There are three different theories as far as what to do about your bed.
1. Protecting your bed from bed bugs
This means you make sure bed bugs are not harboring in the bed frame, headboard, etc., and that you encase mattresses and box springs in high quality bed bug-proof encasements.
Bed bugs can crawl onto the bed and bite you, but you are taking steps to ensure they do not live there. If they cross poison on the way to you, any meal will hopefully be their last. You may use Climbup ® Interceptors to catch any bed bugs climbing onto or off of the bed.
2. Isolating the Bed
Here, you are trying to get bed bugs out of your bed, and keep them out.
Isolating the bed is very controversial, and though it may help people who are being bitten very badly or who have serious allergic reactions or distress may to try and avoid being bitten by bed bugs while in bed, it also may actually mean you are fighting bed bugs longer. This is so because bed bugs may spread further around your home (they will still bite you outside of the bed).
The theory is that bed bugs will still try to get to you, but they should be trapped on the way, and you should be able to avoid bed bug bites.
In a few cases, however, bed bugs have been seen dropping down from the ceiling to bite people in “isolated” beds. It seems to be a rare occurrence, but can happen. More often, beds not thoroughly isolated have allowed people to continue to be bitten by bed bugs. If you’re going to isolate, you must be meticulous and thorough.
And remember, if bed bugs cannot bite at night, they will bite during the daytime, as you sit in chairs or go about your day. For this reason, many would recommend instead that you simply “protect” the bed, but do not isolate it.
Many people prefer to “protect” rather than “isolate” the bed because having bed bugs biting you in bed, or finding evidence they were there (cast skins, blood spots, etc.) is a sure sign you still have bed bugs and require further treatment. If you “isolate” and don’t react to bites you get during the day, it may be harder to verify bed bugs’ continued presence. Isolating may also mean bed bugs spread further around your home, since they may have trouble reaching you in the bed, where they used to feed. Protecting the bed instead, and using Climbup ® Interceptors as a tool for catching bed bugs as the wander onto or off of the bed legs, may be a better option for most people, and would be my preference.
3. Do not encase
We are aware of one highly regarded bed bug expert who does not recommend encasing mattresses or box springs. British PCO David Cain of Bed Bugs Ltd., well known to forum users, does not recommend encasements. It should be noted that David has a very hands-on approach to removing bed bugs from homes, and claims to take a long time inspecting and removing bed bugs. If your pest control operator uses such methods, and tells you not to encase the mattress or box spring, by all means, do not do so.
Most pest professionals we’re aware of do recommend encasements, and so, in general, Bedbugger does too. We also feel that a carefully-encased mattress (with encasement sealed and kept free of tears) may help many people to eliminate bed bugs in the rest of the home sooner, avoid bed bug bites, and save or protect an expensive mattress.
Note on products mentioned:
You can buy Climbup ® Interceptors from NorthShore Care, using the coupon code in the ad below for free shipping. You can also get them from Amazon.com (Climbup Insect Interceptor Bed Bug Trap, 12ct
For mattress and box spring encasements, see our Encasements page. All other items below are available widely. You can also see or purchase them on Bedbugger’s Useful Stuff page.
What to do
Both protecting and isolating the bed require you to eliminate bed bugs from the mattress, box springs, headboard and bed frame, and then encase the mattress and box springs. So let’s start there.
Important:
The advice below assumes your home will be professionally treated by a Pest Control Operator who has experience with bed bugs. Protecting or isolating your bed, on their own, will not get rid of bed bugs. However, a PCO will tell you that you need to sleep in your normal spot in order to get rid of bed bugs, and protecting or isolating the bed will likely work well with the PCO’s treatment plan, which will likely include laying down residual pesticides that bed bugs will cross while trying to get to you.
You should wait to carefully clean your mattress, frame, bed, and home until a Pest Control Operator has verified you have bed bugs. Some have cleaned away evidence and been refused treatment by professionals or landlords.
Also, once bed bugs are verified to be present by those who need to see them, you should wait to encase your mattress until the Pest Control Operator has treated your home, because most PCOs can treat areas of the mattress (side, seams) and box springs as well as the bed frame / headboard with certain pesticides which are labeled for this purpose. Doing so and then thoroughly drying and sealing the mattress and box springs in encasements is best.
For protecting the bed or isolating the bed, everyone will need:
1. A zippered mattress encasement that has been tested to keep bed bugs in (or out), and that completely encloses your mattress (and box springs, if you insist on keeping them), the best you can afford. They are not all the same. Vinyl and cloth encasements are sold by a wide variety of suppliers, but few have actually been tested to keep bed bugs out (or in).
I would recommend Protect-A-Bed AllerZip encasements. They have been tested to keep bed bugs within the mattress even if the zipper is opened slightly — which gives you some insurance against accidents. Mattress Safe and National Allergy Elegance encasements also did well in Rick Cooper’s tests. Click here to read about encasements and to purchase them.
2. New pillows
3. Pillow encasements; buy with mattress encasements from same source. As for mattress encasements, they should be designed and tested specifically to keep bed bugs out (or in).
4. White sheets and pillow cases, cotton blanket (if you need to replace a comforter or other blanket). Cotton sheets and a cotton blanket are easy to wash and dry. (Comforters may harbor bed bugs even after a long stint in the dryer, and non-cotton blankets do not hold up well to dryer heat.) White color is not mandatory but may help you spot stains; I’d avoid small patterns for this reason also.
One blanket option would be this cotton blanket from National Allergy which is reasonably priced and holds up well to lots of time in a hot dryer (follow the link for a discount of 7% on orders up to $174.99 or 10% on orders over $175).
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If you want to “isolate” the bed, read the following items 5-13.
If you only want to “protect” the bed, skip down to “Steps for Everyone” under the next dotted line below.
5. Bed risers — they raise the bed, to help keep sheets and blankets off the floor, a must if you are trying to “isolate the bed.” They can be found at Bed, Bath and Beyond (or Bed Bugs and Beyond, as Bedbugger Bugzinthehood termed it, long before a company providing Vikane treatments appeared with the same name) or (like the other items below) on Bedbugger’s Useful Stuff page.
In 2009, the Climbup ® Interceptor passive bed bug monitor became available. You can read about them here. This product replaces and is, in my mind, preferable to the use of items 6-8 below. If you obtain Climbup Interceptors, you can skip the mineral or tea tree oil, vaseline, and bowls. You may still want to use bed risers, to help keep bed linens off the floor, but make sure they fit inside the Climbup well.
Climbup ® Interceptors — one per bed leg. These will catch any bed bugs climbing onto or off of the bed, and are vastly preferable to items 6-8 because they catch samples, rather than deterring bed bugs.
If these are not available, you may use items 6-8:
6. Mineral oil or tea tree oil (more expensive but some people enjoy the idea that bed bugs hate it).
7. Vaseline
8. 4 bowls for holding mineral oil or tea tree oil under the legs of the bed frame. Stainless steel is the best
choice, but other sturdy unbreakable bowls will do. If your bed risers have a little reservoir, you can simply keep that filled instead.
9. Thick garbage bags (contractor bags) and XL and XXL Ziploc bags. Check the hardware dept of your favorite big box store for the contractor bags. They are usually not sold with the household trash bags. In the USA, XL / XXL Ziplocs are sold in Target stores (look near the storage section and/or the section with bags), Home Depot (near the home cleaning supplies) or here.
10. Murphy’s Oil Soap (for wooden bed frames), which is a contact killer for bed bugs and is good for cleaning wood and rendering it bed bug-free. Regular strength works fine. It is sold in ready to use spray bottles and a concentrated formula.
11. Quality duct tape: Use duct tape to ensure there are no sharp edges on a metal frame before you place an encased mattress on it.
12. You may need a new metal bed frame, if you are unable to get bed bugs out of your wooden bed.
13. Some have actually decided to discard mattresses and isolate an Aerobed upon a metal bed frame. Use duct tape to ensure there are no sharp edges on a metal frame before you place an Aerobed on it. (Please use caution with discarding items; seal them completely in plastic before moving them through or out of your home, label them carefully, and realize that if you live in a building or in a house which is attached to others, your neighbors may take them in and use them and become infested and you may be right back to square one — another reason to encase instead.)
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Steps for everyone:
(See “Important” note at top.)
1. Strip the bed. Put all of the dirty linens into a garbage bag and tie it off well. Some suggest using plastic cable ties. You can also knot the bag’s top in one single knot (it must be airtight; push the bag. If air can escape, you are tying it wrong). Launder your bedding as soon as you can in HOT water, and dry on HIGH HEAT until completely dry and then some. When you take it out of the dryer, put it immediately into another garbage bag and tie it off, or use an XL Ziploc.
2. Vacuum the mattress and springs really well. Especially in areas with stitching, piping, tufts and the plastic corner guards. You might want to take the corner guards off. You may also want to take the gauzy covering off of the bottom of the bed spring and vacuum inside. (Though box spring encasements are available, many people will want to discard box springs; be sure to seal in a bed-sized bag before moving through your home.) Used vacuum bags should be sealed in a ziploc and disposed of after use. If you have a bagless vacuum, empty into a ziploc and clean the bagless container right away. Otherwise, bed bugs or eggs may remain in the container/bag.
3. Put the mattress and springs into the new encasements and seal. If you use a Protect-A-Bed AllerZip encasements (with the BugLock Zip), you do not need to tape the zipper. Mattress Safe encasements also have a lock to keep the encasement closed.
If you use another encasement, you should probably tape the zipper and where the zipper closes on your encasement. This tape must not be allowed to come off; keeping it on can be very difficult. People have used Scotch Blue Painter’s tape, and National Allergy sells this along with their encasements, to be put over the zipper. Other types of very adhesive tape may work better, but none are foolproof.
4. Vacuum your bed frame. If you have a metal frame, put DE down in the legs and cover over all of the holes and spaces with duct tape.
Wooden bed frames, and fancy headboards and foot boards are very problematic and need extra considerations. These are addressed in another area of this FAQ.
5. Move the bedframe away from the wall.
6. Vacuum under and around the bed frame very thoroughly.
7. Put the mattress set back on the frame, very carefully, so you don’t rip the covers. (See comments above about duct tape; this can be used to reinforce corners.)
(Note: even though they are not necessary for protecting the bed, you may want to use Climbup ® Interceptor passive bed bug monitors under each bed leg in order to detect bed bugs climbing onto or off of the bed.
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The following steps are only for those “isolating” the bed. If you are only “protecting” the bed, skip to step 12.
8. If using Climbup ® Interceptors (preferred method; see above): Put bed legs (or bed legs on risers) inside Climbup Interceptors — one per bed leg. These will catch any bed bugs climbing onto or off of the bed, and are preferable to items 6-8 because they catch samples, rather than deterring bed bugs.
If Climbup ® Interceptors are not available to you, put the bed on the risers, and put mineral oil (or tea tree oil) in the depression in the castors are resting in. If your bed is already high off the floor, or if the bed risers have no wells to put the oil in, put the legs in bowls of mineral oil.
Note: some people have traditionally recommended placing a row of vaseline and a separate row of double sided tape around the bed legs, above the mineral oil cups. I am not sure of the value of this if you are using cups of mineral or tea tree oil. People tell us double sided tape does not often catch bed bugs. However, if you are using Climbup ® Interceptors as recommended, do not place vaseline or double sided tape on the bed legs. You want bed bugs to walk into the Climbup discs and be trapped; you do not want them to be deterred by barriers.
9. Vacuum again, to hopefully pick up any strays that fell or crawled off of the mattress and box springs in the process.
10. Remember not to let your sheets and blankets drag on the floor while you sleep. Realize also that you may carry bed bugs into the bed, for example, by simply sitting on a chair where a bed bug was able to crawl onto your clothing. If you isolate the bed, try to hop in bed clean and wearing clothing which was itself isolated and kept in sealed plastic bags.
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Everyone should:
11. Break out the new pillows and put encasements on them. See step #3 above and duct taping the zippers if necessary.
12. Put on clean white linens (so you can see blood or other stains more easily).
Change and launder them (and blanket, if used), preferably about every 4-7 days. Check the sheets every day for bugs, molted skins, blood spots (tiny to inch long smears), and black poppy seed-sized spots or what look like black ink spots.
If you “protected” the bed, this is evidence you still have bed bugs (helpful to know, especially if you do not react to bites). If you “isolated” the bed, this is evidence that the bugs are still in the bed.
Consider repeating the steps above of cleaning the frame and having it treated with pesticides, to ensure bed bugs are not living in the bed. And in any case, continue professional treatment approx. every two weeks until bed bug bites and all other signs are long gone.
13. Unless you are doing more cleaning immediately, take the bag out of the vacuum,and put the bag in a Ziploc bag or a securely tied garbage bag and put in an outside garbage receptacle. If you use a bagless vacuum, empty it into a bag and seal and dispose of this, and clean the bagless container. This prevents bed bugs and eggs from remaining in the container and potentially reinfesting your home.
14. Examine all of your precautions often. Encasements can get holes; try to avoid this. If it happens, promptly duct tape or replace them.
If you have a cat with claws, ensure the cat cannot make contact with the encasement (or even the encasement covered in bed linens). Keep the cat away from the bed if at all possible.
15. Optional steps:
AeroBed
Some Bedbuggers have used an AeroBed or air mattress, with or without a new cheap metal frame. You can’t encase the raised AeroBeds, so you will probably want to isolate the bed (per our FAQs) with bed risers and a cheap metal frame (see below). Remember to make sure there are no sharp edges on the frame (wrap with some duct tape if there are).
Wood Bed Frames:
If you have a wood bed frame, take it completely apart, if you can, and wash it down (every inch) with Murphy’s Oil Soap. Spray the Murphy’s on and wipe it off. Don’t just spray it on a rag and wipe. The Murphy’s will kill bed bugs on contact, if you douse them. I don’t know what a light spray will do.
Since you are cleaning, you can pay close attention to all the little cracks and crevices in the wood and joinery, looking for all of the signs listed in step #13. The Pest Control Operator may spray the bed frame all over before you reassemble it. You may also consult the PCO about a pesticide you can use all over the frame if s/he will not do it. Take precautions and use pesticides only as labeled.
Captain’s beds (with drawers underneath a wooden platform) can be a bed bug nightmare. Consider destroying and carefully removing them. Otherwise, every piece will need to be disassembled, cleaned and sprayed with pesticide (by a PCO). A PCO who knows bed bugs will be able to advise about which items you should discard and which can be treated successfully.
Upholstered Headboards and Footboards:
Any upholstery is very difficult to treat successfully. Others may have different answers, but I would say to remove them from your frame, and vacuum and have the PCO treat them (or cautiously spray them with an upholstery safe insecticide). Let it dry completely, then seal the item in plastic wrap (ie. heavy painter’s tarp or shrink wrap plastic), duct tape all of the edges of the plastic and store it for a year to 18 months.
Another option that may or may not work is steaming with a very good quality steamer. A professional may do this as part of a PCO service. You may do it also. The steam may not reach deeply enough in heavily upholstered items without cooling and may only serve to drive the bugs in deeper. Some people have simply given up and tossed them out, frankly, as upholstered head- and footboards are hard to treat successfully. Again, ask the PCO whether the item can be salvaged.
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The FAQ on isolating the bed was originally written by Dee in Colorado, from information she compiled by asking the members of the Bedbugger Yahoo Group, a great source of support and information, in your war against bed bugs. It was edited and revised several times by Nobugsonme based on information we have since gathered about the downsides of isolating, and about products which were not available when the original FAQ was written.
Note from Nobugsonme: I have made a number of significant changes as of June 2008, including removing recommendations that people use the mechanical killer diatomaceous earth (DE) around the bed and on the floor.
I also strengthened the warning that “isolating” is controversial among bed bug experts. Many people would recommend you “protect” but do not isolate.
In June 2009, I added information on Climbup TM Interceptors, a new invention which is inexpensive and much preferable to cups of mineral or tea tree oil being placed under bed feet. I changed the directions to note that if this tool is used, people must NOT use vaseline or duct tape on bed legs, as it will prevent samples going into the monitor and being trapped.
If you choose to use DE in your home, read the DE FAQ, and ensure that your pest control operator approves of this self-treatment and where you’re doing it.
Among other things, I also changed the recommendations about mattress encasements. When this FAQ was written, few encasements were available, and few studies had been done about their effectiveness. Eighteen months later, it’s a completely different ballgame.
We have better products available now, and they can be more costly than the cheapest encasements which don’t work. But the best encasements can also be comparable in cost to ones that do not work.
If these pests are living in your bed and not crossing poison in order to bite you, you will never get rid of bed bugs. For this reason, I personally believe the quality of mattress, box spring, and pillow encasements are very, very important.
Thanks to Dee in Colorado, and all the other Bedbuggers who’ve contributed to this wonderful FAQ!
We learned everything we know by trial and error and advice from others. If you have had success with something other than what has been listed, please add it to the comments. Also, please feel free to add any other reputable sources for products.
If you need information on other aspects of your bed bug war, go back to the FAQs by clicking here. To read about or buy mattress encasements click here, and to buy DE, bed risers, metal frames, or any of the other stuff recommended above, you can click here to go to the Shop for Useful Stuff page.
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{ 86 comments… read them below or add one }
This is from Parakeets:
I have a Breathe Right fabric dust-mite fabric cover on my mattress,
and a vinyl cover on my boxspring, so I have noticed the differences
betwen fabric and vinyl.
1) The fabric dust-mite cover is softer, not sweaty and sticky, and
most importantly- -doesn’t wrinkle or rip.
2) The vinyl cover rips (I have it repaired with Duct Tape),
outgasses, and folds over into lines of hard plastic “wrinkles” that
I am afraid the bedbugs could tuck themselves into. It is hot in
the summer.
The fabric cover is a lot more expensive and is not liquid-proof.
If a bedbug gets squished and the blood squirts, the stain is on the
fabric, which you can’t wipe down the same way you can the vinyl, so
I have some battle stains on the fabric cover.
I’d have to vote for the fabric. Choose carefully. If your
mattress has bedbugs, you have to leave whatever mattress cover you
choose on for 18 months since they can still be alive in there, just
waiting for you to open the zipper and let them out to feed. If
they are not feeding on blood, they are not growing to the next
stage, but they are still in there, hungry.
Other sources for XL & XXL Ziplock bags.
I have purchased them at some grocery stores, & Sam’s Club, which is the cheapest per bag I have found.
Thanks Dee. I look at costco.com when I go, but they do not have them yet. I hope they will soon!
costco does have t hem nowadays
Hi Christopher,
It sounds like their stock varies from place to place.
They still don’t at my store in NYC, nor on their website.
But New Yorkers can get them in drugstore.com, Home Depot and Target. People elsewhere should check their local stores.
I found bedbugs in a ripped corner of my box spring. I ripped off the bottom gauze and found more on the wood. After removing all of the material from the box spring (bagging it to take out to the dumpster), I steamed the bugs with a small clothes steamer. The bigger ones took more to kill, but it worked. I vacuumed them out, then steamed all of the wood and cracks.
After that I put the mattress and pillows in plastic encasements.
I moved the bed from the wall, too. I’m still getting bitten, but not as much, although every time I wake up, I find another bug or two on my quilt or pillow. I get them up with a hand vac and flush them down the toilet or in a containet in the sink with hot soapy water.
I’m not getting much sleep, but I’m going to talk with the building manager and get on the list for the pest control guy. I didn’t even know they had been coming once a month because the only sign was near the office, not put under our doors like every other notice.
Apparently this problem was here for months before the bugs invaded my apartment and I had no idea the first little brown beetle I saw was a pest of this order.
Sleepless, or darned close, in Vancouver, BC
Jon,
When you talk about monthly spraying, do you mean the monthly roach-spraying a lot of buildings do? If so, that’s not what you need. You need a bed bug expert, which is usually a different pest control operator (PCO) entirely. Your landlord needs to get someone in there right away. You need to follow instructions here for bagging your mattress right away. Look at the FAQS, and if you have questions, please follow the instructions here to post them. If you write here, they won’t get much attention, because you’re writing in the comments to a FAQ.
I just had the exterminator come to my apartment and spray the bedrooms and within 2 hours another one was on my bed. I have bed risers so before I go to bed I’m going to put them up and out some water with pine in them. Maybe I won’t get bit tonite.
bugsrbitingme
If you JUST put the bed on risers, it may do little or nothing. You have to encase the mattress carefully first.
I’ll start from the beginning. One afternoon I noticed a bedbug crawling across my comforter. I killed it and shook the sheet and another one came out. I went online instantly and looked up the little bastards and was terrified to learn I had bedbugs. That night I went to sleep and that is when they began to bite me. The first week I would wake up and have 3 or 4 bites from the night. I began to get scared to sleep in my own bed. I called 311 and filed a complaint against my building because they haven’t even supplied us with an exterminator in over a year. I got one 2 days later. I bagged up all my clothes that were exposed ( even the clothes in the closet). The guy sprays my apartment and when he leaves I began trying to put things back to order in my room. I didn’t remove any of the clothes from the bags. I laid down on my bed and within 2 hours a bedbug was on my bed. It’s been a at least a week and a half and although I didn’t sleep in my apartment for about 3 days I haven’t been bitten. I took careful steps to make sure I didn’t transfer any bugs to my friends apartment. And just so I could get some sleep, I take sleeping pills at home before bedtime. I haven’t seen a bedbug and I hope they would go away for good. And yes I’m still living out of XL ziplock bags. I actually like them.
HI Bugsrbitingme,
You can click here to go to the forums, or click the icon above right that says “forums” or click “get advice” in the top menu (that way, you’ll always know how to get there again.)
I am glad things are better since your treatment. Since this is a FAQ, and the discussion is really about the FAQ, why don’t you go to the forums and post your comments or questions there–it’s much more active.
Under the right conditions, you could use the “nuclear option” for bedbugs that I accidentally discovered and it actually worked for me: I moved to a Northern state (for work) during the dead of winter, just after getting a few bedbugs in my house. I laundered all bedsheets and put them in plastic vaccuum-bags (space bags), then put the bed frame, matresses, and everything else I owned in a U-Haul rental truck and left it in the parked truck (outside) for 4 days in temperatures ranging from 10 degrees F to 25 degrees F. Killed everything. No problems since.
HI David,
Thanks for your comment!
I have heard of this working for some. But others have claimed they left things out under similar conditions for much longer periods, and the bed bugs survived.
I am very glad it worked for you, though! If you want to continue the discussion, we should probably move this to the forums, since it is off-topic on this FAQ about protecting the bed.
http://bedbugger.com/forum/
Do I have to throw my pillows out if I wash and dry them?
I can bed bugs cause hives?
Yes, I think anything that can cause an allergic reaction can also cause hives. If it’s bed bugs, and you are allergic, you might have bite marks as well as hives. The appearance can vary from person to person. Click “bed bug bites (photos)” in the top menu bar for a range of bite appearances and links to even more. The other FAQs in Bed Bugs 101 (click FAQs above) should help you find other signs to look for.
Kristin, sorry we missed your question. You should wash your pillows on hot and dry them (drying them on hot for a VERY long time, like 90-120 minutes). Pillows, like mattresses, should also be covered with zippered encasements made to completely enclose the pillow or mattress. We have a link above to a discount from one retailer, but these can be found in other places too.
AHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I noticed that these little critters were on my bed and in the creases of my boxspring NOT the mattress itself and I FREAKED. I have always thought of them as s result of being unkempt and nasty. However this is not the case. I have sprayed and vacuumed and they have come back in monthly intervals (3-5 months) to be exact. I moved in April and they were ABSENT until about 2 weeks ago. I sprayed my bed down again and even have thrown away linens and washed one that I thought were infested. Should I just get rid of my mattresses? They are only 3.5 years old and I bought them new. What do I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Buggin Out,
Bed bugs are awful. In my opinion, since you have been self-treating for 3-5 months and you still have bed bugs, you need to get a professional Pest Control Operator who knows how to deal with bed bugs (they are not all experienced in this area). We have a FAQ on choosing one who knows bed bugs. We also have additional FAQs you may find helpful.
I would not toss the mattress until the PCO tells you to. In most cases, if you encase it as we describe in this FAQ, you can keep them in. Of course, they also live elsewhere besides the mattress and box spring, hence the need for thorough treatment of the entire home.
Please read the Bed Bugs 101 FAQs and the FAQ about choosing a PCO and please get one in there ASAP. You may not even be responsible for payment if you are renting (we have a FAQ on that too.)
If you have further questions, click “forums” get advice” in the tabs at the top of this page. Good luck!
3-5 months … that’s a long time perhaps they there is an influx of them from some unknown source?
There could well be an influx from a neighbor (if any) and you should read this FAQ which explains why self-treatment in homes where someone else is attached to yours, is not a great idea:
http://bedbugger.com/2007/07/03/faq-disclosure
It’s also possible that the methods you were using to self-treat were not working.
i’ve been living in a motel for almost a year and recently those bed bugs having been attacking me, however my husband says that they aren’t bothering him. i have senitive skin and it felt like someone poured itching powder on me and i’d wake up with bites all over my arms and legs . i told the manager of the hotel some workers say they are roaches so i killed several more and showed them still they say the same thing but however i did research on them and they’re bed bugs . it got to the point i had to sleep in the truck cause i didn’t want to get bit anymore . they sprayed 3 times i even went to home depo and bought hot shotno mess fogger still there here. i’ve been washing linens almost every 3 days what can i use chorlox would they kill them help me please i feel like i’m going crazy here i only have 7 mths to stay here cause i’m moving out of state.
Tammy,
I’d call the local health department. You need an outside source of backup that these are not roaches. Better yet, pick some up on a piece of clear packing tape and tape to an index card. You can take them to the public health dept. and file a claim.
I do not think using a fogger is a good idea as it disperses them and they will come back.
Please read our other FAQs carefully, starting with “Think you have bed bugs? Some do’s and don’ts.”
besides itching& bitting you do some people experience trouble sawllowing like u have a fur ball caught in your throat
You need to see a doctor. It could be an allergic reaction to the bites or an allergic reaction to the pesticides that you and the motel have used. You should not wait.
Yes, this is very frightening, Tammy. Some people develop severe reactions to bed bugs. If anything besides bite marks and itching is occurring, I’d go to a doctor. And if your throat is swollen and you have trouble swallowing, go to the ER. At least one other reader had to do that, and she could have died, she had such a severe reaction.
I have an air bed how do I protect it from bed bugs they are driving me crazy, I have washed everything I own and put everything in plastic covers but they are still coming in. I think there coming from other apartments through the radiator. I’m at my wits end with them I even went to a hardware store and brought bed bug spray it works but they still come back with a vengence. I put vaseline on the air bed but they still manage to get on the bed. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Lourdes,
Bedbugs are not something that most people can treat on their own. You need the services of a professional who knows how to treat for them and has lots of experience. Hardware store spray is not likely to be of much help if you are getting lots of bites and they may be coming from other apartments. Sometimes spraying something yourself has the opposite effect and makes things worse.
You should notify your landlord immediately, since in most areas landlords are required to treat.
Please read the FAQs here. They will help immensely. There is one about what not to do and one about landlord / tenant issues. And many more.
As far as isolating an air mattress, some have put such airbeds on top of a metal frame which is then isolated in the usual manner. Others place the airbed on a plastic sheet with double sided carpet tape all around. I don’t have experience in either of these methods but you can get additional information and advice in the forums (click the blue bug above).
However, I would read the FAQs first before posting in the forums.
Please note that isolating your bed is not a way to kill the bedbugs. It’s just so that you can get some sleep. The idea is not just to avoid bites, but to eliminate the infestation.
Call your landlord and read the FAQs.
i never had bed bugs before until i got robbed. then i got new blankets and stuff because they stole those and i slept in the bed a couple days and never got bit. but i went to get in my bed tonite and saw small bugs crawling on my bed so i took my sheet off and whipped my blanket and there must of been 15 of the bugs… i have seperatly layed carpet peices nailed down and i have blankets on all my windows … what should i do? now that i no theres bugs in my bed i cant sleep:( any help u can give me on how they got there… mite they have come with the new blanket??? should i get a new mattress ? wat should i do?
Kevin,
You do not need to buy a new mattress. First, read the Bed Bugs 101 FAQs. You probably have bed bugs (not mites) and the photos in the links at the top of the page (Photos of bed bugs and signs of bed bugs) should help you identify them. Keep some samples on tape. Read the FAQs and then call a PCO. You probably want to seal up the stuff in bags that you know to be infested, blankets and such, but do not assume this will get rid of the problem. Bag your sheets separately–though blankets might be hard to clean and you might want to toss them, the sheets aren’t.
And yes, anything you buy might possibly be infested: person buys blankets and pillow, person takes them home, person returns them along with their bed bugs. I am sure it happens. Might mean the store is infested, but might also be just that item if package was opened and resealed.
Why the need to wash or get new pillows if they are going to be sealed in a new pillow case?
The pillow encasements have closings that are not as carefully crafted as those of the mattress encasements. It’s also hard to keep tape on the small zip opening on a pillow encasement, since your head is pushing air out of it all the time. I would personally start with a new pillow, esp. since pillows can be cheap. But yes, you can carefully encase your pillows as long as you keep any gap near the zipper taped.
Everything with bed bugs is a judgment call: you have to take the maximum steps you feel you can. Most of us are very cautious because we have seen how persistent bed bugs can be.
‘bed bugs ‘ i like eveyone else have tried every trick in the book, to try and get rid of bed bugs. Iwas going mad every day cleaning every inch of the house , i was just about having a nerveous break down that is how bad they were effecting me .I eventually came up with an idea, i noticed that they seem to attack the feet first so i plastered toothpaste on and in between my toes, when i went into bed, and they seemed to be attracted to this, so that was half the battle. The outcome was they they crawled over my toes, got covered in toothpaste ,the toothpaste dried and they could not move. so at last i have found something that works it might be a bit messy but at least i can get to sleep at night i still go through my cleaning routine evey day and change my bed every day just to make sure. sheila
I really would not recommend Sheila’s method. Even if toothpaste does deter bed bugs (and I have never heard this suggested before), it is not likely to do so long-term. Bed bugs can simply bite other parts of your body.
Sheila, have you had your home professionally treated to get rid of bed bugs?
Ok. I’ve read everything on this page. I live in a developing country. I have a washer but no dryer. I have none of the products mentioned that I should buy. We don’t even have good duct tape here. I’ve vaccuumed, and washed everything in 90+F degrees. Are there any natural deterents… like cockroaches hate bay leaves… is there anything I can do with things found around the home/kitchen that will make these bugges leave me alone?
Eason,
91% isopropyl alcohol (often used for health care) can be sprayed on bed bugs you see and will kill them.
To kill bed bugs you cannot see, and to kill them as they appear, try to find some diatomaceous earth. Read this FAQ:
http://bedbugger.com/2007/03/30/faqde/
If English is not the primary language in your country, then go to the Wikipedia page linked from it. They give many names in other languages for this substance which can be bought worldwide. It is essential to buy the kind made for animal feed (food grade) and NOT the kind made for a swimming pool, which will not do the job and can be harmful.
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is inexpensive, safe if you buy the right kind, and use it properly, and it will kill bed bugs. Steaming, if you can get a hold of a good steamer, might be good to do before applying the DE.
You may also be able to buy pesticide sprays. We normally do not recommend self treating, but this pest is difficult to get rid of and I would not attempt to fight with “natural remedies” besides DE–nothing is likely to work. If you have further questions, please go to the forums:
http://bedbugger.com/forum
Like Eason Sinclair, I am living outside the US, in St Petersburg, Russia. I just today found the first bedbug after living in the apt for a month, and trying to figure out which lotion, shampoo, etc, I was allergic to. Guess I’m allergic to the bugs (my husband doesn’t show a trace, by the way).
I’ll have to speak with the landlady, but my guess is that it will be hard to get such aggressive treatment by a PCO as you are describing in the US. If we move out, we’ll have to launder everything and have books, etc treated, but it’s better than this miserable itching.
Our bed is a sofa bed–the whole thing is upholstered: the back and seat of the bed simply open up flat. In other words, there is no inside mattress that unfolds, as in most US models, but the cushions of the sofa actually are the bed surface. I don’t see how this can be isolated, short of sealing the whole bed, legs and all, in a huge bag. –Margaret
Hi Margaret,
You might be pleasantly surprised. I do not know anything about pest control in Russia. But I do know two things:
1) Many countries (even Australia from what I hear) have more potent pesticides available than are currently legal and labeled for bed bugs in the US. Perhaps Russia is one of them. I think the treatment available may not be as thorough or as “integrated” there as it is among the best PCOs here, but the chemicals used may be more aggressive there. And that may very well trump thoughtfulness, care, and XL ziploc bags.
2) One Bedbugger once told us that Russian women in the US were experts at dealing with bed bugs: he claimed they knew them from Russia. Maybe you can tap into this wisdom, if it is true. Talk to lots of people, of all ages, and see what you find out. But I’d go for the pesticides, too, and avoid herbs and things. Diatomaceous earth is supposed to be available worldwide. Make sure it is the kind for feeding farm animals (food grade). The wikipedia page linked from our DE FAQ has names in other languages, not sure if Russian is listed now, but it will likely help.
The only thing I am sure you are right about is the sofa. It is tricky. If the whole thing folds flat and is the size of a mattress, you could encase and keep it flat. But it might be hard to deal with. And encasements may not be available–you may need to order from overseas which is hard and slow and expensive.
I hope this helps and you get some relief soon.
Hi, My husband brought the dreaded bugs home from a motel. I have called an exterminator to come. What my question is, do I need to wash all my clothes in my closet even the ones on hangers.
I would follow the PCO (pest control operator)’s preparation list. They should give you one. (If they do not have one, then they may not be experienced with bed bugs.) And I would say that yes, you probably should clean (hot wash, hot dry) and seal in bags all clothing, bedclothes, and linen. This will ensure that if they are in any of your clothes, they are dead. And that you are not bitten while wearing your clothes. It will also make it less likely that you transport the bed bugs to other places. See the FAQs for more information.
My husband talked to his Grandfather about the bugs because they were very popular back in the day. He said they sat there bed post in deisel fuel. What would you recommend us to put our bed posts in. I also wanted to say these bugs do not discriminate they dont care whether your house is dirty or clean. So anyone out there freaking out about this because you thought you werent clean enough its not your fault. Thanks!
Hi Beth,
I would not put your bed posts in diesel. However, if you read the step-by-step post above these comments carefully, we do suggest that during treatment, one option is to “isolate’ the bed, by putting a carefully encased mattress on top of a clean (bed bug free) bed frame on top of risers, and either (a) putting the risers in bowls of mineral oil or tea tree oil, or (b) putting mineral oil or tea tree oil in the reservoirs of the riser tops (some have a space allowing this). It really is a similar idea to what your grandfather did. But since you already HAVE bed bugs, you can’t just pop your bed onto the “moats” in this way. You’d be trapping bed bugs on the bed with you.
Everyone does not do this, and there are some good reasons people choose not to, but it can allow you to sleep without being bitten during treatment, if you are careful.
You are right that bed bugs are not caused by a lack of hygiene or dirty surroundings. Clutter does help them hide, but cannot bring them on.
Hello, bedbugger.
I am Asian from South East Asia region.
I have stayed in this apartment for more than 8 years, there was no bedbugs problem at all. Until about 6 months ago, I moved to the next room in the same apartment as to accomodate my working desk in the room. This room was previously used to hang blazers, cloaks & coats we only need when out to colder country and storing all the mattresses.
I have encountered terrible bites and scarrings on my back, my feet and both arms too. All this happend after since I came back visiting outstate friend’s hotel. And, I don’t know whether I picked up some there else too cause i am a frequent traveller. The bites started from my back and spred to both feet, shins and up to thighs. I went for countless clinics and specialists, cause i though it’s some sort of allergic reactions. Blisters, swollen bites with huge marks. Typically triangle shape bites, may be this has something to do with bedbug scissoring and blade mechanism in feeding.
After failing in getting better with all the ointment and anti-histamine i got from specialist and doctors, I started with spring clean the room. Then, using household chlorine. It was okay for around 1-2 month. Until last few days, i started to get those bites back on my feet again, this time concentrate more on my arms, ear & palms. Yesterday night, I saw one red brownish hooping small insect jumping on my left arm and i squished it. But, it managed to survived and disappeared into the crevice. I couldn’t sleep whole night.
This morning, after reading up your FAQ and others comment, Wikipedia as well. Then only i realized, it has been these blood feeding bedbugs (fleas) that we don’t usually hear about that attacking me all this while.
I decided to take action in exterminating it today.
I have plenty of sources who would come across lab and industrial chemicals, I can obtain isopropyl alcohol. Does it work to exterminate all the adult, metamorphosizing nemphs & eggs by spraying them into the crevice, wooden wall lining, onto the closet, desk..?
Celite with percentage around 80 to 90 max is recommended? I once read in some article giving warning that high content may cause allergic reaction and are said to be carcinogenic.
Should I really need to get a metal bed frame? I been putting the mattress directly on floor. And yes, it is adjacent to the wooden wall lining, 2 windows & on wooden floor.
There are quite plenty of things in this room. (closet, hangers, bags, iron board, computer desk, computers, printer, wall phone, higher book rack, bookshelf & ventilator) Where & what should I start with? Please advise.
Thank you for your attention and help.
Hi ShirCVenus,
Sorry you have this problem.
One thing is very important: do you have bed bugs? Or do you have fleas? You mention them both together, but they are VERY different and treatment is very different too.
Please come to the forums (with the same username) by clicking the blue button at top right, so we can help. But remember–you must confirm whether it is bed bugs or fleas. (Photos should help.)
Hi:
Well, I have bed bugs in my apartment too. The second treatment is scheduled for this coming Friday and was wondering at what point should I encase my mattress. Should I encase it before or after the second treatment, or should I wait until the third treatment. The Pest control guy said they will do at least 3 treatments. Thank you
First, I would ask the PCO.
My own opinion is that it should happen after he treated the mattress once. And it needs to thoroughly dry before you put the cover on or sleep on it.
If he is not treating the mattress, then it can be done from day one, but most PCOs will, with appropriate chemicals.
Where can i buy DIATOMACEOUE OR DE at?
Read the FAQ for more information:
What is diatomaceous earth (DE)? Should I use it?
Revised and back online. Suggestions welcomed.
Thank you for updating!