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how i got rid of them

1. 

   steph_in_brooklyn
   

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   Joined: Jul '09
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   Posted 3 years ago
   Wed Aug 19 2009 19:57:41
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   Hey all!
   I was so at the end of my rope over my bed bug situation that I thought I'd share a success story for anyone else who's feeling similarly. They are escapable! The steps I took are below for anyone that might be interested. Ultimately, I've been very blessed and hope I can help any one freaking out as much as I was know that they can and will escape them.

   1. Lots of praying and faith! And enlisting my friends and the church to pray as well. I truly believe this was instrumental.
   2. I had 2 spray and DE treatments by an exterminator.
   3. After one month of treatment we trashed all of our furniture and picture frames and decided to move.
   4. We rented a small car, something too small to fit a mattress or furniture in so that we could feel good that no one had moved infested furniture in it before us.
   5. All kitchen utensils were washed with boiling water in our sink the day before and then bagged. On moving day we rebagged them and put them directly in the car.
   6. We had kept all our clothes and linens (which had all been laundered in hot water and dried for 1 hour) in black plastic trash bags in the middle of the living room for the entire month. On moving day we re-dried everything on high for 1 hour. Before removing anything from the drier I changed into a brand new outfit I'd purchased the night before and kept sealed in plastic so that anything that might've been on the outside of the bags on the way into the laundromat wouldn't be on me when I took the clothes from the driers. We rebagged them in new trash bags and put them directly in the car.
   7. All drycleaning - which had been done at the beginning of the process a month earlier - had been kept in it's dry cleaning plastic and then double bagged and stored in the living room. On moving day we removed the outside bag and - holding the clothes in the air - rebagged in a fresh new bag that went directly into the car without touching the apartment.
   8. The cats were taken the vet for flea treatment. Afterwards, we bought new carriers for their trip to the new place.
   9. The dishes were taken from the cabinet, inspected, and bagged in the air then carried directly the car.
   10. All CDs and books were bagged in 2.5 gallon Hefty zip bags then double bagged in plastic trash bags while holding them in the air and carried directly to the car.
   11. All shoes, purses, belts, hats, jewelry, and knick nacks were rebagged in new trash bags with moth balls taped to the top. On moving day they were double bagged in the air and put directly in the car.
   12. We also showered before going into the new place and wore different shoes in the old apartment and new apartment so as not to drag anything.

   It took 3 trips and 22 hours to move this way, but well worth it.

   At the new apartment we vacuumed every square inch of the floors, baseboards, and window frames and threw away the bag. We mopped every square inch with massive Murphy's oil and cleaned the kitchen cabinets & radiators with Murphy's wipes. 2 days after moving in Freedom Pest Control (Cesar and his dog Tre) inspected the apartment and all of the bags of untreated stuff (shoes, purses, belts, hats) and gave us the "all clear" that we were bed bug free. We've been Paktiting all of the untreated stuff in one bag a night batches. Finally, I went to the dermatologist after 2 weeks to inspect any bumps and determine if they were bites that I wasn't reacting as much to or something else. She confirmed that I had no bites.
   I've bought Great Stuff foaming caulk and another clear silicone caulk to patch up any cracks in the new apartment.

   LESSONS LEARNED
   *Clothes only need dried on high for 1-2 hours, not necessarily washed. Drycleaning can also just be dried on high for 1-2 hours.
   *Invest in a good exterminator. No yellow pages. Get the best and save a lot of time, money, and energy in the long run.
   *Be careful - DE is really harmful to breath in. I'm sensitive to chemicals and living in my apartment for one month as "bait" breathing in that stuff literally sent me to the hospital.
   *Before and after you move invest in a dog search of the new place. Freedom Pest Control were extremely affordable and well worth it for the peace of mind.
   *Invest in a Paktite. It's worth it - it may seem pricey at first but the money saved on not having to throw things out and peace of mind is well worth it. I could've kept more if I'd just invested in it upfront.

2. 

   hgv001
   

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   Joined: Apr '09
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   Posted 3 years ago
   Mon Oct 5 2009 15:20:14
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   This sounds exactly like how we got rid of them, too. I've also posted my success story. Good luck!

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