Best way to get rid of bedbugs in Portland
January 1, 2012 12:34 PM Subscribe
Bed bugs in Portland, OR! How to hire the right exterminator? What should we do right now?
So, after 2 weeks of "what on earth is going on with this rash on my arms?" and being reassured by multiple medical professionals that it could not be bedbugs, we did a thorough search of the boxspring last night and welcomed in 2012 with more party guests than we knew we had or wanted! We are 100% sure they are bed bugs.
Of course, the holiday is throwing a wrench in our plans to get someone in here to KILL THEM, KILL THEM NOW. Here are the options:
1) Orkin can be here for an initial inspection (sounds like we'd have to wait even longer for treatment) on Tuesday, when we're both at work. We cannot call in sick, "first day" type situations for both of us. Possibly a neighbor could let them in. Disadvantage: we won't be there to ask questions, it's an extra day of waiting. Advantage, they're a big brand-name company. Does that matter?
2) EMS Pet Control can be here tomorrow. We both have the day off work. The owner seemed like a nice guy and it was great he answered his phone on a holiday and is willing to come out on a day nobody else is available. He did say a few things that gave me pause, however. #1, That we would need to be out of the apartment for 3-4 hours after each treatment (he does at least 2 and then monitors for 30 days), but no, whatever, the cat can stay. Why can our kitty breathe in toxic fumes that we can't?! #2, He's recommending that we move all of our clothes and items in chest-of-drawers and closets out of the room. He states this is so he can look around better and make sure they're not in the furniture. However, everything I'm reading is saying to not move anything because you will spread the eggs or hitchhikers. (Though we did put our comforter in the dryer on high for a long time).
So, advice welcome! Whether it's about specific recommendations of services you've used, if the red flags I've raised are justified, or what should we do with our stuff right now, any and all advice appreciated. So far we've done a fair job of not freaking out outright, but it's a high-anxiety day of waiting for some answers.
So, after 2 weeks of "what on earth is going on with this rash on my arms?" and being reassured by multiple medical professionals that it could not be bedbugs, we did a thorough search of the boxspring last night and welcomed in 2012 with more party guests than we knew we had or wanted! We are 100% sure they are bed bugs.
Of course, the holiday is throwing a wrench in our plans to get someone in here to KILL THEM, KILL THEM NOW. Here are the options:
1) Orkin can be here for an initial inspection (sounds like we'd have to wait even longer for treatment) on Tuesday, when we're both at work. We cannot call in sick, "first day" type situations for both of us. Possibly a neighbor could let them in. Disadvantage: we won't be there to ask questions, it's an extra day of waiting. Advantage, they're a big brand-name company. Does that matter?
2) EMS Pet Control can be here tomorrow. We both have the day off work. The owner seemed like a nice guy and it was great he answered his phone on a holiday and is willing to come out on a day nobody else is available. He did say a few things that gave me pause, however. #1, That we would need to be out of the apartment for 3-4 hours after each treatment (he does at least 2 and then monitors for 30 days), but no, whatever, the cat can stay. Why can our kitty breathe in toxic fumes that we can't?! #2, He's recommending that we move all of our clothes and items in chest-of-drawers and closets out of the room. He states this is so he can look around better and make sure they're not in the furniture. However, everything I'm reading is saying to not move anything because you will spread the eggs or hitchhikers. (Though we did put our comforter in the dryer on high for a long time).
So, advice welcome! Whether it's about specific recommendations of services you've used, if the red flags I've raised are justified, or what should we do with our stuff right now, any and all advice appreciated. So far we've done a fair job of not freaking out outright, but it's a high-anxiety day of waiting for some answers.
As someone who dealt with bedbugs off and on for 18 months this is what you need to know.
The exterminator definitely needs to make two trips. The sprays they use doesn't work on unhatched eggs so they need to comeback in about 10-14 days to get any they missed the first time.
You should plan on being out of the house for several hours before going back, but you can sleep on your mattress.
Definitely empty out any furniture near your bed; bedbugs can live in any crack or crevice near your sleeping body (aka dinner). Put all your stuff in heavy duty plastic bags or plastic bins.
Wash whatever you can in as hot a water as it will take and dry in a hot dryer. If you can't wash then at least run through a couple of dryer cycles. The heat can kill bugs.
Vacuum frequently and if you use a bag, take it out immediately, put it in another plastic bag and throw it away.
You should also ask the exterminator if they can put in gentrol tabs; they stick on your wall and can interfere with the bed bug reproductive cycle.
I would also think about purchasing some diatomaceous earth (you can probably find it at your hardware store) and laying down a thin layer around your bedroom at the baseboards and near other cracks and crevices. DE is non-toxic, but it tears into the exoskelton of the bugs and kills them. DE can work for up to six months. The sprays the exterminators use are only good for a few weeks.
If you live in an apartment building notify your neighbors and landlord. They should be vigilant and think about treatment. One of the reasons my problem went on for 18 months is that's how long it took to finally convince the management that they needed to treat the entire building at once. Until then the bugs just moved from apartment to apartment; you'd treat and a few months later they'd be back.
posted by brookeb at 6:37 PM on January 1, 2012
The exterminator definitely needs to make two trips. The sprays they use doesn't work on unhatched eggs so they need to comeback in about 10-14 days to get any they missed the first time.
You should plan on being out of the house for several hours before going back, but you can sleep on your mattress.
Definitely empty out any furniture near your bed; bedbugs can live in any crack or crevice near your sleeping body (aka dinner). Put all your stuff in heavy duty plastic bags or plastic bins.
Wash whatever you can in as hot a water as it will take and dry in a hot dryer. If you can't wash then at least run through a couple of dryer cycles. The heat can kill bugs.
Vacuum frequently and if you use a bag, take it out immediately, put it in another plastic bag and throw it away.
You should also ask the exterminator if they can put in gentrol tabs; they stick on your wall and can interfere with the bed bug reproductive cycle.
I would also think about purchasing some diatomaceous earth (you can probably find it at your hardware store) and laying down a thin layer around your bedroom at the baseboards and near other cracks and crevices. DE is non-toxic, but it tears into the exoskelton of the bugs and kills them. DE can work for up to six months. The sprays the exterminators use are only good for a few weeks.
If you live in an apartment building notify your neighbors and landlord. They should be vigilant and think about treatment. One of the reasons my problem went on for 18 months is that's how long it took to finally convince the management that they needed to treat the entire building at once. Until then the bugs just moved from apartment to apartment; you'd treat and a few months later they'd be back.
posted by brookeb at 6:37 PM on January 1, 2012
Mod note: This is a followup from the asker.
Thank you to you couple of awesome MeFites who gave us advice. The owner of EMS came out and treated our place today after patiently answering all of our freaked-out questions. And he was very nice to our kitty. Looks like a minor infestation and the only evidence of the evil things was confined to the box spring. Even our (encased) mattress looked great! Super relieved and they were awesome. Still treated the whole place as a precaution and now just two weeks of waiting for the next treatment and a month of watching like a hawk to make sure they stay gone!posted by cortex (staff) at 2:41 PM on January 2, 2012
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What the exterminator is looking for is the harborage of the bed bugs. They little bastards can hide just about anywhere. They not only infest mattresses - but like to hide in dressers, electronics, clothing, rugs, wall hangings (paintings, photos hung on walls). Sometimes they get inside the walls and come out via the electrical outlets.
The 2 (or more) treatments sounds like the guy knows what he's doing. Anyone who says they can wipe out beg bugs in one treatment does not know what they're talking about. These are evil tenacious little bastards.
I could see taking everything out of the dressers and closets - but moving them to another room just sounds like you're taking a big chance of spreading them around your place. They make giant zip lock bags. Put your clothes inside these. (you can find the bags at any hardware store).
Good luck. Keep it all in perspective. It can be a stressful and costly experience. There are a ton of great resources online. Bedbugger.com gives some really good advice.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 3:21 PM on January 1, 2012 [1 favorite]