Bed bug spray or bomb
Updated: October 2026
You are standing in a bedroom with a suitcase still half unpacked, and amazon.co.uk is offering both a trigger spray and a one-press fogger. A bed bug spray or bomb is not two labels for the same job. A spray goes where you point it, into piping, frame joints and skirting. The Zero In one-shot fills a closed room of up to 40 cubic metres and then you leave. This page is that format choice. Prices are the captured amazon.co.uk shelf prices in GBP, and the rows sit on our [bed bug killer comparison](/hub/pest-control/bed-bug-killer).
You are standing in a bedroom with a suitcase still half unpacked, and amazon.co.uk is offering both a trigger spray and a one-press fogger. A bed bug spray or bomb is not two labels for the same job.
You are standing in a bedroom with a suitcase still half unpacked, and amazon.co.uk is offering both a trigger spray and a one-press fogger. A bed bug spray or bomb is not two labels for the same job. A spray goes where you point it, into piping, frame joints and skirting. The Zero In one-shot fills a closed room of up to 40 cubic metres and then you leave. This page is that format choice. Prices are the captured amazon.co.uk shelf prices in GBP, and the rows sit on our bed bug killer comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Format | Residual claim | Coverage | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Zero In Zero In bed bug and dust mite killer, 2 × 300 ml | Directed aerosol | Over 2 weeks | Seams you can reach | 8.7 | about £11.00 | View offer |
| Best value |  Pestshield Pestshield bed bug and flea spray, 6 × 200 ml | Directed aerosol | Not stated | Carpet, skirting, bed heads | 8.3 | about £11.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Zero In Zero In bed bug killer bomb, 150 ml | One-shot bomb | Not stated | Rooms up to 40 m³ | 7.9 | about £7.94 | View offer |
On this page
What a surface spray does
A surface spray puts insecticide on the path bed bugs actually walk. The evidence leader is the Zero In two-pack of 300 ml cans at £11.00, 4.2 from 8,217 reviews, with a residual claim of over two weeks. NOPE! is the water-based spray at £13.99, with cypermethrin named. Those durations are shop-page claims, not a lab duel. If you only wet the centre of the mattress, the insects in the frame joint never meet the product. A spray does not wash sheets.
What the Zero In one-shot does
The bomb in this comparison is Zero In model ZER984, 150 ml, £7.94, 3.8 out of 5 from 263 reviews. The listing says natural pyrethrins, one press, rooms up to 40 cubic metres, leave immediately, wait two hours, then ventilate. A small bedroom can fit that volume. There is no residual time on the capture. Many one-star reviews say nothing died. A catch that will not stay down is a recurring defect. "Natural" does not mean you stay in the room. A fog still misses a deep seam and the inside of a divan.
When a spray beats a bomb
Choose the spray when the bed is the problem and you can reach it. Choose the bomb only when the room is within 40 cubic metres, every person and pet can leave for two hours, and you accept a 3.8 score with a known latch fault. Insects along the mattress piping, with sheets going in the machine at 60°C: the spray is the primary tool. The bomb is optional afterwards, not instead of the piping. The how to use bed bug spray page holds the vacuum rule once any residual film is down.
Laundry and scale
Both formats fail if the duvet stays on the bed. Wash bedding hot. NHS says two to three weeks. BPCA says at least three days. Do not average them. One can does not treat the flat upstairs. If insects are in a second room, NHS says contact the council or a pest controller. Fish tanks do not belong in a room you are about to fog, and the bomb's pet line is blank.
Common questions
Is a bomb enough for one bedroom?
Only if the room is within the stated 40 cubic metres, you leave for two hours, and you already accept that foggers miss sheltered harbourages. The Zero In bomb is £7.94 and scores 3.8 from 263 reviews, with bugs still walking in the texts and latches that fail. A small bedroom can fit the volume. The piping and the divan base still need a directed spray or a professional if you cannot reach them. Bedding still goes in the wash.
Do I still wash bedding if I use a bomb?
Yes. The bomb does not replace a 60°C wash and a hot tumble dry of at least 30 minutes. Sheets and pillowcases are laundry on the NHS page, whether you fog the room or spray the frame. Bag them before you press the can so you are not carrying insects into the hallway afterwards.
How long do I leave the room?
The Zero In listing says leave immediately, wait two hours, then ventilate. That is the captured instruction for this bomb, not a suggestion to hover in the doorway. A review adds that the gas is flammable and electrics should be off. That line is not in the saved bullets, so confirm it on the can. Pets leave too. The listing does not say the product is safe for them.
Can I use a bomb in a flat with fish tanks?
Not in the same closed room as the tank. The pet and stain questions on this bomb are unanswered, and a total-release fog is designed to fill the space you then leave. Remove tanks, or do not use the bomb, and follow whatever the label says about ventilation before you bring animals back. Cypermethrin sprays in the same comparison warn that the active is very toxic to aquatic life. "Natural pyrethrin" is not a pass for fish.
Why do reviews say the catch broke?
Because a faulty latch is a repeated theme in the 263-review sample. If the catch will not stay down, the can does not release and you have not treated the room. Do not keep pressing a failed unit while you stand beside it. Use a directed spray for the seams, or replace the bomb, and do not record a broken actuator as a completed fog.
Will pyrethrin natural mean low hazard?
No. The listing traces the active to chrysanthemum and still tells you to leave immediately and ventilate after two hours. Natural is a source word, not a low-hazard classification. People and pets stay out. Read the precaution panel on the can you bought, including any flammability line, before you press the valve.
When is a bomb the wrong choice?
When bed bugs are in seams you can reach, when the room is larger than 40 cubic metres, when someone cannot leave for two hours, when the latch will not lock, or when you hoped a fog would wash the bedding for you. It is also the wrong choice as the only step in a block of flats. In those cases the directed spray, plus laundry, is the format that matches the harbourage, and a council or pest controller is the next call if a second look a week later still shows insects.
Related pages
Sources
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.
- NHS, Bedbugs (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE, Using biocides (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE, UK authorised biocidal products (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE, COPR (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BPCA, controlling bed bugs (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BPCA, Bed bugs in 2024 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Medway Council, before and after bedbug treatment (retrieved 20 October 2026)