Summary: How to get rid of bed bugs? Treating bed bugs involves a number of important steps, starting with proper identification! Finding out what works before attempting any treatments is also critical and there are a number of home remedies for bed bugs that you can use at minimal cost, such as steam and Silica. Lastly, this article will guide you through the prevention process to ensure that they stay away for good!
Bed bugs are a fairly large problem and are a common sight in many parts of the world! If you have dealt with your own bed bug infestation, you would probably agree that they are rather difficult to get rid them effectively, even with the help from exterminators and your public health officers. In addition to finding them in your sheets and under your pillows, you may find them in your bags or even in your clothing, which can often be rather embarrassing. Bed bugs are also annoying and since they can pose a potentially serious health risk, it’s very important to learn how to get rid of bed bugs as quickly as possible.
Do You Have Bed Bugs? – How to Check for a Bed Bug Infestation
Firstly, you need to use your basic observation skills! This will be covered in more detail in this article. Look in your bed, under your sheets, on your curtains, under furniture, behind picture frames and even in cracks and electrical plugs in your walls. See the bed bug picture in this post for a close up view of this pest.
Secondly, you need to check for any bite marks on your body. They are usually red in appearance but some people do not react as badly as others. For additional information, visit my article about treating bed bug bites correctly.
Thirdly, check your bed for any dark marks as this is often a tell-tale sign that you have bed bugs. I hope you haven’t just finished eaten before reading this because this is fairly gross. These marks are often the after effects of their shed skin, blood and excrement. Make sure that you chuck your linen in the washing machine if you find this!
Bed Bugs – Proper Identification and Facts
- Females can lay eggs as soon as they find a suitable place, at a rate of a single egg per day. In their lifespan, they can lay around 200 to 500 eggs. Bedbugs have to crawl their way to their next meal or nesting place as despite having wings, they are unable to fly.
- If you are infested, it’s possible to have over a couple million bed bugs in your home within a year! It would only take a week for 380 000 of these pests to suck a human completely dry! Imagine the amount of pest control that would be needed in a situation like that!
- Bed bugs are usually found in the dark. Much like the vampires from Twilight, it seems that they don’t do so well in the sun. They also don’t need much food. They can survive without blood for well over a year! But bed bugs will actively search for blood, which means that they will find you or your pets if you cannot find them!
- There are over 90 species of bed bugs. Some of the more common ones include the “Leptocimex boueti“, “Cimex pilosellus“, “Cimex hemipterus” and the “Cimex lectularius” (which is often referred to as “the common bedbug”). Bedbugs are also sometimes called red coats, chinches or mahogany flats, depending on which part of the world you are from. A big shout-out to Lou Sorkin from Flickr for some clarification on these. 🙂
- You won’t find any insecticides that combat bed bugs for your bedding as they are poisonous to humans and animals. Exterminators are known to implement a few natural sprays for effective pest control. However, my weapon of choice is simply steam and we will discuss this!
- Many wonder how long it takes to get rid of bed bugs. Research shows that it can take anything from a couple days to a few months, depending on your removal strategy. If you want to ensure that it goes as quickly as possible, make sure that you follow all the steps in this article!
Bed Bugs – Find Them Before They Impact Your Life!
Importantly, the easiest way to locate bed bugs is to use an ordinary flashlight. Professional exterminators often use a small device known as a “pyrethrum” flushing unit that is used to reveal the hiding places of these pests but don’t worry, your plain old torch is perfectly fine, provided it’s bright enough. The most common place that bed bugs usually lurk is in your bedding so its recommend that you take your bed apart (if this is possible). But what do they look like? You are looking for a light-brown insect (sometimes a red brown if they have fed on blood) that has a rather flattish appearance (very much like the appearance of an apple seed) and about 5mm in size.
Ways That Bed Bugs Get Into Your Home
- Inside your bed, behind your baseboards, in your pillows or under your linen (sheets, etc.)
- Inside cracks and crevices in your walls and ceilings.
- Inside or around your furniture, such as couches and cushioned chairs (this may require you to take these items apart if possible, but trust me, it will be worth the effort).
- Behind picture frames, electrical plugs and other wall sockets.
- In your clothing, your cupboards or dressers.
- Inside or around your couches and cushioned chairs.
- On your curtains or hiding in the darkest corners of your rooms, especially under furniture.
- Within any close proximity of common living areas, usually as close as a couple meters in any direction.
- I have even found a few hiding in the darker corners of the room, often underneath various items that hardly ever get moved. While you are looking for these pests, keep an eye out for any signs of bed bug eggs. They are small and white and although they are hard to see, they also need to be removed as they will be the source of your next infestation!
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs – Five Simple Steps for Quick Results
- If you are a tenant, it’s always a good idea to let your landlord know about the infestation as he may offer to help with the costs involved in the removal process. After he or she knows about it, make sure that you vacuum ou entire house as this will ensure that you suck up most of the bugs and their unhatched offspring. It’s also recommended that you also vacuum the ends of your curtains. Due to the physical structure of the bed bug legs, they are often difficult to remove from different types of fabrics. You may be required to use a stiff brush to dislodge them from their resting place.
Steam Kills Bed Bugs 
- Secondly, if you can afford it, consider getting your carpets steamed as bed bugs cannot survive in temperatures above 50 degrees (120 Fahrenheit). If you want to really want to get rid of them fast, can also pick up a fairly cheap hand held steam blower at your nearest hardware store or supermarket. I have had a few people recommend using rubbing alcohol as this apparently is lethal to these pests. However, after some research, it seems that you have to dab each one which seems like way to much effort for me. I would rather just suck them up with my vacuum 🙂
Wash Your Clothes
- Thirdly, it’s extremely important to wash all your clothes (even stuff that is unused) and use a dryer to kill the bed bugs on them. This also includes your sheets and other bedding. Remember to set it to the hottest possible and for longer than 30 minutes otherwise it’s possible the bed bugs will not be eliminated. It’s also recommended that you repeat your entire wash load twice. While this may take some time (especially if you have a ton of clothes), it will ensure that you get rid of these bed bugs properly without any chance of any surviving. While your clothing and other material is spinning around in your dryer, spend a little time fixing up any cracks in your furniture, ceilings and walls. As previously mentioned, they are often come from these type of places so it’s a good idea to fix them up. Plus I am sure it will improve the overall appearance of your home and perhaps score you a few brownie points with your significant other!
DE Kills Bed Bugs
- Purchase some food grade Diatomaceous Earth and spread a small amount around your house, focusing on areas you feel that bed bugs may be hiding. The food grade variation of DE is completely non-toxic and this means that you can use it anywhere in your home. Just keep in mind that it makes a bit of a dust cloud during application but once its down, its very effective for bed bugs and diatomaceous earth can even kill fleas. Diatomaceous earth works by dehydrating the bed bugs and has been used by many to get rid of small bed bug infestations. WARNING: Please make sure its food grade and not pool grade as the latter is dangerous to your health and should not be used indoors!
- If you are still struggling to get rid of these bugs, I recommend that you call an experienced pest control professional. Just make sure that they are certified to perform the job otherwise they could just end up making it worse. Also keep in mind that return visits may be necessary, especially with larger bed bug infestations so weigh up the cost factor carefully.
As an alternative, you can also purchase an bed bug spray that contains an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) which will effectively kill bed bugs and stop their life cycle if you have a small infestation. [UPDATE: I have been told by a number of sources that a natural bug spray called Bug Patrol and KleenGreen are fairly effective, however I cannot vouch for them myself as I have not personally used them] As previously mentioned, Diatomaceous is a very useful for bed bug treatment.]
Preventative Measures That Really Work for Bed Bug Control
When it comes to things, like beds and pillows, try your very best to purchase them new, instead of second hand as research shows that this is a common way of getting bed bugs, even if you have a clean, well-kept home. If you borrow or buy something of this nature from a friend or a family member, make sure that you check it for things like bed bugs and other nasty insects that could make your life miserable, not to mention potentially painful.
Bed Bug Prevention
After I had a fairly bad infestation of these insects, I simply opted to throw away my mattress and start over. While this may be a bit of a shotgun approach, it’s sometimes the quickest and cheapest way of doing it, especially if you are thinking of hiring an exterminator. Even if you are not a frequent traveler, it’s highly likely that you have encountered bed bugs in hotels and other places when you were on holiday or business. Unfortunately, you cannot personally control these sort of situations and thus, here are a few quick tips to prevent yourself:
- Consider attaching double sided tape around the bottom of your bed as shown in the picture. While this is not a permanent solution, if you thoroughly check your bed for bed bugs and use this method, you can rest easy knowing that if those pests try and sneak up on you during the night, they will get stuck and have to spend the night looking rather foolish as they try to escape without success.
- Alternatively, you can also cover your beds with plastic, zip locked bed cover to ensure that don’t donate any blood to hotel bed bugs.
- Lastly, when you get home from your trip, it’s a good idea to immediately put your clothing and other material items in the washing machine and into a hot dryer as this will ensure that you do not bring any into your clean house.
In conclusion, dealing with a bed bug infestation is really not that bad if you take the necessary pest control steps outlined in this article. And once you have got rid of these bugs, simply take proactive measures to ensure that they do not return with a vengeance. Always remember that’s it’s a good idea to first try natural methods that you can perfect yourself before going the paid or chemical route. However, if you do have a bed bug problem that you feel is out of control, The Bug Squad recommends that you consult a professional exterminator as your health and well-being is worth the relief it will bring. If you enjoyed the information presented, please consider sharing this post on FB, Twitter or your social media platform of choice. Thanks! 🙂
Educational Video On Removing Bed Bugs:
Hello! My name is Natasha, and I have been helping people with their insect problems since 2012. I have published a book, worked with many pest control companies, and helped thousands with various infestations on a one-to-one basis. My goal for this blog is to create evidence-based guides that are easy to understand, provide sufficient depth and can be trusted to be very accurate. Please remember that my guides are for informational purposes only, and that you agree to the terms of use when reading content on this website. If you leave a comment, I typically respond within 48 hours.
I appreciate you helping me learn more about identifying how, what causes and where bed bugs usually stay. Right now, I’m going to check all those spots and I really have a feeling that we got bed bugs since I’ve been really itching every time I lay in our bed. Maybe I’ll call a professional one to get rid of them and have them check the whole house.
Hi Lucy! That sucks, sorry to hear that. You could do that, just make sure that it is bed bugs though. I find that if you spend 20min or so checking the bed, etc. for signs of them, it is usually enough to find some evidence of their presence. Hope that helps.
My daughter has brought some bedbugs home. Or it is from a stuffed f animal . She has tapestry hanging from her ceiling. Do i need to take them down. Also do i need to throw away the stuffed animals? She does have tapestry all on her walls. I have spread de every where . I also bought a steamer. Worried about it spreading
Hi Karen! If you triple check that there are no bed bugs on them, it should be fine to keep them. It sounds like you have taken the necessary steps, my recommendation is to keep an eye out for them on a daily basis and take action if you see them. Let me know if you need help!
Hi Natasha ,
Thankyou for all the useful information on this webpage. We’ve been fighting a bed bug infestation for over 3 years now , we’ve steamed , we’ve used rubbing alcohol which the rubbing alcohol is effective for a day or 2 but then theres a fresh outbreak and our throats and lungs simply cannot handle the massive quantities of rubbing alcohol in the air. We’ve found them in everything the walls , the sockets, the curtains , electronics , dresser frames and drawers , picture frames and even in the spines of books! I have yet to find a safe treatment for reading books.Definitely going to try the DE but if baking soda is just as effective it would be alot more cost effective. Double sided tape may be good on the walls.
Hi Nina! It is a pleasure! With an infestation like that, I highly recommend that you get the house treated. I know its expensive but I am not sure if you could handle that yourself. Sorry to bring the bad news, but they will sort out the situation if you choose someone reputable.
Hi Natasha….started to get bad bites about a month but couldn’t find any bugs. Finally, I have seen 3 in the past week. I have washed and dried bed sheets/linens, sprayed retail store bed bug spray all over the room including bed frame, box spring, mattress. Next, I bought Encasements for the box spring & mattress. Just yesterday, I dusted w DE all over my bedroom perimeter- baseboards, cracks, crevices and then dusted the bed frame. I really need these things out of my life so my question is did I miss any step? Am I on the right path? Do you recommend anything else I should be doing? I have no clue how they got in my house since neither me wife or I travel at all. Just really need these gone ASAP! It’s affecting my quality of life!
Hi CJ! Sounds like you are on the right track, keep that up and let’s see if it helps. If you see any more in the next 2 weeks or so, let me know!
Hi Natasha…..so about a month ago I found the tiny visitors in our sons bed…. as I went in to panic mode..I threw out his bed….as we investigated…I found some on my other son’s bed…not many…threw that bed out…severe panic set in…in all I threw out 3 beds..2 headboards…..and one small entertainment center that was in my son’s room…..I found only a few in our room…I truly believe this started in my son’s room..his bed was the center if the find……we have used sprays and have the powder along the walls in all the bedrooms and bed legs….I vacuum often…..we live in rural area so steam cleaning is a little hard to do….I placed the powder down after the first clean…..haven’t seen new visitors…only noticed 2 bodies in a trap….should I vacuum the powder and put a new coat down or leave it alone? I’m still on edge….my family thinks I’m going overboard…what do I do now??
Hi Loretta! You can leave the powder down (unless it has gotten damp) for a week or so before vacuuming it up (just use a regular bag vacuum, nothing fancy as it can clog it up). If you still see them after that, let me know! Cheers
Natasha,
Hello. I bought used furniture. We moved it in to the living room. It was in the room for about 2 hours when my husband noticed bugs on the chair. They were definitely bed bugs. We immediately got all the furniture out of the house. We have hard wood floors in our living room and I used our steamer on the floor where the furniture was and the surrounding area. We threw all of our clothes in the washer and dryer and took showers. We were on our hands and knees with flashlights and didn’t see any bugs inside the house after taking out the furniture and cleaning. What else should I do? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, I suggest that you pray. Jokes I think that you will be fine, just be sure to drop me a message the second you find any of those bugs in the house and I will help you.
Hi Natasha,
I started getting bites after a holiday in September. I had never seen BB before so it took me a while to identify the issue. I was in denial I had them but I saw one feeding at night when I woke up from an itch. An exterminator would have been too expensive for the whole house as we have 5 rooms. No one else complains from bites but the exterminators refused to treat just one room. It would be cheaper for me to move but I am trying to avoid the hassle. So I sprayed with 3 different products. I threw away my mattress and box and got a new mattress and metal bed frame. I put home made traps at each bed leg and sticky tape. I was hoovering pretty much every day in the beginning and doing laundry often. I did a few follow up spraying rounds although I don’t really treat the clothes in the wardrobes. I haven’t had any bites for 51 days now, since I got the new mattress (which is still in the plastic). I saw a dead bed bug on a shelf 4 weeks ago which scared me a bit. I sleep in the same room every night but I haven’t seen any bugs since the dead one. Can I be hopeful that they are gone? Thank you!
Hi Jane! I don’t know what products you purchased, but by the sound of things, you should be in the clear. Well done! Let me know if you find any live BB or get any more bites. Have a good one!
Hi Natasha not sure if this it the way to post a question but I found a huge bedbug with eggs around it . I was able to kill all the eggs and host I believe. Does that mean I will be able to stop this before it gets out of control?
Hi Jamie, it is possible, but I highly recommend that you spend some time looking for any other signs of them. Hope that helps.
Hi, Natasha!
I recently found out my roommate has an enormous infestation inside her room and I’m mortified! I’ve just cut my losses and moved, throwing out all my furniture and taking my clothes to the dry cleaners and asking them to be washed in hot water, etc. I’m a little worried about my bunnies, though. I have a twin set and I was wondering if they can attach to animals and carry over to my new apartment. I love my babies and don’t want to get rid of them, that would kill me, so if they DO in fact carry over how do I remove them from my bunnies? Also, can they live in my hair? I might just be paranoid but I feel like I’m constantly being crawled on and I kind of want to cut my hair because I’m scared of carrying them. And lastly, how can I prevent them in this new apartment? Should I put down DE bed bug powder and bug bomb everything? Grateful for any knowledge you bestow upon me.
Thank you!
Danielle
Hi Danielle! I recommend that you simply give your bunnies a warm bath and use a little soap, and do the same for yourself before you leave. That will be enough to kill any bed bugs. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, thanks for all the info it was very helpful. My question is, is it possible to only have them in one room of the house? A few months ago (maybe 2) my sister was complaining about weird brown streaks on her bedding I immediately thought bed bugs! She told me I was being paranoid and kept pretreating her sheets to get rid of the spots. Well last week she found a bug in her bed, it is definitely bed bugs. We’ve vacuumed, steamed, and alcohol sprayed. The biggest culprit was her box spring which is currently on the porch and will probably be getting thrown out. We are waiting on the DE to finish it hopefully. The weird thing is we can’t find a sign of them anywhere else in the house… It’s freaking me out Bc I don’t see how that’s possible. We’ve checked every bedroom and couch thoroughly but nothing. If she’s had them for months how could it not have spread? It is a small one- we only found about 20 actual bugs. Which is also weird bc she’s been noticing streaks on her sheets for weeks. Sorry for the long message but I’m worried it’s everywhere. Can’t wait for that DE!!
Hi AI, yes it is possible, your circumstance proves it 🙂 I honestly don’t know, usually they spread very easily but I guess, sometimes people get lucky I guess. Hope the DE works for you, let me know how it goes!
Hi. I’ve been dealing with bed bugs for a while now and am really frustrated with them. I am going to try your suggestion about the DE. What should I do about them being in my computer? I can’t afford a new and don’t want to get rid of this one.
Hi Paul, I suggest that you just manually inspect your computer for bed bugs, although I think that you won’t find any in there. However, if you do, just dab them with rubbing alcohol and they will die instantly, no need to get a new PC.
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post.
Thanks for providing this info.
Hi Molivos, it is a pleasure!
I am not sure if we have bedbugs, but I am freaking. I have Mu husband saw a bug and I killed one on the comforter. Do not see any on box spring or mattress. I noticed some stains on the sheet. My Husband thought he may have scratched himself. What do you recommend I do tonight to treat in case. I’ve bagged clothes and linens. I threw out pillows. I would appreciate your advice.
Hi Jody, I suggest that you spend some time to actually find the bed bugs before taking drastic action. Check your mattress and linen first 🙂
Is anybody here? HELP!!!
Hi Mercy! Feel free to leave me a comment that describes your situation and I will try help you.
Where can I find Lavender oil & Tea Tree Oil.
Hi Tonia! You can find them at most health shops, pharmacies or an online retailer like Amazon. Hope that helps!
Hi! My mom had a bed bug infestation pretty bad back in November. She stayed with my brother the whole month of December. We had a professional exterminator come in and spray. Her bed, couch and chair were so bad, we had to rent a dumpster and get rid a lot of her stuff. He told us to put what we wanted to keep on her carport and leave it out there for 3 weeks because the cold weather would kill them if anything was out there. We had a bout 2 weeks of freezing weather, we live in Illinois. We had the carpet steam cleaned and he sprayed again and only found 4 live bugs and no eggs. We washed all her clothes in hot water and dried in a hot drier. The furniture we brought back in he sprayed and we wiped with oil soap. Well she just found more in her bed. (April) he came back again and we had the same exterminator come back. He felt really bad because he thought he had got them all. (he has been in business for 35 years and is certified in bed bug extermination). he thought this time they were only contained to the bedroom. he sprayed again, and my husband and me threw away her pillows and comforter. They seemed to be more prevalent there. She had a bedbug cover on her mattress but we had to buy one for the box springs. We washed all her clothes in her closet and drawers again. So far her has come back twice and found nothing. he is going to come back once a month to check. My problem is my 35 year old son has been told by another exterminator that you can’t get rid of bed bugs that easily short of throwing everything away or moving. he won’t even go to my mom’s house to see her anymore and will barely come to mine if he knows she’s there. I had the exterminator check my house to make sure I don’t have any but he his super paranoid. What can I say to ease his mind?
Hi Dawn, I can assure you that that is absolute rubbish. You don’t need to throw away everything, goodness hehe. I am not sure how to convince your son, maybe he will change his mind after the exterminator confirms they are gone? Logically, tell him to rather believe someone who is certified in bed bug removal for the last 35 years lol. Good luck!
My current house has got bedbug infestation from pasts two months. I am using DE powder but still bed bugs come back 2-3 days after reapplying the powder.
I am changing the house in a week. How do I ensure that bed bugs don’t travel with me to the new house.
Hi Prerna, I suggest that you hot wash, air dry (outside) and then bag your linen. This includes your curtains, clothes, pillow cases, sheets, etc. If you do this properly, you should be fine. Also make sure that you don’t have any of them on you during this process. Hope that helps.
I am a home health aide and am in numerous patients homes… I haven’t seen any bed bugs…. My daughters school seems to have issues with a bed bug here and there in different classrooms… This evening, she found what we believe is a bed bug climbing up the wall on our staircase…. I immediately checked her bed, my sons bed, and my bed….i didn’t find any bugs or any evidence that any bugs had been on any of our mattresses….i also want to note that the bug she found was VERY slender… And a brown color… From the looks of it, it hadn’t bit anyone… Is it possible that this bug just hitchhiked into our home and we don’t have any issues? Or should I go ahead and start buying products and start exterminating?
Hi Amy, I think that is the case (the hitchhiking lol) and although I suggest you don’t worry about it, just keep an eye on the situation. If you get any bites, see any dark spots on bed linen, etc, take immediate action or just message me and I will guide you. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha,
I can’t tell you how helpful this thread has been, and the fact you are still commenting on it heartens me.
I had a house party about 2 weeks ago and, as is customary, I told my guests to ‘put their coats on the bed’… I’ll never do that again! Whilst I can’t confirm it was the way in for the bed bugs I’ve since had, I’m sure it didn’t help my odds.
I started getting bitten and contacted my letting agency who sent around the maintenance crew. After a close inspection they couldn’t find any signs of bugs, and I had also bee scouring closely each morning after being bitten. none of the typical nesting signs were there, still aren’t. The other day I bought glue traps to try and find evidence and in the morning work with more bites. when I was making the bed I found a live one which I quickly put in a ziploc bag and contacted my letting agency again. Chicago’s city ordinance means that letting agencies are obliged to do something about bed bugs and pay for it all too. so maintenance came around last night, and sprayed something. I bought a spray bottle and rubbing alcohol, I bought Raid for bed bugs, and I hot washed my linen (very happy to read that it’s unlikely my other clothes are affected). I dried my duvet on hot and remade the bed (after the spray had dried)… more bites this morning!
And then I found this thread. I am going to buy a steam cleaner and some DE this evening on the way home and I’m looking forward to a fun filled evening of steaming the mattress, washing the linen AGAIN, dismantling and steaming/spraying with alochol, the bed frame, and then sprinkling DE around once it’s all dry. I’ll also do the sofa just in case although I’ve not been bitten there. I’ll repeat this whole process ever other day until I don’t get bitten.
I think I’m catching it early enough and the maintenance crew will be back each week to check and spray again. I’m not sure what else I can do… does this sound like a good regimen?
I will never have people put coats on my bed, and I will never put my coat on someones bed either. In fact I’m going to hold off on having anyone over for some time!!!!
Hi Tom! Thanks for your kind words and I feel kinda bad for replying so late lol, just been catching up on comments hehe 🙂 Yes, that sounds like a good plan, I like it but please let me know if it worked out for you as it has been awhile since you posted this. Have a good one!
Hi Natasha,
So my battle plan involved a very detailed mindmap of how to destroy and prevent and this is what I ended up doing. I forked over the cash for a bag of D-earth, mattress protector (the most expensive thing in the basket), and a hand steamer. I also bought some Raid and isopropyl alochol to put in a spray bottle. In addition my building maintenance came each week and sprayed whatever they sprayed. My room was sterilized essentially. Thankfully they never spread anywhere else.
Like I had said, the route in for them was at my house party and letting guests put their coats on my bed. DON’T do this people! it invites disaster!
I stripped the bed and steamed mattress whilst drying the duvet and pillows on hot for over an hour. I then rubbed in D-Earth to the mattress and sealed it away in the cover. I took apart my bed and sprayed and liberally sprinkled D-Earth into all the joins and screw hole.s I put a ring of it around my bed and along the side of the bead, and around the edge of my room. When I remade the bed I put D-earth around the edge of the sheet on the mattress too. I sprayed the alcohol around the base of the feet of the bed.
did I get bitten again, yes… but I refreshed the treatment every few days and eventually I stopped being bitten. I imagine any remaining bugs were got by the fort knox of control I had made.
I’ve now been bug free for almost 2 months and I am sleeping so much better for it…
It’s awful to feel like patient zero when you mention the problem to friends, but I now know exactly how to get rid of them and your post and comments made that possible.
thank you!
Hi Tom, absolutely fantastic tips, I really appreciate you sharing them with the community. I have scheduled to write a small ebook about DIY bed bug control so might borrow a few steps from this comment hehe. Again, thanks for the comment, have a good one!
I have had bed bugs. Found out by myself being bitten not my spouse. We hired an exterminator, he came twice like they say they do. Couple weeks later I am getting bites again. Hubby called him again He came back did another treatment. Seemed to be ok but now within the past week I have had more bites. We have 2 sided tape on our bed frame. Reading this article. Should I be washing all our clothes in the dressers and closet, as the exterminator said we didn’t have to do that. I cannot see any sign of the bed bugs but I am certain they are back because they are little red spots, very itchy and end up being welts and swelling in the area of bites. What else would you recommend. We have gone and bought mattress covers specifically for bed bugs after the first treatment. I’m at a loss now as to what to do. After the second treatment I even steam cleaned our carpet. Please help I’m tired of being itchy and swollen
Hi Tammy! Have you actually seen the bed bugs? Perhaps it is another insect. My recommendation is to investigate the mattress for any signs of them, here is a video I made that will help you – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB6bP6zFLHM – if you find anything, let me know and I will help you through this.
Hi my names Calie and we had bed bugs in our old house and when we moved we washed and sprayed everything we had now we live in a new house that was remodeled and recently I’ve been waking up to see them on my bed is it possible for them to come back once you got rid of them? Because now I’ve been so paranoid to sleep because I get all itchy and need to check if its a bug I’ve tried every solution and nothing seems to be working can you help me out?
Hi Calie! Yes it is possible, sorry about that. I suggest you try the removal tips shown in the video at the bottom of the article, they are very effective.
Hi so I’ve been in a homeless shelter for a few weeks and there are definitely bed bugs I just got a new apartment, and don’t want the critters coming with me. What can I do about my 3 year olds pet hamster and my books to make sure they don’t come with me? Also washing laundry in hot water and drying on highest heat setting for my clothes will work right?
Hi Rose! Yes, do that for all clothes and linen. Just wipe down all items and then carefully look at the hamster cage for any signs. That should be sufficient, good luck! Oh and grats on the new apartment, I am sure that 2017 is going to be a good one for you!
Thanks for the tip to check for bite marks on your body to determine if you have bed bugs. You also said that female bed bugs can lay eggs as soon as they find a suitable place. I think it’s a good idea to make sure that you are washing your bedding in hot water regularly to keep them away.
Hi Cindy! It’s a pleasure and yes, that will definitely help. Also make a habit to check the physical bed for signs of them, pretty quick to do as well.
Hello Natasha, I discovered a few BB’s not enough to call it a infestation but just a few. How I think they came into my house is about 8 months ago my husbands friend was super down on his luck an lost his house an had been in jail found out his son had brain cancer. He had been traveling in an out of our home. He sometimes stays with other people he chose to sleep on my living room floor which was right outside my bedroom. He did seem to have the best of hygiene took his laundry to the laundry mat. Now he’s gone a I have a few unwanted creepy crawlies. When I found them I immediately smashed them with Clorox bleach wipes and went around the whole braid of the bed. I carefully put all my bedding in the washer on hot water and dried on the highest heat setting. I also vacuumed my bedroom with arm&hammer carpet fresh powder i used the vacuum extension along the baseboards. I made a rubbing alcohol/pure acetone/water mixture in a spray bottle and sprayed all around my mattress an box spring and the frame and legs of my bed around the baseboards . I spray lavender oil on my pillows and sheets. I went 2 nights without any bites and every so often I will have 1 bite. My husband does not get bit at all. I’m a super paranoid freak now, I barely sleep and I worry myself to the point of feeling nauseous. I feel depressed, I haven’t told anyone about this due to the fear of being thought of a non clean person. I’ve tried to not think about it. I’m a mess. I’ve read any and every kind of forum about how to treat the problem yourself without being costly. I check my bed and covers nightly. I keep everything off my floors no clutter, I wash all my clothes on hot water, even when I come home from work, I work in a hospital so im already a clean freak. I haven’t seen any with my nightly bed checks or under the bed. The only this haven’t done that I will be doing is steam. I have a Shark kitchen floor steamer, just didn’t know how effective it would be, but I guess if it steams then it will work. And I don’t know why I’m the only one getting bit?? Help me please I want to rest my mind and nerves, I want my big comfy bed back an bugs to be gone!
Hi Megan, sorry that this has caused so much distress. Yes anything that “steams” will be fine to use, give it a try. Another option is to use food grade Diatomaceous Earth. I have an article on this blog (under the fleas section) but the process is pretty much the same so check it out. Put that under your sheets (light dusting) and bed bugs will die. Hope that helps, let me know if it brings you some relief.
I have a bedbug problem, Ive gotten rid of the old mattress, bed linen, and box spring. The new mattress and box spring are encased with plastic sealable coverings, I have fogged the bed room a few times, sprayed bug spray and even did the alcohol spraying. I can go a couple of days without seeing a bug and when I find them its one or two on the ceiling or curtain. I had read to that cornstarch works so I sprinkled some behind my bed and in the corners of the room. What else can I do to combat these critters? I an NOT sleeping and I don’t want them to spread throughout the house. My daughter and I take turns sleeping in my bed and although I don’t see any bits on me and her lately I still see them sparingly in the bedroom……….I am becoming very paranoid……please help! OH I don’t have any carpet in my home so should I put anything specific down?
Hi Kay. Yes there is. I suggest you look at my DE for fleas article. I know you are talking about bed bugs but the application process is the same. Put it under the sheets and around the bed, it is very effective. Also, highly advise that you hot wash all your bed linen, etc. Hope that helps!
I would like to get the subscription Bug Squad updates if possible and also would to know I I use DE as suggested what about my dog will it harm his heath/Thans in advance
Hi Vera! You can just follow my Facebook page for regular updates when they happen. Yes you can and food grade DE is perfectly safe, hope that helps you!
So about 3 weeks ago i found bedbugs in my head board. It seemed thats the only place i found them after looking everywhere. I threw the headboard out and completely bleached my entire room. I immediately bagged all my clothes and started washing them. For several days i kept bleach in a spray bottle and often sprayed my bed along with baseboards closets and such. I had not seen any bugs for about 2 weeks and i actually just now got all my clothes washed and put up and today when i wAlked into my room i seen one on my bed… i live in a duplex is there a chance they have them next to me or what can i do to get rid of them since i thought they were gone.
Hi! Your best bet would be to tell your landlord and have them sort it out. If it is an issue in the duplex, you can’t do much about it yourself.
Hi there
I’m pregnant and have never gotten marked by a bedbug in my life but I’m freaking out cause it’s 230 am and my fiance just got a cluster of bedbug bites we couldn’t find the culprit. But this is the first night it’s happened and I just got a used PlayStation a couple days ago so I took the PlayStation outside. tomorrow we are gonna deep clean when we wake up but what if it’s a bigger problem than I think. Can bedbugs cause health problems in pregnancy?
Hi Rosie! Are you sure they are bed bug bites though? No not really, not to my knowledge at least. Keep me updated.
Positive it was bed bug bites he only got bit once though ( cluster of 3 bites ) but I woke up quite frequently and ended up seeing the little apple seed sized critter so we killed it we got rid of the PlayStation and searched our bed he hasn’t been bit since.
Hi Rosie! At least you got it sorted, now you need to buy him a new playstation 😉
Hey my mom has been dealing with these little buggers for a year now because I bought a used couch from someone and it was infested with bed bugs and when I confronted the couple about it they denied it. So my mom has literally tried everything. She has done multiple bombs, vacuums every weekend where they are usually located and has steamed the mattresses. Now they have spread to other rooms upstairs. Any advice would help. She has DE but doesn’t want to use it because she doesn’t have Alot of it. Don’t want to call an exterminator due to cost. Thanks.
Hi Amy, if you don’t want to hire someone (although at this point seriously consider it), you can hire a steamer and blast any area where they could be hiding. Provided you hit them directly, the heat kills them. Hope that helps!
Hi, Natasha, I own a 3 family tenement and my 2nd floor just discovered there are bed bugs in his ceiling, he was being bitten, so we called around and had Terminix come to our house to exterminate them, they have come 4 times already, because every time we see a one, even though it’s almost dead, they come spray again a week later. The problem is, how can you tell when they are gone? We aren’t getting bit any longer, but how do I know if we missed just that one and it starts all over again? HELP.
Hi Debbie! Check out this YT video I made regarding finding them, hope it helps – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB6bP6zFLHM
Hi there, my name is Kelly, and I have just thrown out a couch that was being used for a bed…at both ends of the couch (where head and feet were exposed), two clumps of these pests were found…I live in the middle of no where…how do such critters spawn??? The couch, as said earlier, has been physically removed. I am looking forward to getting that Diatomaceous Earth product as well as trying a few of the other recommended products said in other comments. I am going to purchase a steamer….as I have wanted one for some time now anyways for other purposes (to lazy to iron…lol). Do you recommend that I add anything to the steamer when appling the heat??? ie…pinesol, bleach…? I know bleach dissolves them almost instantly…yes dissolve. (nasty, but true)….but will it have any effect if I add it to the steaming process??? I am really getting sick of doing laundry as well…any other ways???…perhaps steaming clothing as well???
Hi Kelly! DE works very well, as does the steamer. Just apply them individually though, DE doesn’t work well when it’s moist. I don’t usually add anything but it won’t hurt, maybe a bit of lavender oil would be effective, up to you. I suppose you could use bleach but I dunno if that will damage the equipment or the linen you are using it on. The direct heat usually kills them so yes, use it on anything.
Hi. I had a mild bed bug infestation and threw out my kids bunk bed purchased used which brought the bed bugs in their bedroom. It’s been a week and i havent seen any bugs anywhere else in the house. But I have killed an average of 3-5 every night. I put down silica gel powder in the entire room. I keep finding a random tiny one in a single side of the room on one part of the wall. I have a dresser with no sign of any infestation anc also all my clothes are in the lids closet. I didn’t see any bugs or feces or any signs of them in there. Between my husband and I we check 3 times until morning with a flashlight to kill any. My question is: Is silica gel as effective as I have been reading? How long do I have to wait till Isee no more bugs to consider myself rid of these horrible things? If I found none in my closet /clothes do I have to was everything? Cna i throw it in a hot dryer for 30 min? Please help. Thanks
Hi Nicole! I suggest you use DE instead, I have an article about it and although it’s written for flea removal, the same applies for bed bugs. I know it contains the same sort of stuff but I find it works better. Throw any clothing that has come into contact into the hot dryer, yes that will kill them. Hope that helps!
Hey there, I was reading a few comments on home remedy kind of deal to get rid of infestation… They are currently living quite comfortably in my sofa and I just simply won’t throw it out, call me stubborn but I just can’t do it lol. I read that pinesol (straight) in a spray bottle will kill them almost instantly next to steam and DE, have you heard of this pinesol solution before and does it really work?
Hi Aaron! Yes it does work, any sort of rubbing alcohol pretty much instantly zaps them hehe. Hope that helps!
A family friend has bed bugs, my kids usually goes over and plays but not since they have found them. They say it’s been 3 days since they have seen any bugs. How long should i wait before I let my kids go back to that house?
Hi Donnell! Tricky question hehe, are they not seeing any bugs because they got the situation treated? If not, maybe wait another week, that is my personal opinion.
hey ive been dealing with bedbugs for a while and i had a dude come to spray it at first i was happy cause they all seemed dead but then as i was spending my first night there happy that it was over me and my gf spotted two of them alive and well weve been staying at my brothers and were really stressed with everything the landlords told me to wait 30 days before they refumigate but i dont know if thats them just trying to avoid helping me with the situation considering there the cause of it im honestly just super stressed and need advise on how to stop this i just want to be able to go home and live happy again, is the 30 day wait necessary or am i being tricked and if it is then what sort of counter measures will help i know the pinsol trick and i still need to try the de stuff and steam im just really low on budgit and have allready speant hundreds of dollers trying to fix this. advise would be awsome or some tricks i dont know yet please
Hi Brenden, the DE will definitely help. Put it under the sheet and anywhere where they might be hiding. That 30 day thing seems a little excessive, pretty sure that it violates tenant regulations, might want to check that out.
Hi. I recently discovered I have bedbugs. I’ve never experienced them before so my initial reaction was slightly panic and disgust. I noticed one or two small bites a few weeks back but didn’t think anything of it. I found around 6-7 bugs in the crease of my pillow top mattress, I immediately took all sheets off and vacuumed my mattress. I sprayed a mix of lavender oil and hot water over my whole mattress before I ran off to work. I’ve only seen a few since. I washed all sheets and pillows. I bought a spray from the supermarket and doused my whole place. I saw about 10 tiny black dots on the bottom of my mattress, sprayed those, wold those be eggs? I only have a top mattress and use a platform, so that probably lessens the amount. I’ve only ever had a maximum of 8-10 bites at one time. Hoping they are gone. Going to try DE, after I purchase it tomorrow. Any suggestions, I haven’t seen them anywhere else in my apartment, but know they are more likely in an apartment. Thanks!
Hi Liz! You process seems good, I am certain that it will sort it out. Make sure you put that DE in any places where they could be hiding. Good luck!
Hi, so a few days ago my son saw bed bugs on his bed. I threw out the sheets and mattress pad and pillows. I bought some spray and sprayed everything in his room. Orkin came the other day and saw some underneath the box spring which I missed to spray the other day. Anyways Orkin said that they only found it in his room but i would have to heat treat the entire house which would be 1800. There is no way I can afford that so I’m going to try it myself, I bough a kit from Home Depot and it came with the powder so I did put the powder by the doorways. I’ve vacuumed the crap out of his room. I just ordered one of those covers for the box spring which should be coming soon. Also just bought a steam cleaner today and will be using that tomorrow, took all his clothes out of the dressers and washed them in high heat and took his toys out of the closet and put them in the garage. I’ve never had this happen and I’m freaking out. Also the weird this is he hadn’t slept in his room for a month since he’s been at his dad’s. Is there anything else you would recommend? I’m losing my mind and I’m having so much anxiety. I just want to make sure it’s all gone
Hi Aisha! Your plan is good, I like it. I suggest that you also get some food grade DE and use it under the sheets, in the corners of the bed, around the bed and wherever else you think they might be. Do this AFTER you steam though as DE is sensitive to moisture. Check my article on the subject, it is about flea removal but the same steps can be applied here. Hope that helps, remember, breathe 😉
Hi!
After the initial (fumigation, I did it myself) I’m assuming I should do it again to get rid of hatch-lings? I have not fould anywhere on the package or on line so far that says to re-do the fumigation, but like fleas, I’m sure it needs to be done!
Thanks
Hi Janet, if the fumigation contains an IGR, it will prevent the hatching. If not, yes you will need to deal with that, hope that helps! P.S: You can use a steamer to kill them fairly quickly instead. 🙂
Hi Natasha! I am struggling with a bed bug infestation. We had some in the past and had people come to fumigate the apartment and they seemed to go away for a few years and they have lately started re-appearing. I live with my in-laws and we don’t really have the money currently to hire people to come in. I also noticed that my parents have had a recent outbreak in their apartment and have been battling the outbreaks with alcohol. It seems to be working. I would like to know if you could explain how to use DE and how effective it is? Tired of getting bitten at night, hopefully you can help us get rid of these pests, once and for all.
Hi Liz! I wouldn’t mind explaining it but check out my article on the topic. It is focused on fleas but it is the same procedure for bed bugs, except you focus the bed and around it. Check it out!
i need help i own a house where a tenant complained about itching and had a back break out of bites his wife who slept with him every night had nothing. i just thought he was have an allergic reaction to something this went on for over a year i asked him if he had seen anything he said no so i just blew it off because there was nothing on her i never gave bed bugs a thought after about a year and a half he tells me he found a bug on his bed i checked it and sure enough there they were i had an exterminator come in every 2 weeks for 6 weeks plus i went there cleaned and spayed and powdered on the odd weeks at one point the exterminator did a fogging and chased the little buggers to the up stairs apt.. now it has been over a year battling these things the down stairs has nothing the up stairs went since jan 2016 with nothing now they are back in the same place they were in jan.. they seem to live on the couch is it possible we never really got rid of them and does anyone have any clue as to what i can do other then throw all my tenants out the town and surrounding towns have a epidemic of these little buggers so odds are i would end up renting to someone else who has them. iI NEED HELP
Hi Janet, put simply, the exterminators that you hired should have resolved the issue for you as that is what they were paid to do. I often recommend stuff like DE, etc. but I don’t think your tenants will be too impressive with those sort of methods so your best option is getting a local quote from someone who can assure you that they will make the problem disappear. I will send you a link shortly.
Hi Natasha my my daughter does home healthcare and a week ago her co workers called her and told her the site she was working at had bed bugs the co worker said he found one in the blanket it takes to work on his shift. Not the next day my daughter found a dead one on her shirt we she woke up so me being the mother i am i bought hot shot spray and started spraying her room, bought the traps from hot shots and set them one under her mattress and four each end of he bed. checked top of mattress and sheets and pillows nothing that i could see but i didn’t check the box spring just sprayed because her box spring had plastic on it it was never taken off but there was holes. I being the one that thinks she knows it all thought i got this NOT she went into her room and said to me mom your gonna be mad i said why? she said come here want to show you something well low and behold there was skeleton looking things at the end of the box spring in the plastic.SOOO i freaked we washed everything in hot water dried on the highest tempt and took the bed and mattress put outside in the sun. She does not want it back in her room so i will take the necessary precautions to discard the mattress and box spring,the traps are still in her room i continues to spray but i am going to get the DE Powder and use it in every room of my house. My daughter decided she wanted a futon for her room so it is ordered. I need to know what i can do to make sure her futon doesn’t get bedbugs and we haven’t seen any but then again the food source (my daughter) hasn’t been in the room because her bed is gone, nothing in my room or my other daughters room hope i am doing the right thing and we did vacuum the room after bed was taken out. I check the traps nothing but again there is no food source( my daughter) in the room. It may seem i am making light of this but sometimes i have to make light of this because i am so mad that the home healthcare agency she works for knew about it and didn’t let the employees know but most of all the clients that live in this home. Thank you all for reading my rant had to get it out but any help would greatly be appreciated.BE BLESSED
Hi Tracy, after the DE treatment and all the steps you have already taken, I am sure that the issue will be solved. Just keep a hawk eye open for any signs of the bed bugs. As for the futon, there are no “special” steps necessary, besides maybe using DE in the surrounding area (it really works well. Hope that helps, let me know if I missed anything.
Hi. We have a small bed bug problem. I mean like only in my room small. We had a exterminater come and treat the whole apartment last week which hasn’t worked as I have new bites. We got the bed bugs from Ceasers hotel and casino in Atlantic city New Jersey and they say that they don’t have them. We have provided them information on this but they have refused to give us information on there treatment in the hotel room. We would like for them to own up and pay us for when we got the apartment treated and the hotel stay. I’ll use the double sided tape method for my bedposts as they are wood. Should we either sue Ceasers entertainment or call the news media in our local area and report it to them to get Ceasers to pay?
Hi Tgyi, if you are certain about where you got them from, by all means. Probably would be a good idea to get a lawyers opinion though, might need to provide evidence if you pursue it legally.
Update we got a email from Ceasers and they are basically telling us to sue them. We showed them pictures via email so they already have our evidence. We even reported it to a cop who was working at the casino at the time of the bites. The problem is that we need the money to pay the pest company that came to do the extermination. But if we win the court case we can ask for money for personal suffering damages.
Hi Tgyi, well then I wish you the best of luck, let me know how it turns out!
How long do tenants have to vacate during heat treatments? Is it days, weeks, months?
Thank you!
Hi Suzette, I am not 100% sure what you mean, since localized heat treatments are about 60 minutes (and that kills eggs as well) only. Perhaps if it is the entire house, I suppose it depends on how quick the exterminator can finish. Hope that helps 🙂
I have been reading your article and comments. This is my situation and I’m hoping you can give me some advice. My children brought home bed bugs from their daycare (this has been confirmed by the provider and they no longer go there). I have been doing everything mentioned in the article except steam cleaning because I live in a small town where I don’t have access to rent a steamer. I have been treating EVERYTHING with DE for a couple of months. I have bought mattress and box springs encasements, and I dry and wash and dry again all of the bedding (blankets and pillows too) once a week. I am a single mom working 2 jobs so I only have one day off once a week so that’s the day I am on bed bug duty. I haven’t told my landlord because I rent my house and I’m worried because we brought them into the house, he will evict us or make me pay for an exterminator which I don’t have the money to do. I work from sun up to sun down on my day off to clean and vacuum and spray and reapply DE every week but it’s not working. We keep getting bites. Every week I find 2 or 3 bugs on my kids beds. I can’t use foggers or sprays other than alcohol because I have parrots. Do you have any other suggestions? I’m at my wits end.
Hi Brandie, have you tried leaving DE under the sheets? Also, I suggest you take a weekend to closely inspect the bed itself, they might be hiding behind the headboard, etc. Sorry you are dealing with this, lets get it sorted!
First of all, thank you for taking time to answer all of the questions people have sent to you.
My question is, I have some very dear friends that have bed bugs. I really like them and enjoy their company. So how do I still associate with them and take steps not to get them at my house. When I go to their house I don’t take any thing but my keys, and when I come home, I take off all my clothes before I go in my house! (The neighbors go to bed early on my block! LOL)
BUT how do I protect my house when they come over?
Sincerly,
Kreeped out in Kansas!
Hi Cameo! Hehe, glad that is working so far lol. When they come around, it will get more tricky. I honestly don’t know how to protect your home in that case. Maybe help them get rid of their bed bugs, which in turn will benefit you? A good DE treatment can do wonders!
Hello.
I was reading your article and all the comments…
Looks like there will be a never ending fight with bedbugs? I was looking for a way to get rid of thwm and never even think about those bastards anymore. But from what i see here you keep fighting them. That’s sad.
I can’r believe that bedbugs are my problem now, I hate thinking about those things. i threw away my mattress already. I’m considering moving. I can’t stand this anymore.
Thanks for your info tho. And im sorry that you have to deal and hear about bedbugs everyday.
Hey Janne, hehe thanks, I enjoy helping the community though 🙂 Hope you come right!
Hi Natasha
I am a victim to these bugs since a month now. Well I have had bite marks all over my body and they really turned worse, wish I could share some pics but here I dnt see any options to share pics. However I would love to try some of the remedies and see how it goes.
Hi Ricky, yeah check all my articles on bed bugs, you will find good solutions that will help!
hi sultana here,
i am very much fedup of this beg bugs. Im not sleeping for whole nights just because of scared .since, from 6months there is a nuisance of beg bugs in our home they are not at all getting rid from our house and we have done pest control,vaccumed our complete house and also done with spraying but even though they are not killed.plzzzzzz help me out by giving a better solution. i would be verymuch thankful to u.
Hi Sultana, check out my article on DE. I know its written about flea control but you can use it for bed bugs as well, just jam it under your sheets.
Hi Natasha, first of all thanks for the information… It is really helpful.. After trying DE and other household stuff.. I have finally decided to call a pest control company… Most of pest control companies offer two kinds of pest control treatments … Herbal pest and chemical treatment… Which one I should go with ? Which is more effective ? Chemical or herbal ?
I have a small baby (3 months). Will it be safe for her to have a pest control treatment @ my home ?
Heya, I suggest trying the herbal one first, chemicals might be stronger but you also have your health to consider. Even with the herbal, might be worth keeping your baby clear of the residue until you have cleaned up completely.
Thank you so much for your incredible generosity taking so much time to help people. This info is very lifesaving! I also am a neurotic clean freak, but after moving to Israel, had to stay with my daughter in a public hospital which was not very clean.. And came home and the next day she woke up covered in bites. I found nothing but washed everything ASAP in hot water but not knowing what happened (thought mosquitos), after washing in hot water, that was it. I inspect daily and found nothing except a possible blood stain. She hasn’t been bit in about two months, thank G-d. But I got three bites a few weeks ago, freaking out… Now I got two more bites and found blood stain. My husband and I called pest control, but he was clueless here and just wanted to use the ant/cockroach spray everywhere which is useless and dangerous. Every day and night I check mattress and find nothing. I put all of our comforter and pillows in bags for last two weeks.. How long should they stay bagged? Now that I’m getting bites (not my hubby) should I go back and remove everything from daughters bed and bag it all … For how long? Can’t find DE here, so hubby in Chicago this week for work- do you know where he should go? Home Depot kind of place of Bed, Bath, beyond type place? Also do you sprinkle IN the beds and then put sheets over it? It’s safe for kids? I will go rent a steam cleaner.. You do that AFTER vacuuming ? Do you have a link to your article you were referring to? I cannot thank you enough.. We’re having 25 family members coming to visit and stay with us over next month, and I would die if I gave this to them 🙁 I also can’t sleep, major anxiety and feel helpless. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, sorry that this is causing you so much distress. If you can’t find DE locally, just getting food grade DE from amazon, it is usually very affordable. After you use it, hot wash your linen and as an added bonus (after the DE has been cleaned up, wait a couple days), use a hot steamer, which you can usually rent. If that doesn’t work (or if you are in a rush to solve the problem), try getting an expert to come around to assess it. Hope that helps!
I moved into a vacant rental home approx 7 weeks ago. Almost immediately I started to experience itchiness. As the previous tenant had a dog and cat, I thought perhaps there were fleas, yet I have absolutely no flea bites. I now have red marks and a rash on my face. From what I’ve read, this could be bed bug bites. I have vacuumed and put DE down on an ongoing basis, but am still experiencing the itching and facial bites. I have found no eggs or live bugs, but just yesterday saw some marks on a sheet. I have put down interceptors at the legs of my bed. In the last two days I have found some bug casings that do appear to be bed bugs. I know for sure that there were no bed bugs in my previous home. I think there was an infestation in my current house before I ever moved in. The owner says it was from the moving truck. If they did come from the moving truck, could it have turned into a major infestation within seven weeks? Will bed bugs also be in the basement? Also, I’m curious as to why you recommend fogging when so many government and health sites (CDC) say fogging is ineffective and can make the problem worse. Thanks
Hi Tim! I wouldn’t use the word “major” but yes, they can multiply fairly quickly. They will live where they have food, hence why they are commonly found on beds. Fogging requires the “fog” to actually reach the bed bugs, which is unlikely in most cases. As for making it worse, not too sure about that one hehe. If you want a free quote to get rid of them, ping me and I will organize 🙂
I hope I can get help on here. It has been 3 yrs now believe it or not. At the beginning I notice bites on my legs, stomach & back along with some blood stains on my bed. Now arms too. I scratch during the night as these are very itchy. I have tried everything except a exterminator as I don’t have the money for it been a old age pensioner.
This has been going on for 3 yrs now. I have been to see my nurse practioneer as I don’t have a doctor, am now seen a dermatologist & both say it is not bedbugs.
When this first happened 3 yrs ago, one doctor did say it looked like bites.
The pattern of the bites did show up in three’s. Now 3 yrs later from all the scratching these have become a mess. I still feel like I’m getting bit at night that wakes me up but I don’t know if this is really happening or if it is all in my head!!
Can I still possibly have bedbugs after 3 yrs
I have never ever seen one if these bugs & have tried to look with a flashlight with no luck
Wouldn’t I have a epidemic by now & be able to spot at least one for sure?
I’m 70 yrs old & am so stressed over all this.
Thxs
Hi Ellen, sorry that you are dealing with this. I suggest that you ask your landlord (if you have one) for a pro to come around to have a look. If that is not an option, remove all your linen and spend some time seriously searching for them. If both of these come up with nothing, it is unlikely that you have bed bugs and maybe it is something else. Hope that helps you!
Hi Natasha. I have been sitting here reading as many of these posts as I can and thankfully they have brought me some sense of calm…but I’m still freaking out! Saw a small but large bug crawl across my sheet one morning and quickly identified it as a bed bug. I am still in denial, but I believe it is a bed bug. I have not experienced any bites or itchiness, nor have I seen any of the red streaks on my sheets or mattress. I lifted my mattress and saw one very small one that moved when I put the flashlight on it. I have meticulously checked the seams of the mattress and have not found anything further. I lifted the box spring and did not find those fecal clusters that I have seen pictures of, but only saw 5 or 6 tiny black dots that I was able to brush away. I washed the linen on the longest hot cycle and dried extra long, and did see a carcas on the edge of the dryer door. I have everything that was on my bed (clean laundry not yet put away) in plastic bags until I can wash it all and then putting in new plastic bags until I am sure this is done. My question is, how do I know when it’s done and should I be worried about the rest of the apartment? I still need to vacuum around and behind my bed that I have now moved away from the wall. I don’t know when my fear will need. I appreciate this blog and thank you for the time you spend responding to everyone.
Hi Karen, it is a pleasure. I suggest that you check the bed linen each morning for any signs of them. If you don’t see anything after a week or two, you should be fine, let me know.
BAD NEWS!! I have now found a few in my couch. What a disaster. It’s hard to determine what to tackle first because I don’t want to miss anything. Stopped the process in the room and have been on my couch all day. I have visually inspected it and now I’m going to vacuum and then steam.. Any advice on how to tackle the entire apartment so I don’t go crazy? Right now it looks like a bomb went off because there is stuff everywhere and in bags. I am so afraid of cross contamination as I am still trying to find the infestation.
Hi Karen, you can try using DE, it works really well. Check out my article, although it’s about fleas, the same process can be followed for bed bugs. If you want an exterminator, let me know before you look for one as I can get one for you at an affordable price.
Hi Natasha, I live in India. I had a mild bedbugs infestation about 6 months back. I got the pest control people and after 2 treatments they declared my house bug free. 2 days back I found 1 bug on my shirt which I had worn and gone out. I called them again to check my house. They found nothing but today I found one on my bed. The girl working for me found a couple on her bed. What do I do?
Hi Rita, I suggest getting some guys to treat the situation who actually know what they are doing, since you live in India I cannot help you with a quote but just try another company.
I am freaking out cause I just found what I think is bed bugs. It explains the itchy bumps I have… A couple questions: Can they get in my pillows?? I have a dog what’s the best way to treat him if they’re bitting him?
Hi Cassie, the bed bugs will likely target you, not your pets. I suggest that if you have seen them, try my tips to remove them or call an exterminator, will PM you a quotation page. Sorry 🙁
Thank you. I’ve started the extermination process. I am going to steam my mattresses. I began pulling off the felt on the back of the box spring and I’ve seen no eggs or bugs. It’s been about a week since I’ve had bites (I thought it was an allergic reaction). Anyways, I hope to get rid of these guys soon and quick. One more question, where can I buy DE?
Hi Cassie, awesome stuff. You can get it from amazon or sometimes your local nurseries (or home improvement stores)
I found bed bugs in my kids room about 2 weeks ago. I threw out the bunkie boards because I visually saw bugs in the cracks. I bombed twice. I took the frame apart and covered it with DE and I covered the entire carpet, vacuumed several times. Sprayed the walls with DE. Put DE behind the wall outlets. I’ve done everything except the steam. I still found a bug on my son’s new comforter. I’m going to get the carpet steam cleaned and I am considering getting rid of the bed. But I may steam the frame. I am so exhausted I feel like I’m never gonna get rid of them and I still haven’t checked other areas of the house yet.
Hi April, don’t give up, the steamer is a good idea. Hope you come right!
Thanks! I ended up calling the exterminator in. I just can’t live with knowing my kids are being bitten while they sleep. Thanks for the posting all the info on your site!
Hi April, my pleasure. Yeah sometimes you need a pro, glad you are all sorted 🙂
Is it possible to just get one bed bite? I am a crazy person since finding a bed bug on my son immediately after school three weeks ago. I have checked my house and no signs (mattresses, light colored sheets/pillow cases, vacuumed) more times than I can count. Each of my two kids now have a tiny pin point purple/red spot near the bridge of their nose. On my daughter, I first noticed a small raise reddish spot. After a 10 min shower, just the pin point spot remained. Her pediatrician said that if it was bed bugs we would know because of welts and multiple bites. I seem to get a stinging sensation on various parts of my body here and there. Sometimes I too get pin point spots at these locations too, but no lines of bites or welts. I sleep in long pants and long sleeve shirts with my shirt tucked in and my waist is most problematic which is so weird since it is covered. My husband doesn’t think it is anything because he isn’t getting bite. We did have fleas 3 yrs ago that only bite me, but we saw them? Do I need mental help or an exterminator? Please help! Thanks! T
Hi T, hard to say from over the internet hehe. Might be worth getting an exterminator to have a look before presuming its all in your head hehe, usually it isn’t. Will email you some info.
SO this whole ordeal started when I saw a cute little couch on the street, told my husband lets take it home my dad can reupholster it and it can be a great addition to our house. Hubby listened, brings it home, per my dad he said leave it outside incase it has any bugs, we did, well this was a Thursday, on Saturday I started getting huge rashes all over, but we did not spot anything, I thought I was stressed and passed off as Anxiety Hives.. On Sunday, I found a little bug on me and I know immediately it was a bedbug. I looked at the couch outside and saw it had a lot of those little bugs and I asked my husband to throw it away far from my house. We took it to Home Depot and brought all we could find on Bed Bug Extermination, sprayed and filled with white powder. I am pregnant so I could not stay in the house. We washed everything before taking it anywhere. It has been 5 days since we have been spraying and powdering and cleaning the house, mind you we live in a one bedroom apt which by the looks of it it only took over the living room where I have my bed. Could I have detected it early enough since I have not seen anymore alive??
If not what else you recommend I do, I don’t have the $$ for the professional.
Hi Vickie! I suggest that you just keep an eye on the situation, you have done all you can already (besides getting a pro). If you see any additional signs of these buggers, let me know.
I hear steam kills them….. my question is, if i place my mattress in the bathroom and run the hot water in the shower and sink would that work instead of finding a steamer?
Hi Christina, I doubt it, won’t be hot enough honestly.
We just started using DE and my mom found a bed bug on her bed. How long does it take to really get rid of them? Please email me. Thanks!
Hey Scott, sorry for the delay. DE takes a couple applications and you should be sorted.
Hi Natasha,
Recently i shifted to new house and after coming to the house, i noticed there are the bad bed bugs.Actually we were not told by the old tenent that the house is having the bed bugs problem.Now after 1 week of staying in this house i called the max pest control and they gave some treatment with the spray and some tablets and smoke.After the treatment i found so many are dead bugs.But however we washed all the clothes that are outside of the ward robe.and washed the wall edge surfaces with hot water as suggested by the service person..we are vacating the house and going to new one due to this. i just wanna know whether the bugs are totally dead.Pls advice what to do before we are going to the new house.
Hi Bhagat, I am almost certain that your problem is solved, just keep an eye out when you move into your new home.
Hi Natasha,
Can you explain why I am the only one in my house suffering from bed bug bites? When we finally discovered them, my husband and I both slept in the same bed and he had never been bitten. Why is that?
Hi Roz, no idea, maybe you are just more tasty hehe.
Hey, Natasha
Great info.
i heard lot about DE. Is this available in india? and how to use it?
Hi Onkar, yes it is great! I am sure it is but if not, you could always order online and have it shipped.
Hey, Natasha
i heard lot about DE. Is this available in india? and how to use it?
Hi Onkar, not too sure but either way, pretty sure you could get it shipped from an online store 🙂
Hello, Natasha I am in a pest control profession & have years of experience also read this post really nice! But want to ask a question as you have mentioned in your post that “Females can lay eggs as soon as they find a suitable place, at a rate of a single egg per day.” is it true? According to my experience, a female bed bug can lay 3-5 eggs per day.
Hi Charles, yes according to my research, that was the number (it can increase due to a number of variables but those are the exceptions).
i live alone in a cabin in the woods which i purchased new and bug free 3 years ago …i never travel, only going out to work…how in the world did this happen!!!
Hi Mike, perhaps someone brought those nasty bugs to work.
Thank you for the info, been a great help but I do have a question no one has been able to answer, there are 3 of us in my home, we are fortunate enough to have a very small infestation after spraying the whole house, getting rid of all the living room furniture and roasting all clothes, bedding and stuffies their gone but in my paranoia I sprayed weekly for 2 months Cuz I was told eggs can take up to 21 days to hatch, anyway my question is only my youngest daughter was getting bit, are they picky about their host?
Hi DD, yes sometimes fleas do tend to go after certain people, I am actually not too sure why lol. Are you sorted now though, the fleas are all dead?
Hi. I recently realized we had bed bugs after waking up with unexplained bites. I researched and figured out what it was. We had recently (within the past month) stayed at a not so nice hotel and I’m sure that’s where we got them from. Anyway, we checked all rooms in our house and it seems to be in the master bedroom only. Just to be safe, we sprayed down the solution we were told to use on all couches and chairs and all other beds. We bought covers for all mattresses in the house, even the ones we saw nothing on. We treated with the DE dust all over our bedroom, took our bed apart and sprayed every crack and crevice as well as put the dust all over. We vacuumed the whole house and washed all linens and put all decorative pillows in a bag in the Texas heat for a week. We did find the bugs in our box spring and we treated it aggressively and then covered it. We washed all overnight bags that had gone to the hotel with us as well. Everything was washed on HOT and dried twice. Well, it’s only been a few weeks, but I am getting bites a gain and actually saw a bug last night on my bed. We have put vaseline around the legs of the bed because I was told this would catch them. The mattresses are covered and I am washing the sheets weekly. I plan to vacuum and treat our room AGAIN tonight when I get home spraying the mattresses with the solution and spraying all the cracks in the frame with solution and DE. Any other suggestions? I know this can happen in the cleanest of homes, but it grosses me out and the bites itch like crazy. I don’t want to tell anyone about it, but I also don’t want to spread it to anyone. needless to say, my last hotel visit I checked the beds and I did not put my bags on anything other than the tile floor in the bathroom. Please HELP. I plan to try the pine sol method tonight since it will smell much better than the alcohol solution I have been using. Also, I DID NOT wash all the clothes in my closet because I have a ton but we did put the DE powder and sprayed in the closet. We have not seen anything in our closet or our clothes. Is it really necessary to wash all of our clothes? This would take FOREVER and most of my clothes can’t be washed in HOT water. We did check our drawers of clothes though and found no critters or signs of them.
Hi Meshall. Usually I recommend washing anything that might have come into contact with the bed bugs. Secondly, its possible that you missed a few during your treatments, they are very difficult to completely remove without a professional (if its a serious infestation). Honestly, I suggest that you just get someone in to treat the home, will be cheaper in the long run. Let me know if you want a few free quotes.
Our closet is quite a way from our bed so I don’t think our clothes are in jeopardy. I retreated last week put DE powder all around my room on the carpet, baseboards, in the bed and anywhere else I could think of. I used the pine sol and sprayed it in any cracks I found in the bed. I have had no bites until last night and I got 1. I’m going to wash sheets again tonight and put more DE powder in the bed and do another treatment after I vacuum. I have not seen any sign of them on the sheets since the last treatment and they are white sheets. I’m thinking maybe new ones are hatching so I am going to continue on this path for a while. It’s only been a few weeks since we started this. I don’t have the money for a professional and everything I’ve read says you can do it on your own especially since it’s only in our bedroom and we are showing signs of improvement.
Hi Meshell! Sounds good, let me know how it goes!
Where can I buy the DE? I’ve been dealing with this for about a month. It’s getting better each week. I’ve cleaned everything covered the mattress and box springs. I will start using the pine sol today as it will smell much better. I have also only found them in my daughters room. Any suggestions for wood floors? As my entire house is wood flooring.
Hi MH, you can buy it on Amazon for the best price (usually). DE can be used on wood floors 🙂
Hi, I’ve has bed bugs for about 4 months now, I have a 6 month old baby, and I am going crazy! i have done everything to get rid of them, our exterminator has even sprayed 7 times now, we have washed everything in this stupid house atleast 10 times (and we have a lot of things) I have steamed, soaked my house in rubbing alcohol, and gotten rid of ALL my furniture.
they are still biting me every night.
I don’t know what to do anymore, please help? I’m loosing my mind.
Hi Tessa! Have you tried food grade DE? I have an article on it and although its focused on flea removal, it works well with bed bugs as well (and is super cheap). Give the guide a read on my blog.
hello. I can not find the comment I posted so typing it again. We found 2 bed bugs in our bed yesterday. I brought home a used futon 3 weeks ago. Said it was bug free and I checked before bringing it into the house. Now I found bed bugs. I took the futon outside found dead, live, and bed bug eggs. I took the carpet pieces out of room since our bedroom is in the basement. Since yesterday I have also swept the bed sprayed it with bug killer(did not say bed bug on it all i could find at that time since then i purchased bed bug spray and powder). I also zipper sealed the bed. My question is since I found it so quick will they stay away by sprays, powder and sweeping and not get into the upstairs? I checked the couch and bed upstairs did not see anything. I also checked the dressers in the basement and storage boxes of clothes under the bed. Should I wash all the clothes in the dressers and boxes even though I did not find anything? I’m new at this never had this problem and freaking a little. I’m really hoping you can tell me since piece of furniture that was in my house for less than a month did not ruin my house and I got it out and caught in enough time to not have a major infestation come along?! thank you
Hi Jen! If you have made a careful inspection and found nothing, just launder your clothes and linen and you should be fine. There is no need to stress, sounds like you will be fine. 🙂
Hi!!!!
I bought a used mattress for my guest bedroom. It looked clean from the first appreance. When i bought it, I had to take it in the back of my husband’s truck DIRECTLY ON TOP of another mattress that I bought. BOTH were used, but the on on top was infested with bed bugs. (We found that out about 2-3 weeks after getting it home). Do you think that the matrtress under it got contaminated with bed bugs on the 1 hour trip home? Also, since the mattress with bed bugs was in our house for 2 weeks, what is the possiblilty of them spreading throughout the house? I have wall to wall carpeting. I got rid of EVERYTHING in the room where the mattress was….. one night, however, I folded clothes on the infested mattress and put them away in ALL THE CLOSETS in my house!!!!! I am freaking out! What are the chances that they are EVERYWHERE now???? Honestly!!!!???? I have put DE everywhere and vaccuumed the carpets daily, as well as put DE in all the electrical outlets and around the baseboards. I know it is overkill, but we are adopting two small children next month and I want to make sure our home is BUG FREE! How long shoud that take if I vaccuum and DE the house everyday? Thank you so much in advance for your response! Your website has been so informative! 😉
Alexis
Hi Alexis! It’s a definite possibility and yes, the bed bugs could definitely have spread, sorry 🙁 However, don’t freak out, check out this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB6bP6zFLHM) I just posted on finding bed bugs. If you follow this diligently and find nothing, you got away scott free hehe.
Thank you so much for your timely response, Natasha! I am going to check the mattresses when I get home. However, before I get home, I am going to buy zippered mattress covers for the ENTIRE house! with the use of those and using DE and vaccuming daily (assuming they have spread), how long do you think it will take for me to be Bug Free?! I am freaking out…. especially, because we are adopting two small children!
Hi Alexis! Sounds good, with your attitude and determination, probably a couple days. Good luck!
Hi Natasha!
I have vacuumed and checked my beds for several days and have found nothing….. that is after I carefully wrapped my infesteted mattress and ALL the furniture in the infested room. It has been a week now and I have purchased white sheets for all my beds and have found no blood or fecal matter stains on them. WOuld you say I may be in the clear? I also put double sided sticky tape in the bed posts like you recommended and have seen nothing on those either. Thanks so much for your reply!
Have a great day! 😉
Alexis
Hi Alexis! Sounds like you are good, well done!
My husband was getting bites before we moved into our new house. When we was getting ready to move our mattresses into the new house (some was already in here ) we discovered that there was a few bedbugs on the mattresses so we hurried up and got the mattresses back out of the house and disposed of the mattresses! Right after we started bombing and I sprayed with bedbug and flea spray from Hot Shot! We have not seen any more bites in 3 weeks and I bombed and sprayed last week! When would you say it is safe to relax and not have to bomb every week? I was thinking to wait now and bomb again just to be sure in a month! Like I said we have not gotten any new bites since we moved out of the duplex we was living in! I told the new landlord (and the old one as well) about seeing the bedbugs. Would you say I am safe now seeings as we are not getting bitten any more or should I still be on the lookout and continue to bomb and spray!? Also right after I saw the bugs I began spraying EVERYTHING that came into the new house and I do mean EVERYTHING! (Was probably overkill but I would rather be over protected than under lol) I also washed the clothes we wear and bagged up everything else that we are not using right now! Like I said (and I am sorry for repeating) We have had no NEW bites in over 3 weeks now! Thank you!!
Hi Dawn! Yes, I think you are fine now, you shouldn’t need to bomb again unless you find any signs of bed bugs. Seems like you did a good job, well done!
Thank you for your fast esponse! I most certainly will keep an eye out for more sign! With mosquito season here it is hard to be sure what is just a mosquito bite or a possible bedbug bite UGH! Anyway thank you so much and have a great one!!!!!
Hi Dawn! No problemo, good luck!
Hi Natasha, I’ve treatment for bedbugs for 2 months and I still have them. I did the step by step. And I only have want I wear for a week in my bedroom and my bed is away from the wall and off the floor. But I still them in the bedroom and in the living room. Can you please help me and tell me what I can do?
Hi Joy! If you have been fighting them for 2 months without success I suggest getting an exterminator in. Drop me an email if you want a couple free quotes.
Hi Natasha. My son had a friend spend the weekend with us in the spare bedroom. He rode in our van several times anD sat on my son’s bed helping him pack a suitcase. He just texted us saying for weeks he had red bites all over legs and I guess just went to doctor and they have bed bugs. Does that mean they are now in my house?
Hi Shannon! Not necessarily, just keep an eye out for them and don’t stress about it.
Natasha, wow thank you for caring! This bed bug problem has become a problem! It started about 8months ago. I’m darn sure it started after buying a comforter at goodwill. At the time I bought it I seen a few brown spots, smears, didn’t think anything about it. Left it in the bag next to the bed it was going to be put on. A couple weeks latter I took it out of the bag an washed it. Almost a month later I noticed those same brownish smear marks on my linen. Started looking and there they were. We through out mattress’ our living room furniture, steamed, sprayed, everything but call a professional. Sat on lawn chairs slept on a blow up mattress for at least 2 months before buying new. Well they’re still here. I’m so upset! Its incredibly hard to sleep, I worry about having company taking one home. Anyways thank you and thank everyone for their testimony. I’m gonna do the process again an try the Diatomaceous Earth food. Fingers crossed, I need sleep lol
Hi Ginger! I hope that the DE works for you, keep us updated!
Bed bugs freak me out so bad. My brother had a roommate that had horrible hygiene, and when he moved out it was discovered that he had bed bugs. I was disgusted, but we tried food grade diatomaceous earth. It’s nice because it’s organic and harmless to humans, but it does a great job killing the bugs. It’s effective for earwigs, too. I’d recommend it anytime!
Hi Stephanie! Its a great product, I love it as well!
Hi Natasha, I was at at a meeting for work and I was sitting next to a guy who said he had bed bugs its been about 3 days and my son and I are waking up with bites on our arms and legs. Is it possible I brought a bed bug home from just sitting by this guy. I would imagine I only brought one with me would we both be getting bit already? Im very scared. I read that the eggs take time to hatch once laid so we cant have an infestation yet. The thing is we never had a problem until a few days ago like I said. Do you think its bed bugs?
Hi Colin, it’s highly unlikely. I recommend just proactively checking for bed bugs every now and again and you will be fine.
I recently started getting what seemed like mosquito bites. One on my arm, then a week later one on my leg, the another on my leg the next day, then one on my buttocks and the next day another on my buttocks. They dont really itch the first day, then itch the following day, but not badly, then they almost hurt for a day and then they turn into what almost looks like a bruise, but red. I treated my two dogs and cats, bought spray from the vet and sprayed, all during this time. The other day while combing I found one flea on my dog and then yesterday found 2 fleas on one of my cats. I would assume this is a flea problem but then I started to look at bed bug bites and now I am confused as to what they are. I checked my mattress, no sign of any black or red spots or bugs, I didnt look thoroughly under the bed because we have a temparpedic and it takes multiple people to lift it up and I don’t have that manpower right now. Is this fleas? Or something like bed bugs? I am having a ton of anxiety over it, my fiance has not a single bite. I need to narrow down what is biting me so that I can treat the house the best way. What do you think?
Hi Jessica! send me a pic and I will try and help you. Otherwise look to find evidence of fleas or bed bugs, that’s a good place to start.
Hi Natasha, I have started getting little red bumps on my body and they usually come in pairs. I found a bedbug in my room on my pillow on my bed it was reddish brown and I read that it is red brown on it has fed and so I knew where the bumps had come from. I took apart my bed and vacuumed everything my entire room is clean and my bed and boxspring are clean I haven’t seen any other bedbugs I checked in the middle of the night since that is when they come out and I still haven’t found anything. I just wanted some help figuring this out
Hi Esmeralda! In that case, don’t worry about it. Just keep an eye out for them and get on with your life 🙂
I also went all day wearing those clothing so they are not in my clothing. They mad way when laying on the couch. Should I just throw the couch out and get a new one? Or should I wait for exterminator? Those are my concerns. I just want to toss it out and buy a cheap futon.
Hi Madmom. If the exterminator is coming anyways, just wait for him. If you need a free quote or two (to save you some money), let me know!
I live in an apartment building. There is a couple in my building who got bed bugs. Well they thought they would keep it a secret from everyone especially the landlord. I was able to dodge them for years until now. Everyone has them now except for my parents apartment and the lady across the hall from the couple. The only places I have them in is my bedroom and my son’s room. He’s been getting bit and so have I. My landlord has gotten a former mantinace man to spray what he uses instead of paying a perfessional to do the job. When he sprayed I guess it kind of worked. But since my husband died they have came back in my bedroom and in the other tenants apartments. Now the landlord is getting the same guy to spray again using the stuff he used last time. I don’t think it Works. I don’t know what to do. I’m also 29 weeks pregnant and I need to get rid of them before she gets here. How long does it usually take to get rid of bed bugs? Also too if the other tenants are still having them and I do what I need to do to try to get rid of them will I get them again since they haven’t gotten rid of theirs? I never had this problem until that couple got them. it’s so upsetting.
Hi Christina! That is very frustrating, sorry to hear about that. It really depends on the treatment that is used but it can be accelerated if its done by a professional. That guy might be doing a fine job, I don’t know his skillset hehe. Why don’t you drop me an email and I will organize some free quotes for you in your local area, then you can send those to your landlord?
Took a trip last month, stayed for one night in relatives home. Brought home bed bugs. Bugs are now hiding in one corner of my room. I have sprayed twice, washed everything but they keep coming back. Small infestation but I don’t know what to do now. I’m so stressed about this. They’re only in one room, and I’ve inspected top to bottom. How long will I have to use DE? And how many Times should I apply it? Also, will they come back immediately if I remove the DE without seeing anymore in the powder? Please respond soon.
Hi there! Simply put the DE under your bed sheets every couple days. No, the DE will kill them. However, as an added precaution, maybe borrow a steam cleaner from a friend or hire one if you want to be extra sure that they are killed.
it’s a miserable thing, having these rotten little parasites find their way into your home. especially when the person who controls the household budget is foolish about it, refuses to notify the landlord, and honestly believes “well I don’t see them in THIS room, so they must only be in THAT room!”.
Learned first-hand that the sprays they sell in walgreens or similar are useless; follow directions, wrap mattress, they’re still lurking in it with their vile stench. just because I haven’t seen them anywhere besides dark places of my bedding and in the boxspring’s holey plastic that I’m tapped out on money to try to properly seal, doesn’t mean they’re not elsewhere. the periods of being bitten prove it, even if they occasionally take a day or two off from attacking me. my next plan is the diatomaceous earth strategy; there will be mattress covers. and DE inside. and DE all over the rug. and anywhere else they’re likely to lurk due to prey (me) availability. many things will meet dryer heat. and yet I suspect I still won’t be free.
I’ve always hated things with more than four legs, and this ordeal is only reinforcing that hatred.
Hi Johan! I am sure that you will have some decent success with the DE, try to be a bit positive hehe 😉 Let me know how it goes, will love to help you get this situation under control.
I had a little infestation of bed bugs we went thru the whole house with foggers ,sprays and steam cleaned everything. Washed all bedding and all laundry it took a good week to if not more to get this done . We then purchased all new beds and bedding and couch’s. Last week been finding one or two running around and daughter has been bit. Reed a lot of these story’s and I to want to give up run away what should be the next steps.
Hi Kevin! Perhaps they hitched a ride from a friend or families house? Its very possible because your steps seem very thorough. I suggest repeating the process but try without the foggers and use DE under your sheets for a couple days.
Hi,
I’ve been going crazy knowing these little things are biting me and my daughter. I brought them back from a trip to Arizona. As of today, it’s been 1 week 6 days that we have been back. I figured it out by day 4 of what was going on. I know it’s early and im doing everything I can to stop a serious infestation. I have DE pretty much all over my house, but how long should I leave it. I’ve used foggers, sprays, and alcohol to clean and kill. I’ve been washing non stop. How fast do they spread? Is there anything else I can do with out going to a professional? They are expensive. Thanks very much!
Hi Cyndee! Leave it for a week or so, then vacuum it up. They can spread pretty easily unfortunately. Have you tried putting the DE under the sheets? If you like, I can get a couple free quotes from local pros in your area, let me know if that would help 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I recently found out I have bed bugs and an exterminator came and treated my bedroom (the only place I’ve found them so far). After treatment, I found about 14 bugs running around my bed and killed them all. The exterminator said it is common for them to come out after the treatment product has been applied. I am going to buy a matress and box spring cover today.
I’m currently sleeping on my couch as I am so scared to sleep in my bed when I can physically see all the litle bugs. How can I ensure they have not traveled to my couch as well? I haven’t gotten bitten yet (I didn’t really even have many bites from the ones in my bed, my boyfriend did) and I haven’t actually seen any but I’m just nervous that they will take over the couch if they are looking for me.
Any advice?
Thanks,
Stephanie
Hey Stephanie! I wouldn’t say that its “common” but yes, that can happen. I would just keep an eye on the situation, if you are not getting bitten then don’t stress. Let me know if you do end up getting bitten and we can investigate further 🙂
Have a very critical situation. All the rooms are infected. Even found them in metal bedding and furniture. Have twice washed all the bedding in hot water with strong soaps and sun dried. Can’t use DE, I am allergic to it. How to address the cracks in the wall. There seems to be many of them hiding in there. There are small black spots on almost all walls. Are these the unhatched eggs. How to deal with the eggs which are about to hatch. Is steam a possible option I this case. Or should I use rubbing alcohol
Hi Shagun! Since you have a major infestation on your hands, I highly recommend that you get yourself an exterminator as its going to end up costing you less in the long run. Let me know if you want a couple quotes from local experts, I can send them to you at no cost 🙂
Hello Natasha,
I’m keiko, I’m 15 years old and I have had bed bugs before in my life and so have my guardians, it seemed like we got rid of the problem but they came back into another room of my guardians sister. And now I feel like I got some in my room. I found another one in my room recently, alive and running. And another one dead under my bed. I get bites about once every week or so and last time I got 18 bites. Just recently, about two days ago, I got 8 on my collar bone near my shoulder. My guardian says she is sick of these pests and just gets mad at me when I tell her I have bites; she doesn’t seem to care really or she gets upset and doesn’t help me or provide any comfort. I laid DE on my floor and bed, but that was before I got the 18 bites. I feel as if I’m alone when I face this problem. What should I do?
Hi Keiko! Sorry to hear that 🙁 I suggest that you place some of it under your sheets (provided its food grade DE) and around your bed. Lastly, just make sure that your clothing and linen is bug free and that should give you some peace. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha,
Im currently facing bed bug issues at home especially in my bedroom because we have old mattresses. Im soon planning to discard my old furniture and replace it with a new bedroom set. Just wanted to know whether this will completely eliminate the bugs since Ive sometimes also found bugs in my curtains or crawling up my walls. I just dont want my new bedroom set to get infested with bugs.
Hi Khushboo! Yes, that will work well, just make sure that you wrap the existing one in plastic before moving it, wash all the linen and use some DE (or a decent steam clean will help) throughout the room. If want to make extra sure, its worth getting a professional in as it can save money in the long run.
I think that I have finally figured out that I have some bed bugs. The most that I have ever seen in a 24 hour period is about 2 to 3. Found the brown evidence on my pillow and sheet. Found one small bug on my mattress a few days ago. Vacuumed and covered both mattress and box spring with 4 mil plastic and duct tape Have vacuumed every day, washed laundry in hot water and dried on hot heat, bought a bottle of 91% alcohol and sprayed it into every crack that I can find, also bombed the room and continuously spray the carpet. Scared to sleep. Don’t like the idea of being bitten. The bugs have been present for about three week. Will be purchasing the Dialomaceous powder tomorrow. Already have placed bug inhibitors under bed legs and vaseline around bed legs. What else should I do?
Hey Cheryl! Sounds like you have the situation under control in my opinion. Just keep an eye on the situation after you finish those treatments and let me know if you have any other issues.
I have couches that have bend out in direct heat covered in black plastic for 5 days in Az 91+ heat
Hey Cecilia! And how did it work out for you? Did the bed bugs die off? Looking forward to your response 🙂
I found a lot of bed bugs in my couch, I sleep there nightly. Threw the couch out and we can not find any others. can it be they were just in the couch or will we be seeing more of these critters? also am I safe to go to the bedroom and sleep? I am so tired, no sleep in 33 hours. I vacuumed the entire house and laid talcum power in the carpets, I will buy the Earth stuff tomorrow. also where should I put the powder?
Hey Maria! Just make sure that they are dead (in your couch) and you should be fine. Keep an eye on the situation and use that DE when you get it (put it anywhere bed bugs may be hiding). But most importantly, get some sleep hehe 😉
Plzzz help us…it is now overloaded…we cant handle it ..we cant sleep at night…we had try every thing which is possible..cleaning house,clothes,bed,cupboard every thing…even our neighbour’s are facing same problem..plzzz recomend some relief activity..
Hey Shaheen! Have you tried a few of the suggestions in this post? I would be happy to help you with some of them, just need to know what you have done 🙂
Hi Natasha I was wondering how to get rid of bed bugs from your walls and ceiling ? We keep seeing them on the ceiling and the walls all the time. They drop on our bed and we get bit when we are sleep. Please help.
Hey Penny! If they are in your ceilings, I suppose you could use a bug bomb (provided you turn off electrics, etc.). As for your walls, are you sure they are in there? If they are, might be worth your while to get an exterminator in, email me if you want a link for some free quotes 🙂
Hi, I just stumbled across this site looking for information. I’ve been researching this for the last 7 or 8 hours after discovering a bed bug on my bed sheet and soon discovered more hiding in a few crevices by my bed. Sheer madness I tell you. So I’ve been researching to put together my own comprehensive plan on dealing with them. The more I read the more distraught I became. It seemed that actual eradication wasn’t going to be easy, as every over-the-counter chemical product that I had searched really didn’t seem to be all that effective. It wasn’t until 6 hours or so until I found the information I was looking for. Now I’m fairly confident that with the right pesticide along with with DE and laundering, that I should be able to do this myself.
Hey Michael! Thanks for your comment and glad that you have the information on hand to start getting rid of these pests. I will be using some of the resources you sent me for upcoming articles, really appreciate you it 🙂
why put de down then remove and repeat? Cant you just leave it for a week or so?
Hey Candy! Yes you can, the longer its down, the better. Its just a bit unsightly, that’s why I often vacuum it up after a day or two.
hi im just wondering , since the bugs just appear to be on my bed , and even though i already tried a bed bug spray it didnt work , my bites are getting worse as we speak , just getting very confused / worried and would like to know what should be my next option ? would getting rid of my bed stop the spreading of them ?
Hey Priscilla! Not necessarily, if they are in your carpets, etc. then your new bed will get reinfected. I recommend that you wash all your bedding, keeping an eye out for any brown spots (often indicate the presence of bed bugs) and use a steam cleaner in your bedroom. Let me know how that goes.
Hi Natasha, not sure if I have bed bugs or not. I was watching tv about 4 nights ago on my leather couch and was laying on a blanket that I frequently lay on. When I got up I noticed about 12 red bumps going up my left arm, the next day one of my co- workers immediately said you been bit by bed bugs, so when I got home I put the blanket in the washer and boiled hot water and poured it all over it to cover it thinking I could possibly see something floating to the top of water, but didn’t see anything, I also inspected the couch very well and found nothing . I then inspected my bed and also nothing. Would you think this is bed bugs or should I go to the Dr. To see. They really don’t itch much and I’ve been treating them with cortisone.
Hey Patricia! I suggest that you just keep an eye on the situation. If you get additional bites, then take further action. If this does happen, drop me a message with a pic of the bites and I will assist you 🙂
Finally after just over a year of searching for information on what kind of evil parasite’s had randomly jumped on my whole family and have feasted away on us. Bed bugs are not very common in the country I am from and area I live. We are defiantly not a rich family exactly the opposite to be honest and live a ok weekly wage based life never being able to get ahead and also at times just manage to be able to afford important things for my family. I can not express how happy I am I have just stumbled on to your website after the crazy repetitive rollercoaster ride my family have been on and off again, of all the hours of searching for answers to all my question’s for what ever reason tonight I have been extremely lucky and has brought a end to my peace of mind finally knowing exactly what parasite these persistent and never ending attackers are. About 1hr or more after acquiring that knowledge here I am rambling on about my family and experience because I cannot express or tell you other than in writing that is how AMAZING the information you have provided and I am so glad and proud in a honouring thankfully that you have shared your experience with the world in such a fantastic and good easy way for anyone to not only learn from but for anyone to share there story’s and ideas etc. for way’s to remove bed bugs from there lives. Thank you thank you endless times for being a wonderful human being and making this website. I intend to try all of these methods as soon as possible and intend to return to comment on how I get on relieving me and my family of this nightmare when luckily and hopefully plus fingers crossed comes to a end as I am so looking forward to that day so I can return and add a conclusion to the mini novel like story I have written lol.
P.S. Natasha 🙂 Thanks again
Hi Juls! Its a pleasure!
Hey, thank you so much for the article. I just found you. We found out we have bed bugs totally by accident after my GF was bitten several times. We thought they were fleas at her nieces house as she carried her niece’s dog around. Then last night she asked me if something was crawling on her. I found a bug and coudln’t figure out what it was. Then I turned on the light and found maybe 20 over all on the couch. Then in the bed room after reading about bed bugs looked under the mattress along the seams and found about 10. Went and got spray and alchol rubbing type and sprayed and killed those. Today we have the DE and she’s washing and drying everthing now. We are cleaning the whole apt and I’m spreading the DE down and then going to wrap the bed and box springs in plastic totally sealing it off after cleaning and putting DE on it. Then sweeping the carpets with the DE down as welll and then adding more later around all the cracks of bassboards and anywhere they might be located in the small apt. We have no idea where they came from though.. What a terrible thing. We are clean people too. I tell you, these things don’t care who you are if they can bite you. I’m going to tell the Landlord / My friend as soon as I see him tomorrow to allow him to hire a pro if he wants.. Thank you again for your info. Tim
Hey Tim! Sounds like you are following the correct steps and I wish you the best of luck! Its a pleasure, glad that you found this info useful and thanks for sharing the details with us 🙂
hey natasha, i have been crying for two days since i discovered bed bugs in my curtains. i have had 2 exterminators come and inspect and tell me they would require a full house extermination, even though they have only been located in one room and just started biting me the night before i discovered them in my curtains. they are charging me $900-$980. i cant afford anything close to that. i also have two children and that would require immediate and extensive cleaning. will the steaming, vacuuming, diatomaceous earth work? and i also heard of rubbing alcohol will help during and after treatment, is that true? i already washed EVERYTHING and set them in tightly closed bags (and transported them in bags), through out my infested curtains, and pulled my furniture away from the walls. can i really rid these horrible pests on my own with out an exterminator since it is in the earliest stage and just begun? and do you have any other tips? thanks.
Hey Terran! Yes, DE does work, provided you apply it thoroughly and repeat a couple times each week (and vacuum with a decent brand). Hot wash everything else and if possible, use a steamer (you should be able to rent these) after you have finished the DE application. Good luck!
How long does it take DE to work & does it completely work? I need help!! Please. I do not have an email address. Thank you.
Hey Sandra! I recommend using it as part of the solution. First give your pet a high temperature steam and then once everything is dry, follow up with the food grade DE application. If you repeat this process a couple times, you should be able to get rid of them, provided its not a massive infestation.
Hi Natasha,
i am wondering how fast and how far these little guys will travel for food…
i brought in a contaminated futon frame and put it in my extra (and rarely used) room 4 months ago. after occasional usage and complaints, (my mom spent 3 nights there and 10 days nursing red welts), about a month ago, and after an inspection, i found a 5mm carcass that fits the description. i moved out of the apt (unrelated, am traveling) and since have had ALL the furniture in this extra room thrown to the garbage. its a 20X30 ft room.
after reading your article, i will have the floor and walls steamed.
do you think this is sufficient? do i have to clean the upstairs and rest of the apartment as well? i never found any evidence, nor received any bites, in my own adjacent room… the infected room was rarely used and hardly even walked thru…
i am travelling now but i am wondering if the little critters will hunt down the people living upstairs since there is no blood in the downstairs apt now…
thanks for your time
jody
Hey Jody! They move fairly slowly and while its unlikely that they managed to get elsewhere (based on your description), even though they do travel (slowly) to find food. I would clean the rest of the place as well, just to be safe. A major infestation will probably require an exterminator and that can be costly so put the effort in now. Good luck!
Hi Natasha!
Thank you for this very useful article, and for helping people deal with this nightmare.
I have a question, but first it needs a backstory: my boyfriend and I have recently stayed at a bed-buggy hotel. The level of infestation was pretty low, but we did see about 4 live ones, we did get bites (not every night though – I got a total of 6 clusters of bites), but we stayed there for a full week (we decided not to change the room or the hotel, in order to avoid spreading the bugs). Upon returning home, we took all the possible precautions. We sealed absolutely everything in plastic bags before entering the house (getting out of your possibly-infested clothes in the building hallway was quite an experience), and deposited the bags on the balcony. Then I first boiled all the clothes (and everything else that was boilable), followed by washing them at 60 degrees celsius, and drying them at the same temperature. I steamed the shoes, and inspected all the other items thoroughly for any sign of bed bugs or eggs. Thankfully, we only had small backpacks so there weren’t many items there (wallets, phones, a book, . It’s been almost a week now since we returned, and so far there’s no sign of bed bugs.
The question is: how long before we can be sure no bedbugs managed to escape into our home?
Hey Diana! Thanks for your detailed explanation and kind words 🙂 By the sound of it, you managed to remove any possiblity of those bug bugs getting into you home. You should be able to tell almost immediately. If you have checked your bed for the signs outlined in this article and found none, you should be fine. However, just keep an eye on the situation 🙂
Hi i found one and put it in a contanier for the super to see we threw out the bed cuz i was itching for some months i just wasnt sure wat it was. I bagged up all my belongings emptyed out the burows nd mopped the floor i did see anything else
Hey! If you havn’t found any other signs of them, you should be fine. Just keep an eye on the situation and let me know if you need any help 🙂
I think I might have bed bugs. Where can I purchase the diatomaceous earth stuff from.
Hey Nichole! You can usually purchase it from your “outdoor supplies” type of business. However, that being said, if its more convenient you can find it on Amazon for an extremely affordable price. Just make sure you get the “food grade” variation.
Hi there, just found a live bed bug in my bathroom, as I was trying to kill it, some brownish red substance squirted out of its body. It looked pretty flat after it was dead. Comparing it to the pictures I saw online, I think it was a bed bug. I don’t know how it got in the bathroom and I am now scared that I might have them in my apartment. I just learned about DE from your article and I have some hope. The only problem is the fact that I have a one year old baby and I am just wondering if the DE is safe for children…Please let me know as soon as you can as I want to go to the store and buy it. I would go to my landlord so he can send an exterminator to inspect my place but I have to wait 2 more days as today is just Friday. I wish I could start using the DE tomorrow if its safe for my baby. And one more question, I see you tell some people to vacuum it after few hours and you tell others to vacuum it after a few days. Which one is the best for my situation with my baby? And would I vacuum in the morning? What is the best time to leave DE on and what is the best time to vacuum it? Sorry, I might seem a little psycho, but I’m having serious psychological issues because of this, I once lived in a building infested with roaches and I was even scared to enter the kitchen/bathroom, I would have to make a lot of noise, turn the light on/off a couple of times, leave the water running for few minutes before I actually went in there and stayed for few minutes. So imagine how scared I am to go and sleep in a bed where I believe I have bed bugs. I haven’t had any bites yet and neither has my baby or my boyfriend, but I did find this bug tonight and my baby is already sleeping so I can’t check the bed/matress right now. Just please reply and tell me if its ok to use DE if I have a small baby that crawls around and stuff, like how would I go about using it and how long would I leave it on for best results in my situation? Thank you in advance!
Hey Alex! Food grade DE is perfectly safe for children, just take some time when applying it as it can make quite a lot of “dust”. I recommend leaving it to sit for a day or two before vacuuming. I suggest you read my article on using DE for fleas, i know that you may have a bed bug problem but its pretty much the same application process. Good luck!
Dear Natasha
I thank you very much for that useful guide. on my part of world it is not easy to find a steamer kind of thing or professional exterminators. But some of tips are still can be applied where i live. Still really appreciate your work.
Regards Jibran
Hey Jibran! Its a pleasure, glad that you found it useful! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me anytime 🙂
I am a single mom of 5, I work and go to school so as you can see I am a very busy single mom! The other day my daughter was itching i went into her room and looked in her bed and found just what I was most scared of in life! bedbugs!! i immediately ran my kids to their grandmothers stripped them threw their clothes in the wash and went back to slice the furniture and put it to the road i went back a day later and me and my friend inspected the last bed which was my brand new bed we found 3 on it so it also went to the curb i have not really been back to my apt since ut my mother has went and got clothes for us and washed them before bringing them to her house i am now planning to go back and get my pictures and clothes and walk away from the rest as this is my biggest fear and i dont have the time , patience or want to deal with this problem. i didnt tell my landlords whom live in the other half as they hate me already!! what can i do with hardwood floors and getting the rest of the place cleaned so i can be sure not to bring them with me and im also wondering an approximation of how long i couldve had them i havent found them anywhere but the couch and a couple in my daughters bed and my own
Hey Kassey! It is a bit difficult to determine how long they have been there but since there are only a few, it couldn’t have been very long. I recommend that you use some Diatomaceous Earth on your floors and vacuum it up after a couple days. Its completely natural and will kill them, provided you apply it properly. However, since you didn’t actually bring them into your place, its actually the land lords responsibility so keep that in mind before you spend any money on bed bug products. Hope that helps!
I found one crawling.I know it is a bedbug. I need help fast. I bought some diatomaceous earth food grade and I don t know what to do next. What steps do I take one by one to make sure I rid myself of these pests. Please don t use my e mail for anybody to see. I can not afford to hire an exterminater to come in. I live on a modest income and can not hire a professional to spray. Now that I have the DE what do I do first, I am freaking out and a nervous wreck because I live in a large apartment building and the management will not do anything unless they see them crawling and they have not seen them but I have seen one. I will do my own apartment myself. I have the bedbug covers for the mattress and box springs. Help I am going nuts. Thanks alot. Brenda (goin Nuts)
Hey Brenda! Good job on getting the DE, its really useful for bed bug control. My recommendation is that you use it around the bedrooms, basically putting it wherever you think those bed bugs are hiding for frequent. I find it rather useful to place it under the sheets (or under the covers that you purchased), focusing on the outer rims of the mattress as its common location for bedbugs. Let me know how that goes. 🙂
Since bed bugs can.detect your breathing can you wear a hospital mask while you sleep to stop them from detecting your breathing? Or of i buy a sleepingbag and zip up myself insode it will they detect me or can.tthey get in? Or how about all the above and slerp in a zip up tent?
Hey April. I suppose you can but if they are in your bed already, this is not going to stop them biting you. My recommendation is that you just get the situation sorted by actually getting rid of them instead of trying to hide. If you are waiting for the exterminator or want to find a little relief in a very short term manner, you could use a tent. But definitely take steps to kill them asap. Hope that helps!
Hello, i have an infestation with bed bugs and i have been trying to get rid of them for months now. I have tried the foggers washing my linen and clothes. Well nothing is working. I cant afford to go to the store to buy anymore products. I was told that dryer sheets will work is that true? I do have rubbing alcohol here. I would just like to get rid of them cuz i have 3 young children and they are also getting bit.
Hey Nicole! For starters, I recommend that you get all your linen hot washed. While this happens, use that rubbing alcohol and mix it with a little water to kill those bed bugs, focusing on the rim of the bed (or wherever they may be hiding). This may be enough to get rid of them, let me know when you have completed these steps. Cheers!
Everyone says these things stay hidden, but we have not found this not true.. when you start taking their hiding spots , they start crawling the walls! we found some pearched in a corner ABOVE our bed on the wall…I have found LICE (RID) spray is effective for direct contact killing. If you spray it in a crevice with bedbugs and leave it there, they die within a few minutes. There is also a non toxic spray you can get at CVS.. another contact spray.. Its kinda gross though.. some of the bugs kinda explode..not my favorite.
Hey Wendi! When disturbed, bed bugs will definitely start moving about. Thanks for sharing your experience on this (and that product) as it will definitely help other people that visit this page in future. Hope to see you back again soon 🙂
Hi ! Ok big problem here ! With Christmas coming my children are planning on being here for the feast but my oldest child has a bed bug issue at her home. Some in the family who are aware of this issue do not want them over afraid they may get bed bugs ! Help !!!! I can not tell them not to come and hurt their feelings. I’m trying to help them and now after reading this hoping and praying this will help ! So what do I do regarding Christmas ? Book at a restraurant ??? Yikes !!!! Any advice from all greatful !
Hey Sylvia! I recommend that you actually help your oldest child get rid of the bed bugs using the tips in this article. You could book into a restaurant but that’s only a short term solution. If you would like, I can help you with this process, just let me know 🙂
About two months ago, I woke up with bite marks on my arm. Did a thorough search on bed and found no signs of bedbugs. I have been getting bites here and there and was blaming it on fleas. Two weeks ago, my niece and a friend slept on my couch and he next day, my niece had pink marks all over her arms, and waistline. Doctor said it was insect bite but not sure what kind. Treated my bed and couch and floor with lice and bedbug spray. Last night, my daughter killed a bedbug that crawled across the table from the couch at 9 pm at night. I panicked and we threw out the couch.
Is there a chance that I have bedbugs all over my house and in all the rooms or could the bed bugs been contained in the couch? I am the only one getting bit. My daughters are both fine? I am freaked out and want to start fixing this now and treating the problem. My house is huge and carpeted. Do I need to treat all 9 rooms? Can you give me step by step instruction on what I should do? Thank you for your time.
Hey Susan! Based on your description, its unlikely that you have a full blown infestation. However, I do recommend giving it your attention immediately so you can get rid of this problem quickly. I feel that the best solution would be to use food grade diatomaceous earth on all your carpets and to wash all your linen. You can check out my article on this product (its was written for fleas but the same steps apply for bed bugs) as it will give you exact application steps. Good luck!
hello…iv been fighting bed bugs for over 3 months ..did the hot shot spray and the alcohol and powder…I kept seeing them .. I got rid of my couch and bed and sprayed alcohol in them areas but im still seeing them crawling up the wall ..not everyday but every few days and only in them areas what can I do to to get rid of the ones left behind
Hey Johnnie! I recommend using Diatomaceous Earth (make sure its the food grade one) under your sheet and anywhere where bed bugs may be hiding. This will kill any of these pests that are left behind. Good luck 🙂
ok will do….i don’t have a bed at the moment but i did get a futon whats best for me to keep them off of it …and i have hard wood floors that are old and got cracks inbetween the boards what will be best for me to use . im so close to getting rid of them i just need to do something to two small rooms
Awesome Johnnie! Well keep me updated and let me know if you have any further questions 🙂
Hi there, I was wondering how long do I need to leave silica all over the house?
Hey Christy! I recommend that you leave it down for about a day or two (the longer the better). Also remember that you can vacuum it up and repeat the process as many times as you need. Good luck, please drop me another message if you have any further questions 🙂
I recently found out I had bed bug upon waking up one morning and see one crawling on me in the mirror while getting ready for work. I recognized it from pictures and quickly examined my bed sheets to see if I could find anymore. I found around 5 on my bed and started to freak out quite a bit. I have always been the type of person who cleans non stop vacuums everyday , I have a bit OCD about cleaning and can’t believe what I’m find. I had many boxes from stuff I ordered under my bed and see multiple tiny and semi large bed bugs crawling between the wood. I wrapped most of my belongings in plastic bags and put them in our garage and threw the bed away and mattress. We got a spray for bedbugs / fleas and I sprayed the hell out of my room and trim on the wall and threw away a lot of stuff. Its this going to be a permanent problem? I check every corner and cervices of my room and can’t find any. I’m afraid to sleep in my room and don’t know how I go them.
Hey James! Based on the steps you have taken so far, it should be sufficient and you wont have any further problems with bed bugs, provided you always keep a watchful eye on the situation (for things like spots on the mattress, etc.). I suggest that you rest easy and just let me know if any further signs appear. Good luck!
Also how good are heat bags and are there any that are are better than others? What about foggers? Any natural sprays that you like? What about in wash bug killing additive?
Hey Penny! I haven’t used heat bags before, I usually just use a steamer and it gets the job done. Foggers work well if those pests have infested an entire room. As for natural sprays, I have found that mixing a little bit of pure alcohol and water really works, provided you spray it directly onto the bed bugs themselves. I am not too sure what that last option is. I recommend using a steamer to start with, it really works well. Hope that helps 🙂
Dear Natasha, sorry for the late reply… I checked the bed crevices daily and didnt find anything like bedbugs yet. But since 2 nights the moment my son wakes up, he had one red pink pimple like thing on his right cheek and today one on his left…not sure if something bit him but i check inspected the mattress and didnt find any discoloration or insects.do u think it cud be bed bugs still? Thanks Mona
Hey Mona! Based on your description, I don’t think its bed bugs. However, I would like to take a look at those insects a little closer. If you get a chance, please send me a photo and I will investigate. In the meantime, you can just use DE as I suggested as this will kill most of these types of insects on contact.
Dear natasha
I have a serious phobia of bedbugs we moved into a brand new aprtmnt building a couple of months ago in munich germany ,havent seen a single bedbug but in my sons room who is 5 behind the wall its well painted but at the bottom its covered with a wood panel just yesterday i saw extremely tiny white insects coming out of there i turned the lighton n off after a while but no sign of bed bugs except those tiny white super tiny whitish gray bugs from under the wall im worried are those bed bugs they r v difficult t b visible with a naked unless u get a vv close look ,i checked the beds etc fr brown insects or bugs bedbugs lookalike butnothing at all……. Please tell me what are they andno signs of them in bed . No bites on anyone i have irchy skin at times but no marks.
Mona
Hey Mona! It doesnt sound like bed bugs. If you send me an image of one of them I can try and identify it a little better for you. My recommendation is to use DE around the affected area as this is a natural way to kill most of those types of insects at an extremely affordable price. Just make sure you get the food grade version. I have written an article about it and although it was for fleas, you can follow the same steps so go check it out 🙂 Good luck!
Hey Natasha
Thanks so much for this article. Is it safe to use DE with my wife 5 months pregnant?
Hey Fred! Yes it should be fine, just let it lay on the ground for about a day and vacuum it up afterwards. Also keep in mind that you should apply it carefully as it can sometimes create a bit of a “dust cloud”. Good luck!
I recently discovered I had BB and had an exterminator come in and spray. Haven’t seen any in three days but they are coming back two more times just in case. I put vasoline on my beds legs and DE around the room. Considering tearing up carpet and throwing out the couch where I originally found them. Being extra cautious and keeping room empty until after third treatment. Mattrsss is wrapped and taped. Bed is only two months old so considering calling company and blaming on them. Hopefully they will pay for all of it. Thanks for your help!!!!!!
Hey Zach! Its a pleasure, its good to see that you are taking drastic steps to get rid of them but just keep in mind that you shouldn’t need to throw anything away, especially since you are receiving professional assistance for the removal process. Anyways, I hope it all goes well 🙂
Hi there, I came home last night to my apartment and I found a big bed bug on the floor crawling near my dogs bed. I put it in a plastic ziplock bag and searched the whole apartment with a flashlight under the heaters and in the corners under the bed, I checked every where and I couldn’t find anything. I woke up this morning and cleaned the whole apartment and the wiped it with chloride and powerful cleaning stuff. I used a lint roller and used that on my bed and I couldn’t see anything other then lint and hair.
Do I have to worry about my clothes? Should I wash every piece of clothing I have with hot water? I’m so paranoid, I don’t have any bites or have seen the bedbugs anywhere else other than that one I found on the floor.
I’ve moved all my furniture and cleaned near the windows and curtains and checked everything, I’m not sure where else to look, I’m waiting for my manager to bring the exterminator and see if they can find something.
I just recently turned on the heaters yesterday during the day and I put the temperature very very high and that might be what caused it to come out. Do you think that maybe it was hiding there for the past year? because it is a very big bed bug.
Hey Donna! It sounds like you took the necessary precautions (nice and quickly as well) so I personally think you should be fine. To be safe, wash your clothes (just the ones that may have come into contact with the insect), your linen and keep an eye out for any dark spots on your sheets in the near future. As for your heaters, its just co-incidence, it requires a massively high temperature to start making the bed bugs worry. Hope that helps 🙂
I started itching about a month and half ago. at first I was thinking my dog had fleas and they were bitting me. but as time went on I started seeing little red tick sized bugs so I took the sheets off the bed washed those and turned the mattress over and these bugs were every where! I don’t understand where they came from my bed isn’t but a year old and I paid a lot of money for it so I really don’t wanna throw it away. I live in a apartment and I had someone new move in under me around 2 months ago is it possible they came in throw the wall? please help I’m so grossed out and itchy!
Hey Amanda! You don’t need to throw your bed away. Either get your bed/carpets steamed (you can do this yourself if you hire a steamer) or use DE, its really that simple. Its possible but after you use DE, it wont really matter as they will all die. I have a guide on how to use it for fleas but the steps are the same for bed bugs, check it out (its under the flea category). Good luck!
I haven’t slept in four days. Maybe 2 or 3 in the morning. I have a bad reaction to the bites..I killed one that had just bit me..I fear that every room has them…everyone complaining of bites. Just started having bites for me in july…for the rest of family last week or two……HELP HELP…I can not afford professional help or to throw out all furniture..Im on a fixed income..(disability)
Hey Sonya! You can use some lemon juice on the bites to ease the itchiness, it burns a little but it will give you some relief. My suggestion is to use DE in your home, especially under your sheets as its a natural, affordable way to combat these pests. If you look over the points in this guide there are also a number of other things you can try. Let me know how they go 🙂
Hello Natasha,
About 7 months ago, I inherited 4 children from a family member that lived in rather poor conditions. About a month after they arrived, my son began complaining he couldn’t sleep at night because he was getting bitten. After completely searching his room, we found absolutely nothing. This went on for about 2 weeks before the child sharing a room with my son informed me, they had no bed at home because it was infested with bed bugs. A second more thorough sweep, found the corner of the box framed situated in the frame infested with bed bugs. Now having 5 children, we are on a pretty tight budget, I cried for a few minutes, then decided what had to be done, had to be done. We immediately wrapped the beds, box springs, and frames and disposed of them. After vacuuming his entire room, bombing, and praying, it seemed they were gone….WRONGO! A week later they were along the seams of the Air mattress’s we gave the boys. After cleaning the room again and bombing again….we thought we got lucky.
About 2 weeks ago, literally all hell broke loose. The Couch, The Bedrooms, all had bugs. I followed your directions step by step, so far the couch is fine, the kids rooms are fine, my room not so much. So I have been steaming every other day for now, but there is something I wanted to add to your process that I think people may be able to use.We removed all the netting from the couch, box springs so on, and it seems they really love that netting. I kept a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol handy wanting to test that theory, and amazingly, it works. as we found patches, I sprayed them with 91% and they died instantly, 50% works as well, it just takes a bit more time. After spraying, vacuuming, steaming, vacuuming, using the DE the couch is fine, it seems my bedroom is the most stubborn since we can’t actually use the DE there because I’m highly allergic to it. I just wanted to thank you really, this article has helped me tremendously, I’m actually able to relax now and I don’t fly into a panic anymore, and it was you that made that possible. So TY, TY, TY, and for the next person that reads this post, panicked, disgusted, or frustrated, there is hope, You just have to take a breath shove away the horror, and get to work!
Hey Libby! Thanks for your fantastic feedback (and tips, will be adding them to the original article shortly). I also really appreciate your kind words and the time you have taken to respond in such a lovely manner. Your personal experience is definitely encouraging and I am super happy that you have found the success you deserve. I also hope that others will gain courage from the detailed information you have provided and not give up the fight against these pests. 🙂
Hey all, most of the info here I have been using with good results as long as we do continuous, but if we slack off for a month we start to see a cpl on one wall. We got them 2 years ago from a sister in-law did not know what they where at first. After daughters started getting bit they brought one to me I found them on the internet. Well to late as spread all over house including bathroom kitchen.
Had house treated professionally twice in which we washed removed all linen, clothing, coats, ext. We blew dryed all books other iteams till all that was left in home was furniture. They sprayed all walls, furniture, floors, ext. Did not sweep floors for 3 weeks to keep poison intact for newly hatched bugs. Well they came back each time we have burned every piece of furniture including beds. All things replaced we started using DE alcohol treatments with good success. But, if we stop using dust alcohol treatments we find a cpl on same wall suspect they hibernating in that wall. So about ready to tear wall out not sure what to do.
Only treatment I know of that removes them completely is whole home heat treatment, but cost several thousand dollars. Any ideas as really don’t wish to forever be powdering de alcohol after each vacumming keeping others from coming over or stopping family from going to their friends homes, for fear of spreading this nightmare to others
Hi JD! From the sounds of it, you have spent enough time trying to kill these pests yourself and since you are not getting any long term results (even with all your efforts), I recommend hiring an exterminator to help you out. I prefer to stay neutral when it comes to specific companies so I recommend you just do a little research (check reviews, ratings, etc.) and find a reputable company. Sorry that I can’t help you further, if I could jump through my computer screen and give you a hand I would 🙂
This is really good advice and I have just ordered my DE today. However, in my house we got the infected rooms (which are upstairs) sprayed twice and they came back in one of the rooms and spread to the living room in the couches. We’re trying baking powder at the moment but I just want to get rid of these bed bugs until they spread to other rooms. We’re washing the sheets at 60/90 degrees and spraying insectrol all over the place frequently, what else can we do to kill them/prevent spread in the house? Also, would you recommend not sleeping in the infected bed at all?
Hey Amarpreet! Glad that you have found the information in this guide useful 🙂 Washing your linen is a great start! Before you put your sheets down, try placing a little DE on the rims on your bed, this is all you really need to be honest (unless its a massive infestation of course). I recommend staying away from the bed for two nights and applying the DE twice, leaving it for 24 hours each time. Good luck!
Hi Natasha,
I have looked into the enzyme wash and will be purchasing those brands, they are the ‘fancier” brand names, a little more expensive. enzyme detergents got a bad rap back in the 80’s; I cannot remember why. They do not loudly proclaim the benefits; however there are many cleaning benefits to them, as enzymes tend to break down organic substances such as bugs, eggs etc. I wanted to remind your viewers of the need to purchase “food grade” diatamaceous earth. The other kind contains silica which causes lung and respiratory problems (big time) when breathed in. The silica type is generally used for swimming pool filters. Food grade is inexpensive, I found mine on line and love using it. Has many other uses besides killing bugs.
My bug problem is over. I will continue to be diligent as we travel and use hotels too often for comfort now. I have developed a strategy for dealing with hotel rooms as well. Lots of plastic bags and extra sheets. Thank you for your help Natasha.
Hey Kay, I am glad that you brought that subject up! There are some great and affordable enzyme liquids that work wonders for pests that inhabit drains and I have often recommended it to my readers. DE must always be food grade for safe pest control as you mentioned and I am glad that you found it beneficial. Thanks for sharing your experiences with the community and hope to see you back here soon 😉
My story is much like the others. family members had bed bugs, my kids went over and brought them back. We’ve had them now for almost a year. Im exhausted. Its 530 am and I can’t sleep because I have 2 sons sleeping on our couch which is is fabric because we threw there beds away. Im constantly checking on them. As I am typing I am closely watching my 8 yr old daughter as she sleeps because she is getting bitten more than the others. I have 5 kids. All of which are now sleeping on the floors and couches or me. My husband has tried a a shop vac, some peppermint spray stuff and alcohol. Needless to say that isn’t working. For my sanity I’ve decided to take over. I am planning on moving but they don’t have a place for a month. Thanks to your site I have 1.handheld steamer, 2. Vacuum 3. DE (where do I get this) 4. Mattress covers 5. Bed bug defogger. My question is what are the actual steps. What do I do first? Can you provide me chronological or sequential steps to help me. without help I will have to send my kids to live with relatives and that would be unbearable.
Hey Monique! Sorry that you have had to deal with this problem for so long, you deserve a happy home and I am sure that these pests are robbing you of some of that joy. Here is my recommendation:
1) Steam clean your beds, hot wash your linen and all the clothes that may have come into contact with bed bugs.
2) Once everything is dry, place DE (you can get the food grade at a outdoor shop (or simply online) under your mattress cover. Focus your attention to the rims of the mattress and make sure you cover all your bases. You can also place this powder (and rub it in) on your carpets and around your house. Leave for a day and then vacuum it up. Repeat twice.
3) Since you already have it, you can let off that bed bug fogger about 2 days after using the DE (two full treatments should have been done).
I can’t promise anything but I am almost 100% sure that this will send those bed bugs packing. Good luck and I hope this helps, don’t forget to share this with your friends 😉
Natasha, Thank you for your reply. I am still fighting a few bugs as of this time. I thought I had them licked. I am getting the newborns at night and they seem to like my face best. Question; “How long is the incubation stage for eggs?” and “Do female bugs continue to feed after they are laying their eggs?” How much what quantity? ( think ticks stop feeding after they begin laying). I am going to daily washing sheets in very hot water along with the blankets, I have my mattress protector on, my DE in saucers (DE pits) at each bed pole. I don’t don’t how they are getting to me. I do try to keep stuff off the bed and actually do put my pjs in a plastic bag daily so I don’t cross contaminate.
What would be the enzyme cleansing gel? I love the DE, but it does effect my husband’s breathing, so I have lightened up on it a bit. OH! After writing to you before, I also found a bunch of bugs bedding down under the rim of my toilet. They were getting a free wash with every flush. Gone now! Do you think it is possible that a bug would move between the bed and a water source, even though they had to enter the DE pit before getting into bed with me? Very irritating, also a husband who doesn’t ever get bit. Oh, another question; “Can we mask the Co2 offput from our bodies at night?” I am thinking of playing with powders to disguise my smell, any help with that?
Hey Kay! The incubation stage is dependent on the surrounding temperature and a number of other factors. On average, its been 5 and 21 days. Yes, females will continue to operate as normal and based on a little research, it seems that they can lay a maximum of about 12 per day, depending on the availability of food. I haven’t personally used enzymes for bed bugs but if you can find a product that is specifically used for this purpose, give it a try and let me know as I would love to share it with the Bug Squad community. Its unlikely that they will survive a journey through DE, are you using a high quality brand? It needs to be as close to 100% pure as possible. Masking that wouldn’t really make any difference, lets rather focus on getting rid of them instead of trying to hide 😉 Looking forward to your response!
Hi natasha I wanted to know how do I get rid of bed bug out my hair because I wake up with bites on my arms and I lay my head on my arms at night and I trash my old mattress four months ago and still have bites
Hey Curry! If there are bed bugs in your hair, a simple hot wash with some decent shampoo will get rid of them. However, its more likely that they have found shelter (and unfortunately food) in your room. Don’t panic, just give your bed a close inspection and look for signs of these pests (as described in this article) and then we can work something else to give you some relief. Looking forward to hearing from you here or via social media. Cheers! 🙂
Hi Natasha, I just had my house exterminated for bed bugs, they are all dead. Now I have to wait 6 months before I can get a contract with them…just found out that neighbor have them, they can afford a professionals come in to treat the bed bugs I’m worried that I’ll get them back can I use diatomaceous earth until I buy a contract in the mean time? is it safe for my dog?
Hey Denise! Most definitely, in fact, you may find that DE is all you need and you wont even have to hire a professional service. The food grade variation is completely safe and it can be used around your dog without worry. Hope that helps!
Hello Natasha, I’m quite aggrivated and disgusted. My fiance has been getting bitten. The only one getting bitten myself and my roomate has been bite free. So I went on Vacation for a week and my fiance stayed at his place, he came to stay with me last night (my first night back) and he woke up with 6 more bites! So I asked him to check the beds dressers ect and found nothing but one bug. He even checked my roomates bed and nothing. How bad can this be? I’m buying the powder tonight. Hes washing the bedding now. I’m throwing the mattresses and box srping out. Clothes are going to take forever I have tones and curtins. I don’t know how to make sure this problem is rid. I have an exterminator coming to check this out on tuesday but fear it will be too expensive. I live in a 2 bd 2 ba apt and think they may charge a lot for every room just be sure the problem is gone. I have never gone through this before. Never had issues. I’m really disgusted. Please what do I do??
Hey Katherine! Sorry to hear about your pest issue. Firstly, are you certain they are bed bug bites? I have an article on both flea bites and these so I recommend that you check them to make sure you know what you are dealing with. Secondly, since you are on a budget, I highly recommend trying something called diatomaceous earth (food grade). You can use it under your sheets and rub it into your carpet. A combination of this powder and a vigorous wash of your linen and clothes should get rid of these bugs. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I been getting bit for 3 weeks now and sleeping on the couch but Anyways I caught a bed bug trying to run away when I spotted it under my 2nd pillow we’ve bombed the house twice this week. 1st time we bombed it I searched my bed and I found dead eggs, transparent bed bugs between the cracks on the mattress. 2nD we bombed it I douched my bed cleaned everything and I’m not sure if it’s safe to sleep in my bed anymore I am very terrified and this is the first time I’ve experienced this. Please help.
Hey Asha! Sounds like you have done enough but keep an eye on the situation. If you see any bed bugs, it might be worth your while to get an exterminator in, let me know if you want a couple free quotes. 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for your article, it was very informative. I found a bug on my bed couple of weeks back, I could not say if it was a bed bug/cockroach. I found an another today afternoon and I was confirmed by a relative that it is a bed bug. I was worried and immediately purchased an aerosol pesticide from a nearby pharmacy and sprayed it all over my room, I have also washed the window curtains, bed sheets and blankets. Now I have become very conscience and have a crawling sensation on my body and itches here and there. Should I immediately opt for a professional pest control service? My bed is pretty expensive, I purchased it just couple of months back. Would the pesticide used be harmful or make the bed unusable. Also since my job demands more of my time, I wont be able to do things myself, hence I prefer a professional pest control service that will help me get rid of bed bugs quickly.
Thanks and regards,
Damodar
Hey Damodar! Thanks for your kind words and I am glad you found the information useful 🙂 On those nights when you feel that itchy sensation, are you waking up with bed bug bites (check out my article on this and compare the photos with what you may have) ? If you are receiving actual bite marks, you can either use some of the natural methods (steam, DE, etc) or alternatively, call in expert services. Since your time is limited and this is affecting your quality of life, the second one would probably be the best option 🙂
Hi Natasha, I been treating my apt for the last 3 months for bedbugs I take everything and wash twice and dry for about 2 hours at high heat spray rooms and bed, vacuum everything. we r good for about 2 weeks then I will start getting bite all over again landlord will do nothing. I have seen a couple this last time come through an outlet in the wall between mine and the apt next door could they be coming from next door through the wall? and any idea how I can keep them gone from my apt?
Hey Christine! Based on your description, it seems that either not all these pests where hit by the heat treatment or alternatively there were eggs that were not destroyed, hence your current bed bug problem. Its unlikely that they would be coming from there but since they do actively seek warmth and food sources, its in your bed interest to caulk that area up. I recommend that you use a bed bug spray (you can get a few natural ones) or alternatively use DE under your sheets. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi, Natasha,
I noticed one of the bloggers asked if they needed to wash clothing in the closets and/or dressers in adjacent closets, but you didn’t address this question in your response.
Also, I have found evidence of bed bugs on my mattress after being bitten multiple times over the last week. I plan to do everything you suggest–DE, steaming, etc. Do I need to do this throughout my house? Most of the floor space in the house is carpeted. Thanks!
Hey Susan! My apologies, didn’t mean to miss that 🙂 While it may not be necessary, its a small price to pay to ensure that these pests are killed. My recommendation, do it. Since you have lots of carpets, use DE everywhere (dust the floor) and rub it in with a broom. Let me know how it goes, if you have any more questions feel free to ask 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Just 2 days back I shifted to New apartment at NJ and picked up a foldable used couch covered with cotton bed cover. I kept in the balcony for a day and surprisingly noticed that it had many bed-bugs on bed cover. I just threw the cover from Balcony and trashed it, wheras I kept the bed still at balcony(when I looked at the edges and corners of the bed no bugs were noticed), under sun light(typically in India this is the practice to keep away bed bug 🙂
Now I am wondering if any bed bug fell down while shifting this couch ( I just crossed living room and kept in Balcony). Is there any possibility a single bug crawl to other side lie bed room, living room and expand its population? Or should I do a round of vacuum, or spray a herbal insecticide? Please suggest. If one or two bugs cause infestation then anytime we go to out to resturent, theatre, public transport may cause similar infestation likely then I should worry equally. Please clarify. Thanks.
Hey Krish! While it is possible, its highly unlikely and there shouldn’t be anything that you need to worry about 🙂 I recommend that you hot wash your clothes after being in an area where they might have been a bed bug problem and you will be fine. Cheers!
Hello Natasha! Wow I have been battling with these critters for 2 years now there almost all over my house. I have burned carpet and mattresses vacuumed the entire house washed and dried all pillows and bedding after pulling up all my carpet in my house I painted the floors before putting down new carpet . I have used pesticides like seven dust under my carpet and bed and couch and chairs . I even bought these expensive little hotel thing s that Dr. Oz suggested was very effective . Needless to say I’m throwing my bedding in the dryer 30 min every night before I lay down. I’m so exhausted trying to rid these critters. I even tried bombing the house which did not phase them. I’m trying to get rid of stuff I don’t use anymore to cut down on the spaces for them to live . I don’t know what else to do I could just scream!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant afford an exterminator the one I talked to was going to charge me 1,200.00 per room . No way can I afford this. I just feel like Im at the end of my rope. Don’t know what to do anymore. I have a cat and dog which is hard to use harsh chemicals and them in the house. I’m pulling up carpet once again and burning my mattress and boxsprings again. This is getting very expensive.
Hey Teresa! Sorry for the late response. My recommendation is that you take a look at Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. You may have heard of this before but trust me, it has worked for me in the past and I literally have hundreds of readers that have shared similar good results. Its completely non-toxic and it can be rubbed into your carpets (just “dust” them”) and even placed under your sheets, especially in the rim of the bed. I am almost certain you will start to see results after a short amount of time. I have an article on DE and although its for fleas, you can follow the same steps so check it out if you get a chance. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi Natasha, Im actually in the process of what I think is the last of my infestation. I havent seen signs in quite a while, I used DE everywhere for a few months with lots of vaccuming and cleaning. This weekend I rippped all the carpets out of my house and am having hardwood installed. Any suggestions on this? Do you think they will come back with the presence of the new wood? Is there anything I can do right now, while the wood isnt yet installed? Im using DE under the wallboards of my home and in cracks while the molding is torn off… for my bed, I wound up investing in really expensive covers and whatever might be in there is trapped for the duration. Its a really expensive king sized TemerPedic bed- couldnt afford to throw it out. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Nicole
Hey Nicole! Replacing them with wood floors cannot guarantee that you will be free of them forever but since they are significantly easier to handle when you don’t have carpets, it will definitely improve the situation. I recommend that you keep up the DE treatments, that’s all you really need at the moment. As for your bed, I recommend that you get it steam cleaned as this will kill most pests (bed bugs, fleas, mites, etc.). Let me know if you need anything else!
Can bed bugs get in your head like lice?? I just discovered I have bed bugs(have an exterminator coming today) but my 3 year old daughter has been scratching her head like crazy! Thanks!
Hey Sarah! No that will not happen so you don’t need to worry about that. Its possible that she has something else thats making her head itchy, might even be food allergies but its definitely not bed bugs. Hope that helps!
Ughhhh I feel dirty, gross and alone!! I am freaking out, not a wink of sleep last night! I found like three in my and I have been itching for a few weeks! I guess first step is to get rid of mattresses and couches! Ughh I am a single mom with two kids! This is devastating and I am not happy. I almost want to just run away and hide
Hey Korey! You dont need to get rid of your furniture if there is only a few bed bugs, its highly unlikely that there is a major infestation. I recommend using something like DE or a simple bed bug spray (will be writing an article on this in the next week or so) to kill them. If you are still having this problem, please drop me a message and I will assist you further 🙂
Hello Natasha: I’m itching just reading this post! Here’s my story: I stayed in a house in montana that had dead bedbugs all over the bed and one live one on the bed frame. They were black and approx 1/4 inch long. I tried to be very careful and did not leave my suitcase or clothes on the floor or bed. I washed all clothes when I got home 2 1/2 weeks ago. I have had 1 bite just about every day since. Last weekend I washed all bedding, moved and took apart furniture, vacuumed everywhere even the furniture. I’ve had 2 bites this week. I have never seen any bugs. I keep a white sheet over my bed to protect from cat dirt. I cannot tell if the crud on the sheet is from the cat or the bugs. I’ll try the DE. Should I put it under the mattress pad and the sheet and all over the floor and cat trees? Oh, and my suitcase is in the closet. Should I treat the suitcase and the entire closet? And one more thing – how long does it take for a room/apartment to get infested? Thanks so much!
Hey Erin! Sounds like bed bugs alright, sorry that you have to deal with them, they are horrible pests. I highly recommend the DE, I have personally used it (as well as hundreds of my blog visitors) and enjoyed excellent results. You can place it wherever you think bed bugs may be hiding, even if its just a hunch as its completely safe and won’t cause any problems. As for the time period, it really depends on their environment, availability of food and shelter. If those requirements are met, they can start multiplying on a weekly basis.
Hello i have a question i recently spotted 2 bed bugs ive washed everything i believe its a small infestation i bought alcohol to spray on the couches but can you spray it on the bed im also getting the de powder but i dont have the extas to get bed cover will doubling up on sheets work after i put the powder on the bed
Hi Nisha, you can but it might give your room a bit of a smell lol. Yes, provided it’s food grade DE, just put it under your sheets, spreading it very lightly across the entire bed. You can put the sheets back on as well. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha. My S/O and I just moved into our first house in May. We left our apt because of bed bugs at the complex. Well, we thought getting rid of the bed and getting a new one would work but they followed. A week ago we found some, a very small infestation. But an infestation none the less. My question is really just wanting to make sure I am doing everything right. We cant afford an pest control guy to come (said its $350 for on room) so I have been doing it myself. I have washed and dryed EVERYTHING multiple when in comes to bedding and clothes. I am currently in the process of moving the bed and box spring outside to lay in the sun. I got the powder and sprinkled it all along the baseboards through our house and our our bed and box spring. I spray alcohol on everything. I got a bed bug fogger and set it off in our room (we emptied the room out completely) and now Im just trying to let the sun do its work on the bed. Any other things I can do? I know Im going over board, but you cant overkill these things…so why not go all out. I don’t want to repeat this in a month. :/ Thanks for your help.
-Jessica
Hey Jessica! Your methods sound perfect, glad to see that you followed the steps in this article. You may need to use the DE a couple times (I presume this is the powder that you purchased?) but those bed bugs are definitely in for a nasty surprise and shouldn’t bother you in the future. Just keep an eye on the situation and if you have any problems after treatment, let me know 🙂
Hi Natasha,
my name is farah and i belong to Pakistan, please help me getting rid of bed bugs in easy way, things which i can get easily from my country please, i am single parent and working mother as well my kids are always complayning they are not able to sleep whole night, have done lots of spary’s but no use, please please.
Hey Falak! Regardless of your country, you can follow the steps in this article to get rid of them quickly. I recommend giving the Diatomaceous Earth a try as its cheap, safe and effective. After you have used it, please let me know and I can help you if you are still battling 🙂
Hi natasha, i have a few questions. So back in april i was waking up with bites, and at first i thought i might be having an allergic reaction to something because even though bed bugs were my first thought, i stripped my bed and i found nothing. However after About 2 weeks the marks disappeared all together and everthing stopped. Last night i couldnt fall asleep because i felt itchy, and so i got up, turned on the lights, and sure enough i saw a bug running across the bed and so i killed it. A moment later another much smaller one was also running across the same area, just beneath the sheets and i caught that one. At that point i threw out my pillows, cases and all, threw the sheets into the dryer, than the washer, and finally back into the dryer for a few hours. I did the same with the comforter, and with my clothes. I than vacuumed and sprayed the entire bed frame with a pesticide. Is that time gap normal? How bad does the situation sound? Thanks!
Hey Jasper! To be honest, I think that the situation is under control, good job on taking quick action! I recommend just keeping an eye on the situation and if anyone comes up in the future, drop me a message and I will help you personally to get it sorted out. Good luck!
Hello, I also recently discovered bed bugs in my house. We just moved in this house in February. I noticed I was itching and had red marks on my body. I would occasionally see a bug crawling ank kill it. I didnt know at the time what the bug was. I described it to my husband and he said it wsd nothing to worry about. He never ssw them only I saw them. He never got bit either only I wsd getting bit. I thought I was going nuts. One night I caught one out of the corner of my eye and caught it. I didnt kill it, so I could show my husband. I did however look up bed bugs online. I was speechless when I saw the picture of one. It was exactly what I had been seeing. I freakef out. The next day my husband bought a spray that said it kills bed bugs and fleas. We sprayed our couches and after about 10 minutes noticed them all coming out of the couch. Most of them were dead. The rest were slowly dying. We actually threw our couch outside on the deck. I had no intention of bringing it back in. We had a couch in another room that we brought in our family room to use. We thoroughly cleaned our carpets with the steam cleaner. I thought we did a pretty good job and conquered the problem. Just yesterday I saw one for the first time crawling on my sons mattres. I freaked out. Got rid of that mattress. Does this mean that they are back and that I didnt really get rid of all of them back a few months ago? We are moving because of this. I can’t stand the thought of these nasty bugs. Can you tell me more about the DE powder? How you use it etc… I want to make sure we dont bring the bed bugs with us to our new house. I loved reading your article. I look forward to your response. Thank you in advance.
Hey Jeannie! Absolutely, DE is a natural substance that basically dehydrates pests like bed bugs. In fact, the microscopic edges of the powder is razor sharp and actually cuts the exoskeleton of these insects, essentially killing them. Even if they only briefly come into contact with it, they will perish in a couple hours. Before you make the final decision to move, I highly recommend taking a moment to try it out. I have an article that outlines the steps and although the guide is specifically talking about fleas, you can follow the same steps. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I would like to know how to use the Diatomaceous earth? What is the best way to apply it? What I found was a large bag in the garden section, intended for gardening. It does say safe for use around pets and children. Where does one find food grade DE?
Thank You
Hey Shelly! That DE sounds fine for safe flea control, just avoid the “pool grade” variation. I usually fill a plastic icecream container with the powder and use it like a salt shaker around the house, making sure I cover all the necessary areas properly. I highly recommend that you do the same to ensure an even spread. Good luck!
Hi Natasha! About a year ago our house was broken into and ever since then we’ve had bed bugs. The insurance paid for an exterminator and we didn’t see any for the whole winter season up until now since last summer from the break in. I am going so crazy I can’t sleep and its effecting my life drastically, very depressing. We see one every day or every couple of days always flat never inflatted, and I don’t think I have been bitten but the two i have recently seen are hanging out outside my little brothers room. Does the DE work for sure? What can I do to attempt to find where they are coming from, do the have nests? Please help me, I want to be stressfree again. it seems like this will never go away
Hey Pam! Yes, DE works great and I can personally assure you that based on feedback, it has worked for hundreds of my readers 🙂 They are commonly found on the rims of mattresses and the bed (hence their name) and I recommended putting the DE in these and all around the room (especially if its carpeted). Leave it for a couple hours and vacuum it up, repeat daily for a week or so and you will see results!
where do you get DE? The only kind I could find, is safe for pets and people but is for gardening? and what is the best way to apply the powder? (comes in a big bag)
Hey Shelly! DE can actually be used for gardening and is even found at those outdoor plant shops (probably where you saw it). In addition, some people even use it for drying out flowers. However, in a addition, it makes a great (and safe) bed bug control method and provided its doesn’t contain insecticides (some do), its great for using in your home if you have bed bugs. Also check outline for the same product, might be cheaper depending on where you live. Cheers!
I was waking up with bed bug bites every day for a month, thinking i was having an allergic reaction. Our apartment complex hired an exterminator, and made us pay for it. He came twice, and the night after he came I woke up with 11 new bites the next morning. We had washed everything, even bought a new box spring (and found 4 bugs on the box spring the morning after extermination). We have now sealed up the outlets, and are using bed bug spray. I found a live bed bug however crawling on my cat’s tower last night. I am wondering if there is anything else we can do, as I have a cat and don’t want to pay another 500 dollars for an exterminator who clearly didn’t do anything to help the problem. I am extremely allergic to the bites, and they turn into giant welts. We can’t move because in our lease the management company will charge us a lot of money. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Hey Val! Sorry to hear about your poor experience with the exterminator, you would expect for that kind of money he would do the job correctly. Anyways, since I presume you are looking for an affordable DIY solution after spending that amount of cash, I highly recommend the use of DE. I mention it in this article and the 40 mule variation is pure (look for food grade on the label) and it works extremely well. Rub it into your carpets and put it under your sheets (and around your pet) for a couple nights and vacuum it up each morning. You will see fairly instantaneous results 🙂
Natasha,
We used the DE and I was bite free for a few days. We vacuumed it up after a week and today I have 8 bites. Do you think it’s possible an egg was remaining and hatched after the DE was vacuumed up? Should we put more down? I have a friend who says the bugs can live anywhere, even between book pages, etc. Is this true? Any advice is appreciated.
I am trying to deal with these buggers using diatemaceous earth. Worked great until they discovered that if they crawled into my sink drain, it would wash off. They nested there. I have a habit of dumping a little bleach down all my drains before I go anywhere for a while. The bleach in my sink corroded the pipe fitting black and I noticed when I returned home that I had little trails of black stuff leading away from my sink. Found the buggers in my shower screen (hollow metal frame and glass). I hit the area regularily with a new product called Clorox Gel. It sticks to them, although they know to climb up to get away from it. They also know to stay where they match the color of the shower frame. I found that interesting (light sensitive I imagine).
I use the CO2 trap to lure the bugs away and then kill them. It actually works best under my bed! the bed is a CA King and hard to clean under so I lure them away. Along with 140 F washings and lots of time in the dryer, clothes packed in platic bags 2.5 gallon size works great, rubbing alcohol (I spray the whole bottle of top of my mattress encloser in case I missed any with the vacuum cleaner). Yeah go all out for these guys and don’t invite guests over for at least 6 months. Any ideas on shower drains? I am using lots of bleach, thinking about duct taping the drain at night? I have tape on the emergency drain (top hole) in my sinks.
Oh I haven’t finished with the diatemaceous earth praise; ” Use saucer sized containers under your 4 bed legs, lots of earth in them as they will not die immediately and will go a little crazy after contact. I bought cheap plastic plant saucers which they can’t climb out of. Deep enough for lots of earth, I have seen many many dead bodies in mine. A turkey baster works great to squirt earth into wall spaces behind electrical outlets, cracks etc. I also had to seal my new floor base lining, used glue to seal the edges after working earth into the crevices as some bugs took up residence inside. There is no end to the hide and seek games. Think that you must first create a safe sleeping space and then go after them in their hiding places. Make sure they cannot reach you when you are vunerable (asleep). Hubby and i have not been bit in a while, still not taking chances for several months. Unfortunately we travel often and are exposed elsewhere. Believe it or not, we did not find evidence of many bugs, just spent the time investigating their little hovels, they do travel; however I think I have gotten most of them, will be sealing the shower frame holes today, let them die a slow death inside!
Thank you for listening, hope some of this helps others.
Hey Kay! Thanks for the great suggestions, let me see if I can contribute further. For your showers, you can try a Enzyme cleansing gel. I have actually given these products a try fairly recently and have been pleased with the results. They are not only for bed bugs but basically they contain enzymes and cultures that break down organic matter that often contains the eggs of pests. This of course will also kill adult bugs that are lurking in these places.
I completely agree with the point you made about clearing out your sleeping areas first otherwise a bed bug infestation can and will be a nightmare (literally :P). I really appreciate your comment, it will be of great use to the community and I have even picked up a few tips from it 🙂 Hope to see you back again soon, have a good one!
Hi Natasha!
I am unsure about how bad my infestation is. I hear people say they have hundreds in their bed, we don’t have that at all. We have been getting bites sporadically for the past month. So about two weeks ago we “bombed” the house with hotshot bed bug. No bites then two nights again my boyfriend got 7 bites and I got I one. They affect him way worse than myself. We stripped the bed and boom we found ONE hiding in a pillow case. Immediately killed that one, and took all our bedding to laundromat. My question is how do you know if you are badly infested or just a few bugs? We moved our bed into another room and put a protector and threw away the box spring. We bombed the house again today and now going to use alcohol and DE to take off that room. Are they all over or just in the room? We are sleeping on the floor in our living room terrified we are going to be eaten alive. Please help us.
Hey Sandra! It sounds like you just have a couple bugs, nothing to worry about right now but you need to definitely get rid of them before it becomes a problem in the future. Bed bugs can relocate to other areas of the home (poorly maintained hotel rooms is a frequent reason why people end up with bed bugs in their home) but there is no need to get stressed about it, you seem to have a good process for getting rid of them so just stick to it. After using the fogger and applying DE under the sheet (and after washing everything, etc.), you can return to your bedroom, there is no need to sleep in the lounge. Hope that brings some relief to your family 🙂
Thank you so much!we are still in the living room because we put that DE stuff everywhere in our bedroom. It feels like it is not ready for us to go back because there is still white dust everywhere on the room. We are waiting for the dust to disappear. We haven’t gotten anymore bites as of yet but honestly I am still so paranoid that they are everywhere. It’s a very scary process getting them and then having to get rid of them. I am going to keep you guys posted. I know it is a terrifying experience and I hope that if I can get rid of them to share some tips that I might have. I will say that I haven’t seen any bugs at all since we put down the DE so I don’t know if that means they died or are still hiding I am not sure. If you should have any other tips please let me know. I am going to spend all da weekend cleaning and organizing my whole house.
Hey Sandra! Sorry this is a bit late, still having net issues on my side. Anyways, I am glad that you havn’t received any further bites, definitely good news! Its been a little while since your comment, how are things at the moment? Looking forward to hearing from you 🙂
i tried lavender shampoo, prickly heat powder, dettol, mentholated oil, baking soda, mixed them well and bottled then in a spray-bottle, and sprayed on blankets, mattresses and areas where i doubted even slightly that they would be present and placed these in the sun where the temperature is 44 degrees Celcius. got rid of them. i regularly spray some insecticide of a known brand.
Hey Ann! Thanks for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it. While I havn’t followed those exact steps before, I am glad it works and I am positive that others will benefit from this information. Thanks again for contributing to the community!
Hi Natasha, I read ur article n while reading it I was biten by a large bed bug. Ofcourse I killed it. Honestly I had gone through a pest controller n it was f9 for a month n then right after I started to notice these pests again. I don’t know what to do. I have sprayed myself too but it affects only for a little while. I never used to have ugly marks on my legs or hands now they r there. I m afraid if I m ever going to get rid of these marks or not. What else is there to get rid of them? Plz help me out.
Heya! The marks will disappear if you resist the urge to scratch them, if you don’t they could end up leaving a scar so please be careful. From the sounds of it, you seem to have a fairly bad infestation, I recommend purchasing a fogger for bed bugs (that contains an IGR) and to use DE under your sheets. In addition, give your bedding and other linen a good, hot wash. I know that this may seem like quite a mission but its worth it and I am sure that you are looking to get rid of these pests as soon as possible. 🙂
Thank you Natasha, I was looking at foggers yesterday and was having a hard time finding one that says IGR.
Where would it be listed? for the IGR. Please advise.
Hey Houston! It will say something along the lines of “regulates or stops the insect growth cycle”. Any product that mentions something about preventing the eggs from hatching contains an insect growth regulator (IGR). Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha i was wondering what is DE im actually up now going crazy finding bed bugs after being bitten a bunch of times and flushing then i had an exterminator and i havnt had a problem but now there coming back im going to try the silica but i want to use everything possibly i have small baby’s and i don’t want them getting bit either
Hey Deasia! DE stands for diatomaceous earth and it is incredible powerful and effective for bed bug removal. Place it under your sheets and around your pet and vacuum it up daily and you will see positive results. Cheers!
Hi Natasha, I found your website very helpful. My husband starting getting bites about less than a month ago. On June 30th we found black spots on the seam of our mattress I sprayed bug spray and alcohol, we left it for an hour went back and found 7 bed bugs. I was horrified, I through out the bedding including pillows. Wrapped the mattress and box spring in this plastic cases, vacuumed everything, that night my husband killed just one the next day I put DE everywhere in the house. I checked all the other rooms saw nothing. And we through out are mattress and box spring. 2 days later I vacuumed and put more DE everywhere. My husband and I have been sleeping on the couch, neither one of us have been getting bites. I check the beds, couch, our now bed less room lol, haven’t seen anything. Finally my question is it possible that I have gotten rid of them? Thank you please help I’m going crazy lol
Hey Shari! Sounds like you have but to be safe, leave the DE on the mattress itself and then place your newly washed linen ontop of it. I actually recommend using two sheets over it for a couple days. Also, make sure you hot wash any clothes that may have come into contact with the bed bugs and you should be bed bug free 🙂
Thank you, we will be steaming our room tomorrow and then painting it on Saturday. Buying new mattress and bed frame Sunday with of course a mattress encasement. Putting DE down again and putting 2 sheets like you suggested. But I have another question, I don’t think my clothes in the closet came in contact but should I wash them anyways. Oh and my dresser is in the closet too. Thank you
Its a pleasure, sounds like you have a good plan and if you put it in action, you will definitely get rid of those bed bugs 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I slept over a friend’s house and woke up with about 10 bites in a line starting from my lower hip to my upper rib cage. I know that she has had a bed bug problem in the past (about 2 years back), but I thought the situation had been taken care of or I wouldn’t have stayed! I now have my clothes in a garbage bag sitting in my car trunk-hopefully roasting in the summer heat. I will wash everything in the morning on the hottest setting. I have to clean my bag (a plastic carry-on luggage) with a garment steamer as it will not fit inside a dryer. You have mentioned that the steam works to kill them but will you please elaborate? How long should I steam the bag for? Are there any areas that I should focus on? Also, I am in ultra paranoid mode, so I would like to steam my mattress as well-and it’s helpful to get rid of carpet beetles and dust mites anyway. How should I go about that (and for how long)? I also bought a mattress encasement even though I was extremely careful about the whole situation, but I figure I’d rather be safe than sorry. I have read so many sites about using steam to kill the bugs but I have yet to find a solid protocol i.e. a step-by-step that explains the timing and motions. I have researched that 120 degree F heat kills them after at least 30 minutes. I know that my steamer reaches 140 degrees F so I wonder if steaming for only a few minutes is satisfactory. Also should I worry about cleaning my shoes (a pair of sandals and high heels-not sure if this is necessary)? That might be a bit excessive, but I just want to make sure that I don’t end up with a serious problem.
Thank you so much in advance! I appreciate the advice that you offer on your site.
Hey Miranda! Sounds like bed bug bites alright, sorry you had to go through that, they really suck. Direct steam applications works because bed bugs are sensitive to heat. At a high temperature, they fizzle up and die. You don’t need to steam them in the bag, just take them outside and steam clean each one (if you have a steamer, else just get it done by a service). Steaming the mattress is a good idea as well and to sweeten the deal, use DE under the sheets to make sure that they will all be killed. A couple minutes at that temperature is fine, just don’t burn yourself. I recommend using it on anything that may have come into contact with bed bugs, better safe then sorry 😉 Good luck and its a pleasure, I enjoy helping people with pest control 🙂
Thanks for your kind reply Natasha 🙂 ya as u said i got bite from bed bug 2 days before at night 🙁 now i m at moms place. Don’t know what to do… even have no idea whether it has been spreaded over or not. Please advise on the same. So that it will be really helpful for me.
Hey Savitha! Its a pleasure! If you want a natural solution, get your beds (and anything that has come into contact with bed bugs) steam cleaned and use DE under your sheets for a couple days and you will be fine. I hope you get things sorted, let me know if I can help further!
Hi Natasha, we have an apartment building – we have a unit where the tenants were not well kept – it was infested with bugs / bedbugs – here’s my question. these people have moved out; we have cleaned, gotten rid of the carpet, put down tile, we’ve used chemical powders. we have treated this empty unit that was infested. we have not seen any bedbugs or any other bugs – however we know that they can lay dormate for long period of time. what else do you recommend we do to make sure they’re all gone. remember the unit is empty – so no bed, no furniture, no carpet, so we have the opportunitiy to clean it throughly – bleach? bombs? can you recommend a fogger? or use DE all over. We haven’t seen any but that doesn’t mean they’re not laying in wait………………..PLEASE ADVISE your thoughts………
Hey Houston! Personally I think what you have done so far would be sufficient. However, as an added precaution (and to get rid of any other pests that may be around), use a Raid Bug Fogger in the home. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully and when you set it off, don’t hover above it as it usually deploys upwards (you definitely don’t want a mouth full of poison lol). If Raid isnt available, just use any other bomber that has an IGR and this will ensure that it stops the insect life cycle.
Thank you Natasha, I was looking at foggers yesterday and was having a hard time finding one that says IGR.
Where would it be listed? for the IGR. Please advise.
Hey Houston! It will be called “insect growth regulator” or will mention something about stopping the insect life cycle. Sorry for the late response, your comment somehow slipped past my notice. Have a good one!
HI Natasha!!, yesterday we had been to relatives house thru cab… while returning back i got itching sensation.. when i reached home i noticed bed bugs in my dress, also I had got bite marks at 4 – 5 places. I think cab had so many bugs. I was not sure what was that. So i didn’t take any precautions.. Plssss advise what should i do now to be safe.
Hey Savitha! Sorry this is a bit late, been having internet connectivity issues recently 🙁 Anyways, just make sure that you give the clothes that came into contact with the bed bugs a good, hot wash. Heat kills bed bugs so that will keep you and your home free of these pests. Just keep an eye on the situation, if you wake up with any bite marks give me a shout and we can work though a solution for you 🙂
Hey, read your article. I think it might help. However, I don’t think we could do every room. My sister’s room is in a REALLY big mess, and the entire family is on a tight schedule with everything, so we don’t have the time to bomb the place. Any suggestions to bypass this?
Hey John, thanks for visiting my blog! If you are on a tight schedule, it may be easier to just get an exterminator in and they can deal with it for you. Besides that, I know that Diatomaceous Earth and borax works very well so you can place this powder on your mattress (and other places) to remedy the situation. Good luck and hope that helps!
Hi I’m Maia my friend has them at her house and I spent the night a couple nights and she comes over here to hang out she has also spent a night maybe once or twice in comes over quite often to hang out I came home last night from her house and got in my bed I woke up this morning with several bites and I killed a bed bug it was only one that I saw a mediately got everything and start putting it in the washer I also vacuumed does this mean I have bed bugs in my house now or is it possible that it was just that one?
Hey Maia! Since you seem to have caught it early you should be fine. However, I recommend hot washing your linen (you seem to be doing this already which is good) and using some DE powder on your mattress, just to be completely safe 🙂 If I can help in any way, please feel free to ask any further questions, would love to help keep those bed bugs away 😉
hi Natasha, I’ve been dealing with a severe infestation of bed bugs since (knowingly) January, though likely for much longer than that. I’ve lived in this house for almost a year, and I suspect they were here already when I moved in. my mom and I are very poor, and haven’t been able to do much to try and combat the bugs. I did many things wrong, such as moving into other rooms as they became infested, and not getting rid of infested furniture. we plan to move this summer, but each day is harder than the last as I see more evidence of the bugs. I have several questions: how do you move without taking bugs with you? they are everywhere, in everything. I recently woke up from sleeping against my kitchen counter and saw a full grown bug near my face, right near the kitchen sink! it bit me on the arm. I am going insane. I can’t afford an exterminator before we move but I am currently trying to save up for one so that when we move we can exterminate there. we plan to not take any major furniture such as couches, beds, chairs, or tables. how can I cope in the next month or so before we move? I get around ten bites a night, and that’s with wearing many layers of Clothing, even socks over my hands. I have become very depressed and obsessive, and as the kicker my mother doesn’t take the bug situation seriously always and gets very angry at me for talking about it. one last thing; I’m supposed to visit my uncle and his family in a few weeks, but I’m concerned about transferring them to him even if I take many preventative measures such as washing and drying my clothes and bags several times on high heat, and even staying over at someone’s house a few days before I leave so I will have had limited contact with the bugs. should I cancel the trip, do I run too high a risk of transferring bugs to him?
Hey Anna! Sorry to hear about the bed bug problem that you have had to deal with for so long, I know how frustrating it can be 🙁 Here is my recommendations, not in any specific order:
1) Before you move, hot wash all your clothes and after they have air dried (outside), place them in plastic bags, ready for the move.
2) Any furniture that isn’t fabric based, take to a secure area (anywhere but inside your house, as there are bed bugs here) and use a basic cleaning spray and cloth and wipe down them all completely. Make sure you do this properly.
3) Fabric based furniture you can send in for cleaning, this may be much cheaper then hiring an exterminator (besides you are moving)
4) You may send the bed in to be cleaned as well, but sometimes you need to toss the mattress if its bad. (my recommendation)
As for visiting your uncle, just make sure that you clean the clothes you want to take and put them in your bags immediately and into your car. Give yourself a good shower and after changing into some clean clothes, jump right into the car and leave. Just avoid any potential encounter with these pests and you wont need to cancel your trip as I am sure you are looking forward to it 🙂
Hi Natasha
I’ve lived in a boutique apartment for 2 yrs soon to be 3 . Before I moved I bought a new queen mattress with a built in pillow top. Had foot surgery during the winter so I was laid up for 2 months cared for all my linens in advance. I put new sheets on after my cast came off with new sheets . Fast forward – Changing my mattress set I pulled my mattress cover off I never really take it off every time wash . It has been on since winter and I saw dark reddish brown dots with smear marks at the edge of the mattress and I thought the smear marks were threads from nylon clothing getting caught in the fabric. I took a toothbrush and some soft scrub it usually is my way of spot cleaning and the spots would not come up. I went to our good old friend Google and key in mattress spots I really thought it was mildu or something I was up all night stripping my bed taking the mattress and box spring off pulling the bed away from the wall it is a 4 poster with 4 removable cap knobs it is 7 1/2 ft tall. I wiped the back of the headboard hardly any dust I saw nothing. I read about mattress covers and bought one did not have enough money for a box spring cover just pillow and mattress. While taking the bedding off . Again new sheets I saw this skinny ugly thing of a bug standing up like a damn rat on the other side of the mattress. I took some tape to get it and I covered the mattress after spraying it with alcohol an d10 % water. I took the sheets shook them hard and put them back on the bed I pray I did ok with this they are new . Well I just found a teeny bug under my thigh and got it! The building is old and I am freaking out because there are old windows uneven baseboards with gaps at the corner. I pulled everything out last night plastic containers as I swap out seasonal wardrobe in sealed containers. I saved a few bugs I found one in a box as I ran out of containers under the bed on my thermal killed it last night and saved it.Called the landlord I have to wait till 1PM Wednesdays.I remember during the winter seeing a bug on the bedroom curtain I killed it and I am scared to check.I have a large piece of art work in the kitchen and I peeked behind and I see something on the wall in clusters . I’m so scared to move it . Seems the vents here is where I have been seeing bugs.Cannot fall to sleep I’m so upset and Googled out I found you here is there something else I need to do while I wait ? Laundry is in plastic bags in the SUV for dry cleaning tomorrow
Hey Jo Ann! Not to scary you any further but since you live in an old house that seems to be accommodating a number of different insect residents, I recommend that you use a multipurpose insect bomb (check my article on this specific subject) that will get rid of them for you. Usually you will place one in each room and after clearing away your personal belongings (and unplugging electric appliances), you let them off and leave the house for the day. Give that a try and follow it up with some DE treatment and it should solve your insect problems. Let me know if you need more help or have any questions. 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I do have bed bugs problem. My Landlord brought exterminator and they came and spray 4 time. But it seems like bed bugs are stilla round. I also brought this other exterminator who came two times. I bought PHANTOM last week and sprayed around. I picked up like 6 dead bugs after i sprayed PHANTOM. Also I just bought DE and applied around the house this week. I have been vacuuming on weekly basis. Also i steam cleaned my carpet. Now i’m frustrated and don’t know what do next. My lease expired 4 month ago and im moving out at the end of this month. I’m not going to take my bed, But i really like my leather sofas. Should i leave my sofas behind or? Please let me know if you have any other techniques.
Hi Veronica! Firstly, a decent exterminating company shouldnt need more then two treatments to get rid of a bed bug problem in your house. Granted, you may have a few things that are also your responsibility (cleaning the linen, etc.) but if your landlord is paying, I recommended trying another exterminating service. If you can email me your location I will try and find a reputable one nearby. You can definitely take your leather couches, just give them a good wipe with a cleaner and you should be good to go. Other then that, just make sure all your clothes that may have come into contact with bed bugs is washed and kept in plastic bags until you are out the house. Good luck!
hello natasha. I moved into a new place and had no idea that it had bed bugs. Now i have them and im getting ready to move again cause im unable to pay for some one to remove them. I have a lil girl who has her dolls and her fav chair that she loves. How would i go about taking care of her toys and her chair without having to get rid of them all. ive wash every thing we have and bag them all up and put it all out in my garage but i just dont know what to do with her toys. I don’t want to start buying my things all over again, dont have the money for all that. Is there any thing else i can do to save what we have left without hurting my kids? I am lost on what to do.
Hey Sara! First of all, you dont need to get rid of any furniture, the only thing that I have sometimes recommended is tossing the bed if there is a major bed bug problem that cannot be easily resolved. If possible, get her toys steam cleaned, this will kill any bed bugs that my be lurking on them. Also, when you move your stuff to the new place, just give everything a good wipe with a cleaning agent and its highly unlikely that you will have any sort of bed bug problem.
I am the other end of the spectrum. I think we have 1-2 bugs as we only get bites every 9-12 months. Unfortunately, they live a long time in between feelings. We have stripped out best, sheets, etc… I think they are in the walls. Don’t know where else they could be. This has been going on for a few years. A few bites every year. Totally annoying. I am going to try some home remedies and hope for the best.
Hey Paula! Its possible that they are in your walls like you suggested. Let me know how the home remedies go and if you need any advice along the way, just let me know and I will be happy to help you.
We have bed bugs in our bedroom on the main floor. Do I need to was all of the clothes in the closet & dressers? Also, is it necessary to treat the bedrooms upstairs as well?
Hey Jandi! No, you won’t need to wash them unless they came in contact with your linen or your bed. If there is nobody staying in those rooms and you haven’t slept or spent much time in them either, you wont need to treat them. Thanks for leaving a comment and I invite you to ask any other questions and I will help you out where I can.
My mother inlaw got bedbugs in her apartment. They treated her apartment 3 times. We know another relative brought them in. He has not been in the apartment since the treatments. I was in the apartment one week after the last treatment. She said she had not seen any bugs. Thought I got a bite that night. Washed linen, hot drier, etc. Did not see any bugs. One week later, thought I had 2 bites together on my shoulder. Vacumed, covered mattress and box springs with bed bug covers, sprayed a little aerosol flea spray around edge of wall by bed, washed and dried all linens again. Have not seen a bug. Am I paranoid, or should I be?
Hey Betty! When it comes to potential bed bug infestations, I always stay true to the “better safe then sorry” philosophy. In other words, I dont think you are being paranoid and its good to take a proactive stance against potentially large problems that could arise if your bites were indeed from bed bugs. However, if it happens again, take a few moments to look for signs of bed bugs because the bites could also be from fleas, which are fairly easily treatable and dont require constant washing of linen if caught early. Hope that helps 🙂
My story is last night my husband found a bed bug on our bed crawling on top of our sheet. He killed it we looked for more but did not find any. We laid down and he saw one crawl up the wall. So we pulled everything off the bed, washed, dryed it and everything. We did not have any sprays to spray at the time. Today we stripped our beds and washed everything in hot water and dryed it again. We got this bug spray from a local store that was specifically for bed bugs, fleas and we sprayed all the beds, couches and baseboards in the house. We left the house for about 4 hours, then came home, cleaned, vacuumed, washed and dried everything. We all looked for signs we have not seen any bugs as of yet. My first question is could we have caught it before any infestation happened? My second question is do I need to redo it all again? My final question is how long do I need to wait before redoing it, if I need to. I am more itchy tonight than normal but I have no bites. My husband has 2 bites. Plz help. I HATE any kind of bugs. Thank u!
Hey Angela! Sounds like you have had quite the adventure with your insect problem hey 😉 The good news is that the steps you took are 100% and you definitely seemed to have prevented the infestation, which could have been rather nasty. Besides just regular hygenic reasons, you dont have to keep redoing that process in the near future. Those bites could be unrelated to the problem you had in the bed, are you sure they were from bed bugs? If you sent me a picture I can get a better idea. Looking forward to helping you further 🙂
My in laws had them severely & said the bites if u look at them with a magnifying glass they have a triangle in the middle. They looked at the bites my husband had & said they were from that. The bites are gone now & they are not getting any new ones. I still lay in bed & itch but we have not seen anything else. I don’t know what to do. Plz help
Hey Angela! When you say that you are itching, are you sure that its because of actual insect bites. The reason why I am asking is because I had a client that was getting red marks and thought she was being bitten at night and it actually ended up just being a bit of a skin problem due to an allergic reaction to her new sheets. (they were not 100% cotton). Please get back to me because I would love to give you some relief from this situation 🙂
Hi Natasha, what kind of steamer do you recommend? Those standing ones with a handle for clothes and things that can’t be washed or are these bigger things that you rent somewhere? We don’t see any grown bugs on the couch but it is a dark chocolate color and we get bites the next day. I can’t find any info on how to treat a couch, should we do steam and the silica gel? How long do you hold the steamer on for? And someone mentioned a nest, what does that look like and where are they usually located? We haven’t come across a nest or cluster of them, we find a few at a time.
Hey Matt! I use the one that can be used for clothes. Obviously a larger one would work better but I have had good success with the one that I own so if you have one, use it instead of going out to rent a steamer. As for your couch, I actually recommend a powder that can also be used to kill fleas as well as bed bugs. Its called “food grade Diatomaceous Earth” and is completely natural. After steaming the couch (do it for a good couple minutes, they die in extreme heat) and waiting for it to be very dry, use this powder on it every couple days and fleas wont bother you anymore 🙂
I’ve had this bed bug problem for what seems like forever I’ve used bleach , vinegar, hand sanitizer and hot water mix , I even tried a few cleaners that said they treat bed bugs but to no avail 🙁 I legit am getting discouraged at this point it’s only two rooms in our house that has this problem my question is if I use the food grade DE will it leave a gross menthol smell like the other chemicals used? How long do I leave it on my mattresses and floors ?? I’ve noticed somehow they’ve gotten on my ceiling as well I can’t afford an exterminator so please any suggestions
Hey! No it won’t leave a smell at all, and it is completely safe. I recommend leaving it down for about a week, and using a shopvac (or other cheap bag based vacuum machine) to suck it up. It is also very cheap and although it will take a bit of effort, it is an effective DIY solution. Good luck!
I seriously have a bed bug problem! Then I looked over your steps and it mentioned curtains and I told my boyfriend, “I bet you its the curtains and sure enough that’s where the nest was. Somebody must have given me these bedbugs so now im going to steam and really clean my whole apartment. Btw, can bedbugs jump like fleas? Please help im tried of getting eaten up
Hey Angela! Hope you didn’t say “I told you so” 😉 Steam will kill those bed bugs and after giving your linen a good wash and making sure they are not anywhere else, that should be all that you need to do. Bed bugs cannot jump so you don’t have to worry about that 🙂
According to an episode of Dr. OZ, yes bedbugs can jump! They can also come from human contact such as a hug or just standing next to another person. They can come from trying on ” NEW CLOTHING” if someone with bedbugs tries the item on & can hide in the seams of the new article of clothing; that was a real shocker for me! I’ve watched many videos recently due to an outbreak of bedbugs in my apartment complex. Each adult can produce 500 eggs in a yr. & each of those can produce 500 a yr. Getting an outbreak is easy! Getting rid of them is difficult!
Hey Lisa! Please be assured that despite what you have seen or heard, bed bugs cannot jump. They physically do not have the ability to do so and if you see a bed bug move from your bed to the ground (as an example), its because it has fallen and gravity has taken over 😉 They are rather good at crawling though and this is their only way of moving themselves. I could list a number of reliable sources that back up this statement but instead I invite you to do a little research on Google, just search for “can bed bugs jump” and look for authority sites that are known for their accurate information, not personal opinions. Getting rid of an infestation is very difficult but if you follow the steps in this article carefully, you should find some immediate relief. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Natasha,
I am considering hiring an exterminator that uses heat to kill bedbugs; this exterminator claims that bedbugs (all ages/stages) die in heat over 120 degrees F, and they heat your structure to 150 degrees to ensure a solid result with one treatment.
Is it true that heat kills them off? And if it is true, why does this (and other) site(s) not mention it? I am allergic to their bites (palm size welts) and need to get rid of them. I am simply overwhelmed by the idea of a complete overhaul of my household, and this would be a wonderfully simple fix.
If it works.
Please advise. Thanks.
Hey Connie! That’s an interesting proposition, I have actually never heard of treating the entire house with an elevated temperature to provide a “one time” fix for pests like bed bugs. I do know the lethal temperature for bed bugs is 115 F so if the exterminator could get the entire house to that temperature, it would definitely work. I usually just use a steamer to treat the beds, etc but if you have a pest problem everywhere, this would definitely work. Let me know how it goes, if it is successful, I would like to add it to this blog 🙂 Also, sorry about the late response, your comment slipped past my notice.
I’ve heard of using heat to treat a whole entire house. It’s very expensive though.
Yes heat does work. Just had that treatment done at my house and it killed every last bed bud
Hi … I’m wondering if I’ve got bed bugs since I’ve had lots of small itchy lumps appear all over my body this last week. We definitely don’t have fleas. The only thing is, I haven’t slept away from home for over a month, and I can’t see how bed bugs could just “appear” in my home – how would they discover their way, where do they actually come from? I’m really upset about this as you can imagine!
Hey! Bed bugs can be carried from places like couches and other places like that. As a result, even though you may not have slept anywhere else for awhile, its possible that you brought them in from those sources. I definitely understand your position, bed bugs are a horrible pest to deal with. I highly recommend following this guide to help you get rid of them. Let me know if you need any further assistance 🙂
Bedbugs are tenacious critters. They can live up to s year without eating so it is possible to bring them home anytime and not know it right away. I purchased a hand held steamer for about $30 and used it every day on my furniture and curtains. It worked and was easy to use. I hope you get rid of them soon!!
Hi Luci! Steam cleaners rock, you definitely made a good choice and flip, that is a good price hehe. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Natasha,
I currently live in Hawaii and am unsure if I have bed bugs or not. I’ve never dealt with such an issue or even heard of them being prevalent since I moved here. In this house, I have been conciously debating whether I am itchy because of fleas or bed bugs.
I cannot seem to find any bed bugs
I get red bumps around my neck and can swear I feel my hair being moved in certain spots.
I see dark spots on the metal frame of my bed, however all the research on things to look for suggests blood smears, darker spots, and dead bugs; which I haven’t really seen.
When I moved in I had a couch I bought from the previous owner-bad idea. I believe that was the source of the unknown infestation as I found many silverfish and other things and it seems to have gotten a bit better now.
I’ve bombed my house twice, cleaned the house fairly well and use natural products.
I just cannot tell if I have them or not.
I mostly noticing itching around my ankles and neck and head.
My main concern is only this: I can deal with them for now, however when I move to seattle I will want to bring my belongings. I’ve heard they can’t survive colder temperatures, as I’ve heard the northwest is a lot less bug friendly then my native florida or here in hawaii, I’d like to know what would happen.
Oh, also I have covers on my mattress and both pillows.
Thanks!
Hey Ian! From your description, it seems that they are bed bugs. By blood smears, remember that you are not looking for anything red, in fact, its usually dark brown as it gets dried up. Keep in mind that bed bugs are rather small so its going to take careful investigation (take your mattress out into the sunshine) to find them if they are there. Bed bugs need a host to survive and will die if they cannot get one fairly quickly. Fleas on the other hand can lay dormant for months! However, since you are unsure, you can use a steam cleaner for your bed, clothes and carpets (as well as couches) as the heat will kill fleas and bed bugs.
As for your second question, yes bed bugs cannot deal with the cold but it literally needs to be below zero to affect them properly so don’t count on being bed bug free because you live in a cold area. Yes there will probably be less chances of you getting them but they wont be completely absent from houses. Before you bring any of your belongings, just get them hot washed and I recommend doing your bedding as well. Once that is complete, keep them wrapped up (or out the house) to make sure that you can carry them over to your new place. I hope that helps, let me know if you need more info 🙂
Ian, I also heard that bombs instead of helping will only push them deeper into hiding. Making it even harder to exterminate. Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade is one of the best bed bug killers I have seen so far. Try that.
Thanks for your contribution Annie, really appreciate it!
HI there, Just wondering what you mean by cold affecting them properly. I live in a very cold environment and right now there is a lot of snow on the ground and is well below zero celcius. If I brought my mattress and or clothes and bedding outside and left them in the cold overnight, would that kill the bugs?
You can get them from simply sleeping over someones house cause they are travelers it is insane vacuum clean everything steam clean everything wash all your clothes twice then bomb the place if you get bit after that call an exterminator
Thats very true Scott, thanks for your input. Bed bugs are nasty pests and they can easily use you to get into your home. After you have tried the suggestions in this article and have had limited success, calling an exterminator is definitely an option. 🙂
These pests are really annoying! They’re also very hard to deal with! I am currently reading this page while a bed bug is hanging on our curtain! =(((
Hey Jacob! That sounds pretty bad lol, sorry to hear that. Glad you are going through this information though, it will definitely help you get rid of these horrible bugs. If you have any questions on any of the steps, feel free to ask me anything and I will make time to help you. 🙂
Hello, may I know the reasons why they exist on some people’s bedding. Are they attracted to the food? Or are they the same about fleas? Who sucks the blood out of you? I really don’t have bed bugs or any pests problem. I’m doing this for a project i’m working on. I really need to surprise my professor because we’re not getting along that well lol. Anyway is it okay to use some of the information in your website and print them out? Thanks! Your website is extremely cool, got me hooked!
Hey Lefthook! I am sure that your professor will be impressed if you compile a list of all the reasons why people get bed bugs in their home and provide a number of natural and product based solutions that have proven results 🙂 Yes, one of the major reasons why bed bugs find their way onto beds is because of the availabilty of food. In addition, they are attacted to the warmth and the fibres in your matresses, etc. provide a great place to lay their eggs safely. That should be fine, just list my blog in your references and you are more then welcome to use it for your project, provided its paper based and wont be used on another website. Good luck and feel free to keep in touch for any other questions you may have. 🙂
Hi, I know I might be a little late but I think I have a relatively bad bed bug infestation. I threw away the old bedprobably containing a 100 or more small black dots with about 20 of them crawling. There were about 5 on the mattress with very few small dots. I decided to wrap the mattres with the encasement. I cleaned out the room and the next night I’ve killed about 8 of them. A few days later (today) I’ve killed only 1 per night. I haven’t had any bites (will they come later?) and what are the chances I will get rid of all if them?
Hey Mike! Yeah, the best way to combat a potentially bad infestation is to deal with it quickly. Wrapping them is a great way to prevent them from biting you but its kind of only a temporary solution, you need to get to get rid of them as well. Since you have already wrapped them, I suggest pouring some natural grade Diatomaceous Earth inside them and this will kill them off. Alternatively you could get them steamed or washed. If you dont see any red marks in a day or two, its unlikely that you have been bitten and can count yourself lucky.
Hi Natasha I live in a very small house with my family,this bugs are giving us trouble.We are a black community so we don’t have those steam machines nd vacuum cleaner but your idea its seems helpful.Here @ home they are bad because they were normal now its seems they hatched again,can u tell me any method that won’t cost me,I’m afraid this things will end up @ my work place.I will really appreciate your help thanks.
Hey, at night my husband and I both find that we are very itchy in our bed. Could this be bed bugs or could this be from our clothing? We do not get any red marks, we are just very itchy. Also if they are bed bugs are we able to see them?
Hey Lauran! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Its possible that its from your clothing but if it hasn’t caused you irritation before, its unlikely that its the cause. However, since you are not getting any bite marks, its unlikely that you have bed bugs (or fleas for that matter) in your bed. It may be dust mites. I recommend getting your bed steam cleaned and giving your linen a good hot wash nevertheless to both rule out the possibility of an allergic reaction to dust (or something like that) and to kill any insects that may be hiding. Enjoy!
This thing is all over my room! thanks for the tip! I hope I can terminate each and one of them because they are annoying and while they bite it gives me nightmares.
Hey Dustin! Its a pleasure and I am glad that this information has been of some use. If you have any other questions about bed bug removal, please feel free to post another comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible 🙂
Hi Natasha! Thanks for the guide, just a quick question. I have quite a few bites that I found on my back a couple days ago. At first I didn’t notice because they wernt itchy or anything but after awhile they started to burn a bit, not too sure if it was just my imagination though LOL! Whats the best treatment for these bites? Anyways, after looking at the bed and stuff I didn’t see any bed bugs, from what I read they are rather small but surely I should still be able see them? Could they be something else?
Hey Sandy! Sorry for the late response. If those bites are still itchy or hurting, try applying an Aloe Vera gel on the area as this will give you relief. Are all the bites in the same area? While its not a guarantee, these type of bites are usually from bed bugs. Bed bugs are very small but you usually can see them, just remove all your linen, take your mattress outside in the sun and investigate properly. Hope that helps 🙂
hi my name is ingrid i got infested by bed bugs i have replaced carpet, repainted the house , thrown out my beds, couches, chairs bedding, part of clothes including kids stuff fumigated professionally twice, and two more times from products by home depot will they come back they have in the past what should i do desperate thaks
Hey Ingrid! Based on what you have done (which is rather extreme but grats on having that kind of determination), they shouldn’t come back. Just make sure that your kids are not sleeping in other beds (e.g. at friends, hotels, etc.) that have bed bugs and you will be fine in future.
Hey Natasha! It’s just been confirmed we have a “mild” case. Any case is severe to me! This has been beyond annoying! So we just had the whole home (normal town home) steamed and we were out of the house from 10am-3pm. Now since I’ve read this article I want to try the pinesol, vacuuming, and the DE. How exactly do you use the DE? You just drop some and forget it? Do you have to follow up and clean it? Or does it dissolve? Thanks in advance.
Hi Britt! You can take the powder, put it into a container with a lid (such as an empty icecream tin) and after making small holes in the top, use it like a shaker to distribute an even layer under your sheets and around your room. Leave it down for 3-4 days, vacuum it up (regular bag models, nothing fancy) and repeat a couple times. Works very well, let me know how it goes.
hello. Natasha
I have been deal’n with this for a while…..now I’m depressed I don’t sleep and my anxiety is through the roof.I sleep with a spray bottle of alcohol (works great)also I use baby powder n now I’m using D.E..also. where would I find a matress cover for bed bugs.I also took my bed apart n found nest.homes.a mess.we washed with bleach.wiped the nest out n put down the Zzz D.E..is there a specific. brand name I should get.thanx .Tina
Hey Tina! You can find a bed bug cover from most local supermarkets, otherwise try a linen shop in your local area. However, it sounds like you have done a good job in cleaning up so you should be fine. Any brand of bleach is fine, just remember that the fumes can be toxic so don’t use it everyday and sleep on that bed.
Hi I’ve just dealt with a bed bug situation and just wanted to offer a few suggestions that seem to work amazing. First and I think the most important is Pinesol yep good ol Pinesol even lavender scent will so or other pine oil products… Put it in a spray bottle and go to town…. Kills practically INSTANTLY! I did side by side testing with can insecticide spray, rubbing alcohol, Pinesol and other products and it is the most effective of all.
Also…. partical board or pressed wood furniture… The worst of all for those lol buggers seem to always be making nests in those.
I hunt with my flashlight and my sprayer of pine cleaner and spray all cracks and crevices, baseboards are pretty bad too.i vacuum and I also wash walls and floors with the pine to kill any new hatchlings. And like DE… Borax also does the same but can also be a lung irritant, however added to laundry in the wash is awesome. And in replacement around the house I used baking soda and baking powder… Totally worked and is less hard on our lungs and sure cleans the floor when mopped up.
And yes yes heat/ steam is an awesome killer too!
Oh and some cheap bed bug mattress/box spring covers do rip easy … I bought many varieties as we are treating a care facility with many residents but the best I found is Costco by far!
Hope this info can help somebody. Good luck to all!!!
Hi Nicole! Thanks for the fantastic suggestions, I really appreciate it.
I found some on amazon quite inexpensive and had them delivered in 2 days.
Hi David! Thanks for the heads up, appreciate your input.
I have found bed bug mattress covers at Walmart. Probably order from Amazon too.
Hi Teresa, thanks for the tip 🙂
Hello,
I too just found out that I have a bed bug problem. I saw 2 in my bed one night , i threw away my mattress and box spring that very night ***paranoid much lol*** I took my bed apart (wooden frame) I found “a few” more. I only saw evidence of what I would call a small infestation(we say maybe 50-75 bugs); I scrubbed my oak bed frame with bleach and other cleaning solutions and a butter knife for squishing in the tongue and groove slots then I used my industrial Hot Glue gun(im a crafter and an artist) and sealed up any cracks, crevices and crannies even in the joints where the boards meet and the holes for the screws but I forgot to do the head board. That night I didn’t see(I sleep*lay in bed paranoid* with a flashlight) nor feel anything but I did see ONE the following night so I got up at 3am with my trusty hot glue gun “sealing” that up too, that was yesterday. I didn’t see any last night or anything tonight either. (Still got my flashlight!)
I am of course still washing our bedding-replacing everything with white linens make visablity easier- pillows, etc daily and leave them in garage bags until bedtime after I vacuum the air mattress and carpet throughly several times. My husband just ordered some D.E. it arrives on Wednesday. After reading all the reviews about de I’m anxious to get a good nights sleep again.
Anyway I tell my story to say with a good hot glue gun and a steady hand-works pretty dog gone good!
Hi Christina! Thanks for sharing your story, I am sure that the DE will work well, good luck, let us know!
I know that this is way late, but I’m sorry and disagree with you big time on your calling 50-75 a small amount/infestation. I’d consider that a pretty eff’n large infestation, that’s been very active and alive for a good while in your house. Awesome job though on how quickly and focused you attacked the problem at hand… also Rubbing Alcohol only works with direct contact to the bugs, so people please don’t think that you’re able to spray and drench an area with it to act as a deterrent. Cause once it dries up (and it’ll dry pretty quickly) then it’s reindeered ineffective at that point, I haven’t tried Food Grade D.E. but I can tell you that steam (a good pressured machine that spits out a lot of steam) works great since the heat kills them instantly… good luck to you all, so you all can yet again, have a good night.
Hi Justin! Agreed! I appreciate you taking the time to help Christina out, she should receive a notification and even if she doesn’t respond, I am pretty sure that she will benefit from your comment (as will the rest of the community). Have a good one!