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| This guys sucks!!! |
I live in southern California, and more and more I hear
stories about bed bugs. Personally I never really paid much attention until I
noticed little bites that came in threes on my girlfriend and myself. I have no idea where they came from but It was soon clear that I had them.
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| Not my actual girlfriend |
I did
lots of research and didn’t like what I saw. Anyone who’s struggling with them
right now should remember two things. One they are difficult to get rid of but
NOT impossible. And two there are much worse infestations to have, like
roaches.
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| Just be glad you don't have an infestation of cave spiders in your house! |
These guys are a HUGE pain in the ass to get rid of. They
multiply like crazy, and they get into tiny tight spaces where they are hard to
find. Plus, unlike fleas and mosquitoes their bites don’t hurt so you don’t
notice when you’re being bitten. You generally won’t notice it until all you have
is a red bump on your arm. Most people just talk about how nothing they do
seems to work and there are very few success stories. So I thought it would be
good to go over how I got rid of the little buggers.
First of all stuff that didn’t work....
Bug Bombs – The first thing I tried. These DO NOT WORK. Once
I set one off and just hours later, I saw a bug crawl out right where I set the
bomb. (4 months bug free my ass)
Spraying my mattress with bug spray – I know, I know, this
is dangerous and unhealthy but I was frustrated and desperate. Needless to say
unless you plan on putting down a fresh coat of poison every time you lie down(HUGE FIRE HAZZARD DON'T DO THAT),
this isn’t going to work.
Getting rid of a single piece of furniture – I thought that
they were all in this old chair. And don’t get me wrong, many of them were.
But the bugs spread out, into the carpet and nearby objects. Don’t think
throwing out some item will rid you of the problem.
Steps to get rid of them:
1. Reduce clutter in your house.
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| This isn't actually my house... but you get the idea. |
These guys like to hide anywhere they can. They
crawl specifically into tight spaces making it hard to find them to remove ‘em.
I don’t know about you, but being a bachelor who lives alone, I had a fair
amount of clutter in my house. If anything good came out of all of this, aside
from learning that my girlfriend has saint like patience and is willing to
stick it out with me through anything, it was being forced to get rid of stuff
I don’t need and to clean up. I got rid of old stuff just taking up space. And
the rest I put into plastic sealable containers like you’d find at Target or
another superstore.
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| And they aren't too expensive either |
This gave them a lot fewer places to hide. Also move your
bed away from any walls. These guys can climb and I’ve heard that they drop on
things from the celling. Personally I’ve never seen them do that, but I’ve
heard it online.
2. Create a separation between yourself and places
they may live.
* Always check the corners of the mattress casing. They love to hide in tiny cracks and crevasses.
* These guys love to hide in pillows as well as mattresses.
* Be sure you have a plastic cover under the cloth one.
You have to get mattress and couch covers. Mattress covers
are pricey around 50 bucks. But they are worth it. Cover the mattress and box
spring if you have one. Then buy covers for the pillows and your couch, sofa,
love seat, any place where people sit. I got a nice plastic cover for my couch
and love seat, then got a nice fabric cover to go over that. Don’t get me
wrong, it’s annoying but it’s much better than having your guests get bitten. While you have the mattress off, check the frame for any signs of them and either spray 'em or vacuum them right up.
3. Sticky tape or flypaper on furniture legs
As it turns out these little jerks can climb.
Put sticky two sided tape on the legs of your sofa and your bed. It doesn’t
look .... great. But it’s a good way to keep them from climbing up the from in
the carpet and onto your bed.
4. Wash everything
You’ll need to wash all of your stuff that they can live in.
Clothing, covers, and sheets. Since your pillows and couch are in a plastic sheet, I’m
sure that you have pillow cases and a fabric sheet on the sofa. That all needs
to be washed too. I know this is harsh on good clothing but you’ve got to wash
it on hot to kill any of them and cook any eggs. Then dry it on hot for at
least 30 minutes. That should keep the little punks nice and dead. It’s important
to wash every single week. They can always crawl back onto the bed from the
carpet and its good practice to keep the sheets constantly washed to keep them
out. While you're doing the washing check the mattress for any signs of them and vacuum anything you see.
5. Vacuum every day
I don’t know about you, but as a bachelor who lives alone, I vacuumed ....
mostly when I knew I was going to have company over soon. If you are serious about
getting rid of these guys then you’ve got to vacuum every day. Especially when
you take off the covers and sheets to do laundry. Keep everything nice and
clean always.
And be ever vigilant, there were times I thought they were gone and then one would pop back up.
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| Hear that Bed Bugs, I'm coming to get you! |
Since taking these steps I saw them less and less and now
not at all (Knock on wood). It’s been almost ten months and neither my
girlfriend nor I have seen a single bite or even found one of the little guys dead in the laundry.
Do I know that they’re all 100% gone? Nope. That’s why I’m
leaving on the covers and I still wash everything every week. I really don’t
want to take any chances. But with so much hopelessness out there, I thought
I’d spread the word that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Getting rid
of these guys is hard but NOT impossible. Just stick with it and soon you’re
troubles will be over.
And whenever you get frustrated or feel down on yourself. Remember ....
it could be worse....
Thanks for reading, and Good Luck!!!!!
