Didn't mean to let the bed bugs bite. They're eating us alive.
June 4, 2017 5:26 PM Subscribe
A week ago we stayed at a resort and brought souvenirs home — bed bugs! Please give us your best advice, but most of all, please tell us that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Bed bugs suuuuuuuck.
After our first night at the resort, we woke up to the tell-tale blood and "marker" smears on the two beds. Upon inspection of the bedding we found insects. Management was good enough to give us another room in another building for our two-night stay, and to refund the entire cost of both nights. We put our clothes in bags and got everything off the floor as best we could. We also examined the new room to look for bed bugs in the bedding and found nothing. But it was too late – a week later, we now have brought those bed bugs into our home! It SUCKS. We are covered in bites and estimates of treating the whole house are expensive. The cost of treating our whole house will vastly outweigh the value of two free nights in a resort.
What did you do about your own bed bugs? How long did it take to resolve? Was there one particular company or company's method that worked better than another's? Can you just help us see our way to the end of this? :(
In the 48 hours since the bits appeared, we have:
—vacuumed where possible
—washed tons of clothes, linens, curtains, and so forth, and put the clean stuff in sealed bags
—cleared a lot of clutter
—put the appropriate diatomaceous earth along baseboards
—sprayed a well-rated anti-bed-bug spray on the box springs, mattress, frame, etc., in all the appropriate places
—put interceptors under the bed posts
—sprayed rubbing alcohol on pillows and surfaces that can't be sprayed with pesticide
I will call a highly rate exterminator (found on Angie's List) tomorrow. But what are we missing?
We're so depressed about this. It'll be months of this, won't it? And we're moving in September and we don't want to bring them to the new place.
After our first night at the resort, we woke up to the tell-tale blood and "marker" smears on the two beds. Upon inspection of the bedding we found insects. Management was good enough to give us another room in another building for our two-night stay, and to refund the entire cost of both nights. We put our clothes in bags and got everything off the floor as best we could. We also examined the new room to look for bed bugs in the bedding and found nothing. But it was too late – a week later, we now have brought those bed bugs into our home! It SUCKS. We are covered in bites and estimates of treating the whole house are expensive. The cost of treating our whole house will vastly outweigh the value of two free nights in a resort.
What did you do about your own bed bugs? How long did it take to resolve? Was there one particular company or company's method that worked better than another's? Can you just help us see our way to the end of this? :(
In the 48 hours since the bits appeared, we have:
—vacuumed where possible
—washed tons of clothes, linens, curtains, and so forth, and put the clean stuff in sealed bags
—cleared a lot of clutter
—put the appropriate diatomaceous earth along baseboards
—sprayed a well-rated anti-bed-bug spray on the box springs, mattress, frame, etc., in all the appropriate places
—put interceptors under the bed posts
—sprayed rubbing alcohol on pillows and surfaces that can't be sprayed with pesticide
I will call a highly rate exterminator (found on Angie's List) tomorrow. But what are we missing?
We're so depressed about this. It'll be months of this, won't it? And we're moving in September and we don't want to bring them to the new place.
Response by poster: Oh, yeah, we're also encasing our mattresses and box springs in bug-proof zipper case thingies.
posted by TurkeyMustard at 5:32 PM on June 4, 2017
posted by TurkeyMustard at 5:32 PM on June 4, 2017
You're covered in bites already or are they still the ones from the trip? Unless you bought home many bed bugs they should not have had the chance yet to breed that quickly in your own home. I would have thought if you have them at all, since you acted so quickly the most that will be in your home will only be a few (and I know it only takes a few but it shouldn't be a major infestation and thus easier to wipe out.)
I have no advice except you're doing everything right. Hang in there.
posted by Jubey at 5:39 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have no advice except you're doing everything right. Hang in there.
posted by Jubey at 5:39 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: These are new bites. The first showed up on me, and then a day later on my wife and son. Many reliable websites say the bits usually show up as early as the next morning but can take 7 to 10 days. Also, I woke up with new itching at 2 a.m., which is a tell-tale bite-time for bed bugs. We're pretty sure they're here. But we'll have an expert confirm.
posted by TurkeyMustard at 5:44 PM on June 4, 2017
posted by TurkeyMustard at 5:44 PM on June 4, 2017
If it is a small infestation (and it will be a small infestation, you can't have brought back many and they won't have had much time to breed), then - there is a good chance it won't be months. I had a professional exterminator come in and then they came back two weeks later and that was it.
You are doing everything right. The horror stories are the ones you hear the most about because people don't want to admit to having bedbugs until they've tried absolutely everything they can think of trying, but I think there are a lot more people than you hear about who have bed bugs and get them exterminated fairly quickly and without too much fuss.
posted by Jeanne at 5:46 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
You are doing everything right. The horror stories are the ones you hear the most about because people don't want to admit to having bedbugs until they've tried absolutely everything they can think of trying, but I think there are a lot more people than you hear about who have bed bugs and get them exterminated fairly quickly and without too much fuss.
posted by Jeanne at 5:46 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
A friend who brought home an infestation from a large chain hotel was able to get full reimbursement for their home abatement. Keep pressing the resort because, to your point, two free nights at a place that gave you bedbugs is no bargain.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 6:00 PM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by Sweetie Darling at 6:00 PM on June 4, 2017 [17 favorites]
I think it's worth sending the bills for the exterminator to the resort.
posted by cooker girl at 6:01 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by cooker girl at 6:01 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just calmly mention that you're active on social media to the hotel when you request compensation. Very little will scare an expensive hotel (assuming a developed world setting) more than a TripAdvisor review mentioning bedbugs.
posted by spitbull at 6:36 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 6:36 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
We brought bedbugs home from a camp kind of place. It took a long time for me to figure out what was going on, but once I did it was quick to solve. It was expensive: I had to get the whole house tented, and it took like 3 days. But it solved the problem completely.
I also then bought a thing we call a bedbug oven, I think the trade name is the Bedbugger? It's a pop-up heating enclosure. Now any time I come home from anywhere I have ANY doubts at all about, everything gets baked for a few hours before it comes back in the house. This is a bit of a pain but it makes me feel much more in control.
(I would absolutely call the resort, talk to the manager and send them the bill.)
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:48 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
I also then bought a thing we call a bedbug oven, I think the trade name is the Bedbugger? It's a pop-up heating enclosure. Now any time I come home from anywhere I have ANY doubts at all about, everything gets baked for a few hours before it comes back in the house. This is a bit of a pain but it makes me feel much more in control.
(I would absolutely call the resort, talk to the manager and send them the bill.)
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:48 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yep, you're doing all of the right things. There's definitely such a thing as a mild infestation, which, according to our exterminator, we had, and we were still getting bitten almost every night! So don't think that lots of bites = lots of bed bugs everywhere. It's entirely possible that they're just in your bed.
We ultimately figured out how we got them after the fact (friend's housewarming party), and based on that, it took us a month and a half to even realize for sure that we had them (we thought it was a detergent reaction, then dust mites), a few weeks to get the exterminator to come, and a month for treatment (I don't remember what they did exactly, except they came 3 times). We lived out of trash bags for a month, and it was a major pain in the ass, and then...nothing. Treatment worked the first time and we've been bed bug free since then (16 months or so). We didn't lose our clothing or books. We didn't lose our furniture, even the bed (currently encased in the bed bug cover..I'm not sure I want to take it with us when we move though).
There's stuff I'm more wary about now, like checking beds when I travel or buying second-hand stuff. The pile of coats at house parties, etc. But we're definitely at the point now where we can laugh about the whole thing.
posted by eeek at 7:30 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
We ultimately figured out how we got them after the fact (friend's housewarming party), and based on that, it took us a month and a half to even realize for sure that we had them (we thought it was a detergent reaction, then dust mites), a few weeks to get the exterminator to come, and a month for treatment (I don't remember what they did exactly, except they came 3 times). We lived out of trash bags for a month, and it was a major pain in the ass, and then...nothing. Treatment worked the first time and we've been bed bug free since then (16 months or so). We didn't lose our clothing or books. We didn't lose our furniture, even the bed (currently encased in the bed bug cover..I'm not sure I want to take it with us when we move though).
There's stuff I'm more wary about now, like checking beds when I travel or buying second-hand stuff. The pile of coats at house parties, etc. But we're definitely at the point now where we can laugh about the whole thing.
posted by eeek at 7:30 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
You seem to have a good handle on it.
You used HOT WATER to wash everything, right? (Yes, even your shrinkables, unfortunately.)
Diatomaceous earth not just in baseboards, but in absolutely every nook and cranny you can think of. Also, remember that "bedbugs" are also couchbugs and chairbugs and dresserbugs and carbugs and pursebugs and hatbugs, so don't forget to attack those areas just as hard with everything you've got.
If you find any bugs on any furnishings, the steps are: 1. Swear loudly. 2. Chuck it out. 3. Repeat step one. 4. Vacuum the area like you've never vacuumed before. 5. Repeat step one again. 6. Replace the item, if at all, with a cheap-as-possible temporary replacement (goodbye La-Z-Boy, hello plastic lawn chair!) until you're sure all the bugs are gone. 7. Cross your fingers and never, ever uncross them. 7. Once you've mustered the courage (and the money), buy a real replacement. When I had bedbugs, all it took was the steps you've already taken plus the removal of a couch and I never had any trouble ever again. If you brought suitcases on this trip, well, I hope they weren't too expensive because those belong to the bugs now.
But one more thing. Since you're only finding bites and no bugs, it might be worth asking before going completely nuts: Are you sure they're bedbug bites you're finding, and not, say, unnoticed mosquito bites incurred the previous evening, or anything else? Could be shingles!
posted by Sys Rq at 7:45 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
You used HOT WATER to wash everything, right? (Yes, even your shrinkables, unfortunately.)
Diatomaceous earth not just in baseboards, but in absolutely every nook and cranny you can think of. Also, remember that "bedbugs" are also couchbugs and chairbugs and dresserbugs and carbugs and pursebugs and hatbugs, so don't forget to attack those areas just as hard with everything you've got.
If you find any bugs on any furnishings, the steps are: 1. Swear loudly. 2. Chuck it out. 3. Repeat step one. 4. Vacuum the area like you've never vacuumed before. 5. Repeat step one again. 6. Replace the item, if at all, with a cheap-as-possible temporary replacement (goodbye La-Z-Boy, hello plastic lawn chair!) until you're sure all the bugs are gone. 7. Cross your fingers and never, ever uncross them. 7. Once you've mustered the courage (and the money), buy a real replacement. When I had bedbugs, all it took was the steps you've already taken plus the removal of a couch and I never had any trouble ever again. If you brought suitcases on this trip, well, I hope they weren't too expensive because those belong to the bugs now.
But one more thing. Since you're only finding bites and no bugs, it might be worth asking before going completely nuts: Are you sure they're bedbug bites you're finding, and not, say, unnoticed mosquito bites incurred the previous evening, or anything else? Could be shingles!
posted by Sys Rq at 7:45 PM on June 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
You can buy covers to encase your bedding to stop the bugs already in it biting you. The bedbugs can't escape through the covers. Allersoft is a good brand. Not super cheap but they should last years.
posted by fshgrl at 8:00 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 8:00 PM on June 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
Put diatomaceous earth on your bed. Do it slowly and carefully so you don't raise more dust than you have to, and do it in the morning so it has time to settle before you go to bed. You basically want to assume that the bugs are tiny vampires who care only about your delicious blood, so you put a nice wide stripe of diatomaceous earth all around the edges of your bedding, right on top of the bottom sheet and in the pillowcases and possibly just a layer on the mattress pad, and also around the bed, especially around the legs or anything with contact with the floor. Then you use yourselves as bait and then when they come to bite you, the diatomaceous earth gets them. It'll probably take a few weeks.
posted by bile and syntax at 5:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by bile and syntax at 5:23 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
i'm so sorry you're going through this - as a survivor of bedbugs, it is not something i would wish upon my worst enemy. but this too shall pass!
although i understand the people that are saying, "are you sure it's bedbugs? it could be ____..." i would recommend assuming the worst so you don't waste time and allow any possible small infestation to get worse. my exterminator said he saw only a couple adult bedbugs (which still was enough to wreak plenty of havoc) but LOTS of eggs that would've made everything so much worse if i had waited even a couple days to call him. he also didn't feel it was necessary to treat my whole place, just the bedroom. the sooner you get this treated by an exterminator, the better.
and yes, in total, getting rid of bedbugs was an EXPENSIVE ordeal, considering the cost of the exterminator's two visits, buying the mattress cover, and losing about 40% of my wardrobe to the heat treatment, but in the end, it was worth it for getting rid of them quickly. my friend who dealt with bedbugs had roommates who were more lax about following the treatment, and it ended up becoming a months-long, drawn out, MORE expensive struggle to get rid of them.
in the end, everything I ended up doing: getting the exterminator to do the two-visit treatment, bagging up all fabrics and sending them out to a service to get them washed/dried at high enough heat (if your washer/dryer has a high enough heat setting you could probably do this yourself but mine didn't), moving everything that had been treated into the bathroom/kitchen and living out of bags for several weeks, and wrapping my treated mattress/box spring in one of those bedbug proof covers and not removing that for two years. also, on the recommendation of the exterminator, i continued to sleep in my bed (maybe the worst part) so as not to spread the bugs to my couch or somewhere else.
i'm not saying to not implement any other solutions if they help you feel better, because they probably can't hurt. but i am saying, bedbugs are now the one thing i DON'T mess around with - they are basically indestructible and the only guarantee is the nuclear option.
(i will also say that dealing with bedbugs is seriously traumatic, but several years on most of the emotional scarring has faded. i still won't put my luggage on the bed when i go to hotels, though - luggage stand, table, or bathroom only!)
good luck, you will get through this!
posted by carlypennylane at 7:39 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
although i understand the people that are saying, "are you sure it's bedbugs? it could be ____..." i would recommend assuming the worst so you don't waste time and allow any possible small infestation to get worse. my exterminator said he saw only a couple adult bedbugs (which still was enough to wreak plenty of havoc) but LOTS of eggs that would've made everything so much worse if i had waited even a couple days to call him. he also didn't feel it was necessary to treat my whole place, just the bedroom. the sooner you get this treated by an exterminator, the better.
and yes, in total, getting rid of bedbugs was an EXPENSIVE ordeal, considering the cost of the exterminator's two visits, buying the mattress cover, and losing about 40% of my wardrobe to the heat treatment, but in the end, it was worth it for getting rid of them quickly. my friend who dealt with bedbugs had roommates who were more lax about following the treatment, and it ended up becoming a months-long, drawn out, MORE expensive struggle to get rid of them.
in the end, everything I ended up doing: getting the exterminator to do the two-visit treatment, bagging up all fabrics and sending them out to a service to get them washed/dried at high enough heat (if your washer/dryer has a high enough heat setting you could probably do this yourself but mine didn't), moving everything that had been treated into the bathroom/kitchen and living out of bags for several weeks, and wrapping my treated mattress/box spring in one of those bedbug proof covers and not removing that for two years. also, on the recommendation of the exterminator, i continued to sleep in my bed (maybe the worst part) so as not to spread the bugs to my couch or somewhere else.
i'm not saying to not implement any other solutions if they help you feel better, because they probably can't hurt. but i am saying, bedbugs are now the one thing i DON'T mess around with - they are basically indestructible and the only guarantee is the nuclear option.
(i will also say that dealing with bedbugs is seriously traumatic, but several years on most of the emotional scarring has faded. i still won't put my luggage on the bed when i go to hotels, though - luggage stand, table, or bathroom only!)
good luck, you will get through this!
posted by carlypennylane at 7:39 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
We probably managed to get rid of our "friends" in about two-three weeks, but the creepy-crawly sensations stuck around for weeks longer. We still joke that we've been tuned in permanently to the itchy invisible universe.
We had no luck getting the hotel where our problem originated to pay for any of our abatement. We had two visits from an exterminator and did a lot of daily vacuuming/washing for a few weeks. We never got to the level of one of those whole-home heat treatments or anything on the crazy expensive end of the scale.
The good that came out of the experience is that (1) we recognize that, as perpetual work travelers, we're at risk for recurrence so (2) we've prepared ourselves for that. We're religious about bedroom hygiene, so the bed and furniture is all spaced a couple inches from the wall making it easy to thoroughly vacuum routinely. We don't bring suitcases into the bedroom--they live in the bathroom now. When staying on hotels, we keep our luggage in the tub, not on the floor or in the closet. We check beds before unpacking. We inspect and wash bedding at least once a week, if not more often. We sealed up our mattress and pillows in allergy covers. We have interceptors. Etc.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:09 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
We had no luck getting the hotel where our problem originated to pay for any of our abatement. We had two visits from an exterminator and did a lot of daily vacuuming/washing for a few weeks. We never got to the level of one of those whole-home heat treatments or anything on the crazy expensive end of the scale.
The good that came out of the experience is that (1) we recognize that, as perpetual work travelers, we're at risk for recurrence so (2) we've prepared ourselves for that. We're religious about bedroom hygiene, so the bed and furniture is all spaced a couple inches from the wall making it easy to thoroughly vacuum routinely. We don't bring suitcases into the bedroom--they live in the bathroom now. When staying on hotels, we keep our luggage in the tub, not on the floor or in the closet. We check beds before unpacking. We inspect and wash bedding at least once a week, if not more often. We sealed up our mattress and pillows in allergy covers. We have interceptors. Etc.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:09 AM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
We had our moving truck bombed by an exterminator overnight so that the bastards wouldn't come with us.
posted by turkeybrain at 9:26 PM on June 5, 2017
posted by turkeybrain at 9:26 PM on June 5, 2017
I deal with bed bugs in my job. Things I have learned:
- Use a strong flashlight and check for the feces along the edges of the mattress.
- Not everyone reacts to bed bug bites.
- I have used the dog detector...interesting, not sure I would do it again.
- Heat is the most effective response. We use a hot steamer on the beds.
- Many companies have portable heat units that can be rented. I haven't used the smaller units - but the best treatment I have seen is when they hauled these huge heating units and blasted the room for 8 hours. It was expensive.
- Mattress covers will only keep those bugs within the mattress. It doesn't prevent bed bugs.
- Careful of disrupting things when bed bugs are detected. Move things away slowly (other wise they may scatter)
- We were advised not to use chemical sprays (on our own) as it may cause bed bugs to scatter.
- Always check adjoining rooms.
posted by what's her name at 10:34 PM on June 6, 2017
- Use a strong flashlight and check for the feces along the edges of the mattress.
- Not everyone reacts to bed bug bites.
- I have used the dog detector...interesting, not sure I would do it again.
- Heat is the most effective response. We use a hot steamer on the beds.
- Many companies have portable heat units that can be rented. I haven't used the smaller units - but the best treatment I have seen is when they hauled these huge heating units and blasted the room for 8 hours. It was expensive.
- Mattress covers will only keep those bugs within the mattress. It doesn't prevent bed bugs.
- Careful of disrupting things when bed bugs are detected. Move things away slowly (other wise they may scatter)
- We were advised not to use chemical sprays (on our own) as it may cause bed bugs to scatter.
- Always check adjoining rooms.
posted by what's her name at 10:34 PM on June 6, 2017
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posted by TurkeyMustard at 5:28 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]