Bed Bugs!? Help!!!

[chemgirl]

DH was at a conference last week and came home with "a rash." Well he called it a rash when he told me about it after unpacking his suitcase and flopping down on the bed. I checked it out and it is definitely not a rash! It was 8 red welts with little scabs in the middle. Eeeek!!!!

So I freaked out (I've seen too many tv talk shows about bed bugs lately). I put everything he'd brought home with him and everything he touched in plastic bags and put it outside since it was after 1:00 am. I mean I put his suitcase, the entire laundry hamper, his coat, his pillow (he travels with it), the bedding, his shoes, the clothes I was wearing, EVERYTHING in plastic bags on the back patio. Its cold here so I'm hoping that might have scared any bugs off. In the meantime I took the bed apart and vaccuumed all sides of everything. I then vacuumed the rest of the condo. I took the clothing and bedding to the laundrymat (there was just too much of it to wash here) and washed everything on high heat that could take high heat. I took any clothes that would be ruined in the heat and any hard objectss and gave them a run through the vegetable steamer. I ended up throwing out things that were just too hard to clean, like DH"s pillow, the laundry hamper, and the lugguage.

Do you think I'm in the clear? Did I overreact?

Does anyone have any advice or any suggestions of what else I should do?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

You haven't over reacted! Did you actually SEE any bugs or just the welts? Have you looked again at the mattress to see if you see any evidence? Toss the vacuum cleaner bag or if bagless, washed it out w/bleach?

Look behind the headboard (I read they hide there)!

I'm super OCD so I'd be looking in every nook and cranny with a magnifying glass!

 

[Missy]

I think you did a great job and were very proactive. High heat or cold will kill them if your dh was indeed exposed to them. Did you call the hotel to inform them and confirm that it was a bedbug outbreak? This way they can check and quarantine the necessary areas and take care of this problem to prevent anyone else from dealing with this.

And you already checked the bed and made sure there was nothing so I think you are good. If you want to be extra careful you can always get an expert in to check but not sure that is necessary. I am sending anti-bed bug dust your way!

 

[chemgirl]

Thanks MC! I didn't bleach the vaccuum canister..running for bleach once i get home from work.

I didn't see any bugs. There were just welts. They had little scabs in the middle so they looked like bites of some kind. They are on his back and on the side he normall sleeps on. He said they hurt, so I don't want whatever caused them in my house, bed bug or no.

The plan is to check out the bed every day to make sure no evidence shows up. I also put on white sheets so it will be easier to see any bugs or bug evidence if they are there.

I put the electronics he had with him in ziplock bags overnight and nothing weird happened so I guess they're ok? I can't see bugs getting in to his phone or laptop because he was carrying them around all week, I would think they'd avoid moving things?

 

[chemgirl]

I think you did a great job and were very proactive. High heat or cold will kill them if your dh was indeed exposed to them. Did you call the hotel to inform them and confirm that it was a bedbug outbreak? This way they can check and quarantine the necessary areas and take care of this problem to prevent anyone else from dealing with this.

And you already checked the bed and made sure there was nothing so I think you are good. If you want to be extra careful you can always get an expert in to check but not sure that is necessary. I am sending anti-bed bug dust your way!

He decided to take his cousin up on a long standing offer to stay at her house. He thought it would be safer after all of the news stories about hotels. He did ask his cousin about the bumps and she says she hasn't had any bites so she doesn't think its a problem. We'll see how this plays out.

 

[lliang_chi]

Chemgirl, you can get one of those steam cleaners (think Euroshark steamer) and steam your mattress (both sides). I ended up getting sometihng from a moving truck when I moved a few years ago.

PSA: Always wrap/cover your mattress AND box spring with plastic when you move!!!!!

 

[Missy]

That's a relief. Hopefully this is the end of it. I totally understand how anxiety producing this is. It seems everywhere you look these days there are bedbug outbreaks. I take the train to work and they tested all of the stations (NYC) and it seems there are bedbugs in some of them! Ugh! So I no longer ever sit on those wooden benches while I wait for the train and I never let any of my stuff touch the ground. What a way to live!

 

[mayerling]

My dorm had bed bugs which we discovered about 3 days after I moved in. At the time we were told by health department officials that washing clothes in the machine will do nothing as it takes really HIGH heat to kill them (but they did say the dryer would kill them; don't know why). They said our belongings had to be fumigated (which they did). As far as I know, you need to fumigate mattresses and pillows; I don't think vacuuming does much.

 

[Tuckins1]

I don't think you over reacted at all! I probably would have done the same thing. I hope you stopped the problem before it started, but if it does turn out to be an issue, be proactive. I have heard that the only sure way to get rid of them is to cook them- hire a company to pump in heat and get your whole house up to around 150 degrees... I saw it on the "Infested" show last night on animal planet, and on the news. I hope it doesn't come down to that!!

 

[Farleysmom]

Oh how terrible. I don't think you over reacted. It's always better to err on the side of caution. I know this might not help now, but I always take bounce sheets with me when I travel anywhere. If you put bounce sheets under the four corners of the mattress you won't have any bed bugs. For some reason, they don't like the smell. I also put bounce sheets in my suitcase, purse, make-up case, etc. (just in case).

 

[chemgirl]

Thanks for the advice! We did put everything through the dryer and steamed things that couldn't so hopefully that's enough. He was on the bed for about a minute after throwing his stuff on it. I never saw any bugs in our apartment, just the bites that he got while out of town. We have a matress cover and I ripped everything off right away and put it in the wash. I'm hoping nothing managed to get through in those few minutes. I vacuumed because it seemed like the thing to do...can't hurt right? The idea of having to super heat the entire house is scary! Doesn't that warp window frames/damage electronics/corode wiring?

Cool tip on the Bounce sheets. I've never heard of that before and I'll have to remember to pack a few on our next trip.

 

[Haven]

Oh no! I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

I don't think you overreacted at all. I think you did everything right.

My good friend's BIL and SIL found bed bugs in their bed and this is what they did: They wrapped their mattress in Saran Wrap and continued to sleep on it! I think your approach is so much better.

 

[mary poppins]

Bedbugs, grr. A friend of mine got them and it was an awful experience for him to get rid of them. Did you check to see if the hotel your DH stayed at is listed on this registry?

http://bedbugregistry.com