.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing print an HSE number?
No. The captured listing does not print an HSE approval number. You still read the can before you treat a room.
What residual time does the listing claim?
The listing claims protection for over two weeks. That is a seller line, not a laboratory result on this page.
How much is in the pack?
The listing is two 300 ml cans at about £11.00. The item-weight field prints 200 g, which does not match a 600 ml pack, so check the can count in the basket.
The Zero In three-pack is £11.99 for three 300 ml aerosols, 900 ml stated, with 4.2 out of 5 from 33 amazon.co.uk reviews. The star line matches the 8,217-review two-pack, but only seven review texts were in the file. One says the three cans covered a king mattress, base, bedroom carpet and a three-seat sofa after pets were taken out and the room aired, while another says the smell made it hard to breathe for someone home all day and one says it did not work. A further text is a book review with a spray comment attached, so the written sample is messy as well as small. Actives are cyphenothrin and prallethrin with an over-two-weeks claim and a spot-test, and there is no egg claim and no HSE number.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A spare-can buyer who specifically wants three aerosols and has already read the much larger Zero In two-pack trail.
Less suitable: A default first purchase, or anyone treating 4.2 from 33 reviews as equal to 4.2 from 8,217.
Specifications
Common questions
Is 4.2 from 33 reviews the same evidence as the two-pack?
No. The star line matches the two-pack, but this listing has 33 reviews. Only seven texts were in the file, and one of those is a book review.
What does the listing claim for residual action?
Cyphenothrin and prallethrin are named, with an over-two-weeks claim. There is no egg claim and no HSE number.
How many cans are in the pack?
Three 300 ml aerosols, 900 ml stated, at about £11.99. That is close to the two-pack price with a much shorter review trail.
NOPE! is a 500 ml water-based spray at £13.99, with 4.1 out of 5 from 1,208 amazon.co.uk reviews. The listing names cypermethrin, claims contact kill of bed bugs and their eggs, and claims residual action for up to three months on carpets, floors, soft furnishings, bed frames and mattresses. In the first fifty UK texts, some buyers report bites stopping after a holiday introduction, including one case of two sprays about ten days apart, while others report no kill even on a bug sprayed directly. Vacuuming soon after treatment is said to strip the residue, and a London-flat review only claimed success alongside a block fumigation. The page says HSE registered without an approval number, the pet question is unanswered, and cypermethrin listings in this set warn that the active is very toxic to aquatic life.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A bedroom and carpet where you want a water-based spray that names mattresses and eggs, and you can keep the residue in place.
Less suitable: A fish tank you cannot isolate, a plan to vacuum the same evening, or a heavy infestation across a block of flats.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing mention eggs?
Yes. The listing claims it kills bed bugs on contact as well as their eggs. That claim has not been retested for this page.
Has the HSE line been checked against the HSE list?
No. The page says HSE registered and does not print an approval number. That wording was not matched to the HSE spreadsheet.
What residual time is claimed?
Up to three months after application, on carpets, floors, soft furnishings, bed frames and mattresses. Vacuuming soon after treatment is reported to strip that film.
This Zero In four-pack is £14.49 for four 300 ml aerosols, 1,200 ml stated, with 4.1 out of 5 from 169 amazon.co.uk reviews. It uses cyphenothrin and prallethrin and the same over-two-weeks residual claim as the £11.00 two-pack, and it names mattresses, frames, skirting and furnishings, with a spot-test so the spray will not stain. In the first fifty UK texts, buyers keep spare cans after travel and for more than one bedroom when they follow the tin. Others say repeated bottles still failed, and flea and dust-mite stories sit in the same review pool. No egg claim and no HSE number are printed, and the outer box is described as boldly labelled, which matters in a shared hallway.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A repeat treatment across more than one bedroom, where you want spare 300 ml cans and you already accept this aerosol formula.
Less suitable: A first buy when the £11.00 two-pack is in stock, or a shared building where a labelled outer box is a problem.
Specifications
Common questions
How does this pack differ from the two-pack?
It is four 300 ml cans, 1,200 ml stated, at about £14.49, with the same named actives and over-two-weeks claim. The two-pack is about £11.00 and has 8,217 reviews, against 169 here.
Does the listing mention eggs or an HSE number?
Neither is printed. The listing does name mattresses, frames, skirting and furnishings, and it tells you to spot-test so the spray will not stain.
What do reviewers say about the outer box?
The outer box is described as boldly labelled. That matters in a shared hallway, where the packaging can show what you bought.
The £6.99 Zero In listing shows 4.1 out of 5 from 133 amazon.co.uk reviews and names cyphenothrin, prallethrin and an over-two-weeks residual claim for mattresses, frames and skirting. The title says two 300 ml cans, while the volume field prints 300 ml, the unit count prints 1, and the item weight prints 150 g. One of the 22 review texts says the page showed 500 ml and 300 ml arrived, which is why this row stays out of the millilitre-per-pound ranking. The same thin sample includes throat and eye irritation and a comment that it worked on some insects and not on bed bugs. There is no HSE number, no egg claim, and the listing tells you to test a small area first.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who has confirmed two cans in the basket and wants this Zero In aerosol chemistry at the lowest headline price.
Less suitable: Anyone sorting by price alone, or a value comparison that needs an unambiguous fill.
Specifications
Common questions
Why is this listing left out of the value rank?
The title says two 300 ml cans. The volume field prints 300 ml, the unit count prints 1, and the item weight prints 150 g. One buyer expected 500 ml and received 300 ml.
What active does the listing name?
Cyphenothrin and prallethrin, with an over-two-weeks residual claim. There is no HSE number and no egg claim.
What is the headline price?
About £6.99, the lowest headline in this set, with 4.1 from 133 reviews. Confirm the can count in the basket before you treat that price as two cans.
Pestshield is £11.99 for six 200 ml cans, 1,200 ml stated, with 4.0 out of 5 from 614 amazon.co.uk reviews. In the first fifty UK texts the six-tin pack is the main praise, and some buyers report bites easing or keep a can after travel and second-hand beds. The captured fields print no active ingredient, residual time, egg claim or HSE number, and the target-species field says flea while the title leads with bed bugs. The mattress question is unanswered: bullets name carpets, skirting and bed heads, even though mattress is in the title. Several reviewers call the effect slow or absent, including a bug still alive hours after three direct sprays, and smell is mild for some and horrible for others.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants the most stated millilitres for about £12 and will read the active on the can when it arrives.
Less suitable: Anyone who will only pay when the ingredient is printed on the listing, or who plans to treat the mattress surface from the title alone.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing name an active ingredient?
No. The captured fields do not print an active, a residual time, an egg claim or an HSE number. Read the can when it arrives.
Why is this the best value?
Six 200 ml cans are stated, 1,200 ml in total, at about £11.99. Where the fill is unambiguous, that is the most spray per pound in this set.
Does the listing say it treats a mattress?
Mattress is in the title. The captured bullets name carpets, skirting boards and bed heads, and the mattress question is unanswered.
Rentokil's bed bug spray is titled 500 ml at £10.26, with 4.0 out of 5 from 110 amazon.co.uk reviews and model PSO51. Short praise in the first fifty UK texts says it did the job once the room was aired, while other buyers report bugs that seemed unaffected by a direct spray and insects moving onto other furniture. Smell is described as very strong, with masks mentioned, and one text says leave for 10 to 15 minutes then air the room, which is a review rather than a saved instruction block. The captured fields leave the active ingredient, residual claim, surfaces and HSE line blank, and the egg question is unanswered. The technical volume field is also blank even though the title says 500 ml, so you are buying the name and then reading the can.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A shopper who will read the physical label for the active and the re-entry time, and who already wants the Rentokil name.
Less suitable: Anyone comparing ingredients on the amazon page alone, or a household that cannot leave the room while a strong smell clears.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing name an active?
No. The captured fields leave the active, the residual claim, the surfaces and the HSE line blank. The egg question is unanswered.
Is the volume field 500 ml?
The title says 500 ml, model PSO51. The technical volume field is blank, so the 500 ml figure is the title, not a filled volume field.
What do reviews say about smell?
Smell is described as very strong, and masks are mentioned. One review says leave for 10 to 15 minutes then air the room. That line is a review, not a saved instruction block.
The Zero In one-shot bomb, model ZER984, is £7.94 for 150 ml and scores 3.8 out of 5 from 263 amazon.co.uk reviews. The listing names natural pyrethrins, rooms up to 40 cubic metres, and tells you to press the can in the centre, leave immediately, wait two hours, then ventilate, with an egg and larvae claim in the bullets. In the first fifty UK texts, praise sits mainly with dust mites and an easy room cover, while many one-star reviews say nothing died and some still saw bed bugs walking after three hours. A catch that will not stay down is a recurring defect. One review says switch electrics off because the gas is flammable, a line that is not in the saved bullets, and there is no residual time, no HSE number, and no answer on pets.
Pros
Cons
Best for: One closed room under 40 m³ that you can leave for two hours, after bedding is already in the wash.
Less suitable: A bed with seams you can reach, a faulty-looking actuator, fish, or insects already moving between rooms.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing mention eggs?
The bullets claim it kills eggs and larvae on contact. There is no residual time printed, so the claim is contact, not a lasting film.
How do you use the bomb?
The listing says press the can in the centre of a room up to 40 m³, leave immediately, wait two hours, then ventilate. A bomb does not replace a 60°C wash.
What goes wrong in the reviews?
Many reviews say nothing died, and some still saw bed bugs walking after three hours. A catch that will not stay down is a recurring defect, so the can never releases.
Zero In Ultra Power, model ZER567, is a 500 ml aerosol at £9.49 with 3.8 out of 5 from 40 amazon.co.uk reviews, the lowest star line among the Zero In aerosols kept here. Bullets name cyphenothrin and prallethrin, a residual claim of up to two weeks, and a lance, and the page says HSE approved without printing a number. The listing says it may slightly stain white items, and the review texts repeat yellow marks on white fabric. One review calls it pet-friendly, but the pet question on the listing is still unanswered, so that comment is not clearance for cats or fish. All 40 reviews were in the file, a small sample beside 8,217 on the two-pack of the same active pair, and a note that the bottle lasts does not show a cleared infestation.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A single 500 ml can with a lance, under £10, when you accept a small review sample and you will spot-test pale fabric.
Less suitable: White bedding or upholstery you cannot test first, a pet household looking for a safety answer, or a buyer who sorts only by stars.
Specifications
Common questions
What does the HSE line say?
The page says HSE approved and does not print a number. That wording has not been checked against the HSE list for this page.
Will it mark white fabric?
The listing says it may slightly stain white items, and reviews repeat yellow marks on white fabric. Spot-test pale cloth before you treat a mattress.
Is a pet-friendly review enough?
No. One review calls it pet-friendly. The pet question on the listing is unanswered, so that comment is not clearance for cats or fish.
Nine amazon.co.uk listings are on this page. The score on each card is the star rating times 20. It is not a laboratory test. The top pick is the kept listing with the highest review count. Best value is the kept listing with the most stated millilitres per pound where the fill is unambiguous. A listing at about £6.99 stays in the table and out of that value rank because the fill fields conflict. Where star scores match, the higher review count is listed first, after the two badges.
Amazon star rating
40%The number on the card is the amazon.co.uk star rating multiplied by 20. A 4.2 becomes 84. That figure is not a kill test.
Review count
25%The top pick is the kept listing with the highest amazon.co.uk review count. A high star line on a small sample does not outrank a long trail.
Stated volume per pound
20%Best value is the most stated millilitres per pound where the title and the other fields agree. A conflicting fill is left out of that rank.
Label you can check
15%A named active, a residual claim, and named surfaces score as present only when the captured listing prints them. A missing HSE number is not filled in.
Read the user category, the named active, the format, and whether the pack size agrees with itself. A bed bug killer here is a household spray, aerosol or one-shot fog, often also labelled for dust mites. NHS says a DIY treatment is unlikely to finish the job. Shelf prices in this capture run from about £6.99 to about £14.49. The top pick is the longest review trail. Best value is the most stated millilitres per pound where the fill is clear. Nothing on this page is a laboratory kill test.
A bed bug killer in this comparison is a household spray, aerosol or one-shot fog sold to kill bed bugs, often also labelled for dust mites. People in the UK usually buy one after bites that followed travel, a second-hand bed, or insects in a rented flat. NHS says a DIY treatment is unlikely to finish the job. The can sits beside a hot wash and, when the insects are beyond one room, a council or a pest controller. Buy a general-public biocide and follow the label.
Medway Council says leave the treatment at least 15 days before you vacuum. BPCA says at least two weeks. Other councils print different gaps. Follow the label you were given. Vacuuming soon after is reported to strip the film, including on the NOPE! spray.
Mattress and frame are not sheets and pillowcases. NHS says wash at 60°C and tumble dry hot for at least 30 minutes. Freeze items you cannot wash. NHS says two to three weeks. BPCA says at least three days. Do not merge those intervals, and do not treat bites with the insecticide.
A catch that will not stay down is a recurring defect on the Zero In bomb, so the can never releases. A fog also misses seams. Buying on professional-strength wording, or spraying only the middle of the mattress, does not clear a flat.
The first check is the user category. Buy a general-public biocide and follow the label. A professional-only product is out of scope at home. HSE publishes separate lists for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and COPR still covers some older approvals. Product type 18 is the insecticide group. A named active you can read matters more than a slogan.
A surface spray reaches seams, frames and skirting. A one-shot bomb fills a closed room and then you leave. The Zero In bomb is aimed at rooms up to 40 cubic metres: leave immediately, wait two hours, ventilate. It does not replace a 60°C wash, and it prints no residual time. Reviewers report failed latches and bugs still moving. Printed residuals here are over two weeks on the Zero In aerosols and up to three months on NOPE!. Those are claims, not a test run for this comparison.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You still need to wash the luggage and the bedding, not only fog a suitcase. The Zero In two-pack, about £11.00, is 4.2 from 8,217 reviews and names cyphenothrin and prallethrin with an over-two-weeks claim. Reviewers describe fewer bites when they also wash or steam. It is a weak match if you need a printed HSE number, or if insects are already in more than one room.
One room is the wrong scale when a neighbour has bed bugs or insects are already next door. A can does not treat the flat upstairs. If the problem is still a single bedroom you can leave while the spray dries, the Zero In two-pack is the longest review trail here. If nobody can leave the home, do not start an insecticide.
None of these listings answer whether the can is safe for pets. The Zero In bomb, about £7.94, tells you to leave immediately, wait two hours, then ventilate. That is a re-entry rule, not a pet-safe claim. Skip every can here if the pet cannot leave. Cypermethrin on the NOPE! listing is described as very toxic to aquatic life.
The top pick is the Zero In bed bug and dust mite killer, two 300 ml cans, at about £11.00. It has the highest review count in this set, 4.2 from 8,217 amazon.co.uk reviews, and the listing names cyphenothrin and prallethrin with an over-two-weeks residual claim. The same reviews describe choking fumes, a blocked cap, and insects still alive after a direct spray, and there is no HSE number. The best value is Pestshield, six 200 ml cans, 1,200 ml stated, at about £11.99, with 4.0 from 614 reviews. That is the most spray per pound where the fill is clear. The captured fields do not name an active. Neither badge is a laboratory result, and NHS guidance is that a DIY treatment is unlikely to clear an infestation.
Zero In bed bug and dust mite killer, 2 × 300 ml
Highest review count in this set: 4.2 from 8,217 amazon.co.uk reviews, at about £11.00, with cyphenothrin and prallethrin named.
Pestshield bed bug and flea spray, 6 × 200 ml
Six 200 ml cans, 1,200 ml stated, at about £11.99: the most spray per pound where the fill is unambiguous, at 4.0 from 614 reviews.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these nine listings. Last checked 20 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines captured for these nine products. We did not run a laboratory kill test.
