Tom::

I found the same covers used at a few of the better hotels I’ve stayed at. Take a look at Walmart.com for some very well priced mattress encasements.

susan::

I have a preschool student in the class I teach who has a terrible infestation which the parents are not treating. Is it worth getting mattress covers on my bed to prevent an infestation in my own home. The school is not able to do anything about the child’s infestation.

Stacy::

Susan,

I think it is definitely worth it to get mattress covers. My son brought bed bugs home from college and I was so nervous that my family would get them also, but then I bought covers for my mattresses and box springs – I HIGHLY recommend them, not only did we not get the bugs, but my sons bites also subsided and didn’t come back.

Sarah Lewis::

It’s been 9 moths since I discovered bed bugs in my house, since then I’ve had 2 different exterminators here. The first was a traditional one with chemicals which DID NOT WORK AT ALL! The second was one with heat treatment…that helped but did not eradicate the problem.

I called them back and they came in with a bed bug sniffing dog, she showed where the bugs still lived and they sent a guy with a steam machine. He used the steamer on the one place the dog indicated but not on the other because he said it was probably just the bugs inside the mattress cover the dog was indicating…I AM STILL GETTING BIT!!!!!!!

I have purchased a steamer and have been using it often! Does anyone have any more ideas on how to get rid of these awful pests? I am at my wits end! PLEASE HELP!!!

Thanks Sarah

some guy::

I’m looking for bed bug covers but not sure if I need a full cover or just a good thick half cover for the top of the mattress? This is bugging me so much that I think if it continues, I’ll need to consider psychiatric evaluation!

Terry St Angelo::

A few years ago I went off to Europe for 2 months and when I returned my condo was infected with bed bugs. I bombed my place 7 times and wasn’t able to kill them. Finally I threw away everything in the condo, mattress, and pulled up the rugs. I bombed several times, repainted ( I moved out during all the cleaning) and did the floor in tile. The only way to get rid of these bugs is to throw away everything. This drastic measure is the only way to get ride of them in my opinion.

Kirstin::

can i clean my room and then bomb it? I am getting bit every day and im tired of it would the matress covers accutally work?

KATHY J::

I got rid of them in my sons room by ;
steaming the entire bed, box frames and carpet with a $80.00 steamer for clothes that I bought at Target. ( I still use it for clothes )

I then sprayed the carpet, baseboards and mattress with a mix of alcohol and water. it was smelly for a couple of days but we slept on the couch, I then covered the mattresses with zippered covers from target, very inexpensive.

I put vaseline on the feet of the bed so they can’t crawl from the floor to the mattress. and no more bed bugs!!!! steaming is key they hate the heat. steam frames

i have a queen size bed and for some reason they bite him and not me anoter freind has the same prob. but the only diferrence is that they were biteing her not him .why is this is there such a thing that its there blood type ?

Jim::

Hi Cathy,

It is not the blood type, but rather the amount of heat and carbon dioxide a person puts out. The bed beds are gravitating towards the person that puts out the most carbon dioxide. Have they tried sleeping on different sides of the mattress? I’ll bet the person that wasn’t getting bitten will now get a few bites; unless the bugs are nesting near the center of the mattress…

Best regards,

Jim

Anon::

Will any zippered mattress cover work or does it have to be specifically made for bedbugs?

Jim::

Hi Anon,

It does not have to be specifically made for bed bugs and chances are, if you go looking for one like this, you will pay a premium! Look for a mattress cover that provides an allergen barrier or prevents dust mites and seals all the way around, any store should have them, such as Walmart, etc… If the dust mites can’t get through, neither can bed bugs!

Note: usually a cover that prevents allergens also prevents dust mites, which would prevent bedbugs as well.

When you get one, can you do us a favor and leave a comment where you found it?

Thanks!

Anna P::

The bed bugs were found in my son’s room. He kept getting bit and we just assumed it was spider or mosquito bites but one morning I happened to go into his room to wake him up and bam…there they were crawling all over the walls!

I called an exterminator immediately and he sprayed but the problem persisted. I threw away the bed, mattress, pulled up the carpet and installed hardwood and painted the room. Guess what…the bugs are still in there and I’m beyond frustrated. I’m worried that they have spread to other areas where he has slept.

I’m going to purchase some mattress cases and I have used a spray I ordered online. So far it’s not working even thought it claims to be 100% effective. I’m also going to buy a steamer. This is crazy!!!

Gina G. Chig::

A month ago, I was sleepiing in my bed. The next morning, I discoverd that much of my body was covered with large red bumps that looked a lot like mosquito bites.

I went online, and discovered that they were bedbug bites. Not knowing what to do, I stopped sleeping in my bedroom and instead started spending the night in the guestroom.

By switching beds, I realized that I stopped having red swells. Just last night, I wanted to try out my bed again. This morning, I saw and felt 4 new bites.

What should I do?

Steve Edwards::

Most of what I’ve learned in the past 4 weeks as a landlord with 6 infestations is as follows:
(1) Don’t use foggers. They’ll just drive the bedbugs into other areas.
(2) Bedbugs live in holes and cracks, preferably in darker corners of a room, preferably within 5-6 feet of “dinner” (a human)
(3) Not everyone develops an allergy to the saliva in bed bug bites, which is why one sleeper might be a lot more bothered by them than another person sleeping in the same bed.
(4) Caulk and/or tape (painters, masking) should be used to seal all visible cracks in the affected space.
(5) You can get encasements for both box and mattress, but you can save some money simply tightly wrapping your box with 4 mil plastic and duct tape. Treat ALL parts of the bed frame before reassembling. Bedbugs can hide in any crack, hole or crevice in the bed and all your efforts will be for nought if you don’t make sure the bed has been cleansed.
(6) Use fossilized shell dust (a very thin white powder also known as diatomaceous earth) as a barrier and use a small brush to work it into the corners and base boards around your entire room.
(7) Bed bugs can live in dressers and electrical equipment. For dressers and chairs, a thorough cleaning and pesticide treatement is necessary. For electrical equipment, you can encase televisions, computers, DVDs, etc in a 3 mil contractor bag and some folks suggest you drop in a product like the Hot Shot No Pest strip (if it’s still legally sold in your state.) Leave the stuff sealed up for a week and completely away from any living spaces.
(8) The liquid pesticides tend to be contact killers with little residual. Some hardware stores sell the powder equivalents with the same kind of neurotoxic poisons. The dust can be place in cracks around the room and DOES have great residual value.
(9) Plan on repeating the treatments on a regular basis (in the beginning, as often as every other day) until the bedbug activity has ceased.
(10) Bed bugs die at 113 deg F. Make sure that you are regularly placing your bedding (ALL of it) and any nearby clothing in a clothes dryer for 15-20 minutes during your treatments and after any evening biting episodes.

Resist the urge to panic. Just sitting quietly in the affected room and thinking through all of the little cracks, crannies and dark spaces they might hide so that they can be close to dinner will help you to plan your counter-attacks much more efficiently and strategically.

dave::

Bedbug covers are great for protecting your mattress for any further infestion (of course once it is treated). Buying new mattresses all the time can get quite expensive.

This however will not get rid of your bedbug problem.

It is important to get a pest control company in there who will vacuum, steam, dust wall voids and use a residual chemical on non sleeping areas. It is also important that he/she is back in two weeks to repeat the procedure in order to get the young as they would have hatched.

If done properly it will have been a lot of work on the clients end in regards to prep work and on the companies end in regards to labour.

Once this is done, you need to question yourself and figure out where you got them from… Someone coming to your place perhaps doesnt know they have them, are you or a member of your household going somewhere that has them, etc

Bedbugs are hitchhikers, very easy to get but very difficult (not impossible) to get rid of.

Lisa Fry::

I came home from the hospital. Immediately I started itching. The next day I had what looked like large mosquito bites. And then every morning I would have more and more bites. I went to the emergency room twice and doctors didn’t know if I was having an allergic reaction to something, or if the culprit is bed bug bites. They advised me to use cortisone creme and Benadryl allergy medicine. They haven’t worked. Nothing has worked. I look like I have a 3rd-world plague, almost my whole arms are covered with sores from the terrible itching. Someone told me not to scratch because it just spreads things out making them itch even more. I’ve never had an itch THIS BAD! I see my primary doctor tomorrow. Probably won’t do any good. I am on a very low-fixed income so I can’t afford to leave my house for two weeks, can’t afford to buy a new bed and couch. I live in my bedroom because I threw out my couch and stuffed it into the dumpster so no one would be tempted to take it into their home. I’m gonna try Neem Oil for repellant, and Diatomaceous Earth (same as ChemFree and has silicone dioxide. Will comment again letting everyone know whether they worked or not. Also I am going to contact the owner of my apartment so they can get this place exterminated. Please pray in agreement with me that this problem will go away, and stay away. Oh, can anyone tell me where I can buy Neem Oil?

Teri F.::

Thank you to everyone for the sharing your non-toxic ways of destroying bedbugs. I suspect my husband might have bites from bed bugs, but not absolutely certain. He is very sensitive to any kind of bites, whereas my system is a bit more tolerant. Regardless, I’m going to err on the safe side and buy the mattress and box spring encasements AND pillow encasements too. I noticed people haven’t mentioned their pillows. I love my pillows and want to protect them too.

I want to mention that I read somewhere on the internet that it takes at least 18 months for bedbugs to die because they can go that long without eating. So people, keep your mattress covers/encasements on for at least 18 months. And yes, the mattress needs to be completely covered, not just the top half as with a sheet cover.

Bombing your bedroom or wherever won’t solve the problem because it drives the bedbugs deeper into cracks and crevices. They’ll come back out when it’s safe again.

I’m hoping we don’t have bedbugs, but if we do I will buy the dusting powder someone mentioned and dust everything and in every nook and cranny!!! But before that, I will use the steamer we have.

Good to know I won’t have to throw out my mattress, nor spend a lot of money in protecting them.

Laura::

I have been dealing with my bedbug problem for a year now and it never seems to end. It all started when I was baby sitting my neighbors children and they stayed overnight very frequently.

The problem started out on my pullout sofa and spread to every room in the house. I had to throw away every single piece of furniture I owed and even prayed for a hurricane to wash over (flood) my house as I live on the East Coast. After throwing away everything, ripping up all the carpeting in my house, washing everything in dressers, closets, etc…. nothing helped.

I have had my house exterminated twice by two different companies, that helped for a couple of months and then notice the bugs were back. Luckily the landlord paid for the treatments (which are VERY costly- one quote at $200 per room) but now they are back and I am highly allergic to the bites. I look like I am suffering from some weird skin disease which is completely awful.

I have replaced my matress and boxspring about 5 times over now and financially I am depleted and am unable to pay for extermination myself as my landlord / management stated that they will not pay for treatment. I am completely at a loss as to what to do this is simply ridiculous and is simply driving me insane to know each night I have about 15-20 bug feasting on me… UCK!!!!! I have half a mind to simply abandon my apartment and all my belongings to stop from being infested…

Also, bed bugs will hide anywhere. The last time I “hosed” down my bedroom after replacing my mattress yet again, I noticed that they were living in the crack in widow sill and even killed a small cluster hanging out on my surge protector plug, hanging on my curtains and even had to take down my wall boarders (both paper and fabric).

I will have to now bite the bullet and buy the bed protector things and encase the boxspring and mattress, which I know I should have done but severely financially strapped after replacing my bedding 5 times, new living room stuff, carpet, etc. Does anyone know what to do about the bites? I am severely allergic and NOTHING works. Witch Hazel seem to work a bit.

sarah::

I’m a teenage girl who has been having trouble getting bit. It seems like I the only one that gets bit. My sister and I searched our room and we found bugs that were similar to bed bugs. Only a few though. I found skin shed from them on the back board of my bed. Our mom didn’t want to do anything because her husband said they are not bedbugs because if they were they would be everywhere In the house.

I know that bedbugs usually only feed in the nighttime but sometimes when I would go places I would get bit. So I really don’t know if there bedbugs . The only other thing I think it could be is fleas?.. My sister moved out because my mom didn’t want to spray the house. I stay with my mom and I wasn’t getting bit. I threw away my bed.

The other night I went to my sisters and when we were going to sleep I got a whole bunch of bites on me !! I took 2 showers and we went someplace and we came back and I had more bites. We searched her bed and we found what looked like a baby bed bug… Well now I’m home now n I keep getting bit I washed all my clothes and blankets I’m very paranoid.

Its going to be 4 in the morning and I’m on this .. Well I really need advice and help because getting up for school is so hard because I cant sleep through the night I get so many huge bumps that itch. Any advice would help so much!.

mark sauce::

A good overall cheap strategy in a single post:

Bedbugs can climb the walls and drop on to your bed from the ceiling like nasty little ninjabugs. Try running a long strip of wide tape horizontally across every wall in your bedroom, making sure that strip of tape is touching. Now apply vaseline to that tape. Bedbugs can’t cross vaseline. Reapply the vaseline as needed. This will prevent them from crawling up the walls and landing on you. Move your mattress as far away from the walls as you can.

Also, get a bed frame if you don’t have one already, place a plastic plate or something under each leg and cover it in vaseline. Now you’ve blocked them from ground attacking you and from ceiling and wall attacking you. Now to block them from within. Throw out your bed skirt.

Get Aller-Ease Waterproof mattress covers from walmart or find a similar product, only $30 in canada for queen size. It can block dustmites (0.04mm), and water, so it can block bedbugs, also if you check the Aller-Ease website it says their product has been tested as bedbug bite proof. Save money on your boxspring if you have to and duct tape some 3.5-4mm plastic sheeting from the hardware store all over, making sure it’s sealed tighter then a dolphins sphincter.

So far everything here has been about keeping the bedbugs off you while you sleep, but they can live 6 months without food so denying them a meal will take a long time to kill them. Don’t stop there’s still more you can easily and cheaply do. Seal as many cracks as you can with tape or caulk. Squeeze your caulk into tight holes. If you still got funds brush some diatomaceous earth around and into cracks and such. When a bedbug breaths in that diatomaceous it’ll rip into its lungs harder then Rosie O’Donnell rips into a bag of Lays. Lay down some neem oil they don’t like the smell (neither will you), though in doing so you may just chase them elsewhere, neem oil alone doesn’t stop them that would be too easy.

Wash your clothes in hot water, dry them thoroughly (none of those massive dryer loads that are still damp after an hour use some sense). Keep all your clothes in garbage bags. Wash your sheets often. And bedbugs love clutter, so tidy up as best you can. If you’re a packrat it’s time to change your ways, throw out that stuff you almost never use, the occasional uses for that junk are not worth the risk that it could be hiding bedbugs.

TOO LONG DIDN’T READ? Here’s the cliff notes:

-Wide tape, one long strip running horizontally along the middle of every wall, all the strips touching at the ends. Now cover that tape in vaseline. Will prevent bugs from crawling up the walls and ceiling to fall on you. Move mattress as far from walls as possible.
-Get a bed frame, under each leg a plate of vaseline to prevent bedbug ground attacks.
-Mattress cover, Get Aller-Ease Waterproof mattress covers from walmart or find a similar product. Duct tape plastic 3.5-4mil sheeting around your boxspring if you’re cheap.
-Seal as many cracks in the floor, walls, etc, as you can with tape and caulk
-Brush some diatomaceous earth around and into cracks and such, neem oil.
-Wash your clothes in hot water, dry well, keep in plastic bags. Wash sheets often.
-There’s a bee in my glasses oh no please don’t sting my eye, go away bee.
-Tidy up, reduce clutter they can hide in, throw out your junk.
-Stay frosty

Warren::

Has anyone tried heat treatment for pest control? We found bed bugs in 2 of 3 beds. We have thrown out both affected beds and frames. So far in the last 10 days of washing, cleaning, throwing out and vacuuming, I found 1 very small pest on the living room couch. Likely from when we tossed the mattress. We have bought all the mattress covers, got the bed bug cups for the legs of the beds.

We are going with Thermapure in the next couple of days as we do not want to deal with this issue in the future. They are going to heat our house to 140 degrees for 4.5 hours.

Curious if anyone else has tried this service and whether it was successful (permanently successful).

Thanks

Justin::

I live down town Toronto where I have heard of these elusive creatures from word of mouth. I never thought that I would have to combat this issue and we all believe that things like this cant happen to us.

Well, i awoke last night to red dots of blood all under me. Upon close inspection, I was covered in red dots all up my back and down my arms. I immediately stripped my bedding and threw away my dust cover. I searched my entire room for areas where they were hiding. I found several infestations under the seals of my mattress and box spring.

I am on my way in about an hour to purchase bed covers, pillow covers, diatomaceous earth, large clear plastic bags (seal my clothes). I am bringing everything i own minus the clothes on my back to a laundry mat and I am going to wash everything and dry it twice! I am about to go and tape my room and cover in Vaseline.

If there are any other tips that anyone would like to share, please, please feel free to let me know.

Thanks

Justin

Suzee::

I’ve been living with bed bugs for over a year. I’ve had the exterminator spray 3 times. Next week, they are coming back to heat the rooms. This time, we are throwing out the beds. I couldn’t afford to throw them out, because I got laid a yr. ago. However; we can’t take it anymore.

I finally discovered if I wash the bites immediately with soap & hot water (hot as possible from the tap), it stops the itching. Those bugs usually bite 3 times; breakfast, lunch & dinner!

Toni::

I have been using spray bleach and a vacuum, its been tough but it seems to be working!

Cygnus::

OK lots of people are asking for mattress cover and what to use. You need to buy a mattress cover which says BED BUG PROTECTION. Need to buy two. These covers cover the whole mattress and there is a zipper around and a velcro over zipper, which seals the mattress. Same thing for the boxspring.

I purchased: ALLEREASE BED BUG ALLERGY PROTECTION, as per the advise of my pest control guy who treated my place. Make sure it says BED BUG, specifically. Queen size cost of zippered encasement is 39.99, the cheapest, at Walmart. I’ve seen the covers at JCPenney, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Walmart.

First the place need to be treated for bugs, then you put this cover on. These covers basically seal the infestation on mattress and boxspring, in spite of treatment. Then you can sleep in peace. Don’t put the covers on without pest control treatment.

Bedbug Dude::

For best results, you’ll want a cover that encases the entire bed with zipper, this way, the bed bugs are sealed in. Keep in mind that you can seal the bed bugs inside the mattress cover, but if you have an infestation outside your bed, they will simply make their way onto the sealed mattress and continue to feed on you.

Here are some mattress encasements found at Walmart:

* Aller-Ease Microfiber waterproof twin Mattress cover for $39.88 to $58.88

* MicronOne has a BeneSleep Asthma and Allergy twin Mattress Encasement for $29.99 to $49.99 with free shipping at Walmart

* Terry has a Mattress Protector for $9.88 – 18.54

Cygnus::

Remember one thing, once the bedbugs are infested in your home, they follow you everywhere you go in the house. What I mean is: they will be in the bed, but also on sofa, computer table, couch. Basically they smell CO2 carbon di oxide, like mosquitoes, and follow you and wait for you. So, if you find them on bed, just treating the bed doesn’t help; the whole house needs to be exterminated. Otherwise they recolonize. They are persistent, so you need to be persistent to get rid of them. If you see one, make sure you kill it. I use Isopropyl 91% alcohol in a spray bottle, Clorox with bleach spray and also Orange Guard Spray. Happy killing the buggers.

Jd Carson::

I found the best way to deal with the problem was a cleaning of the house, top to bottom, one week and then did it again the next. Forget all the sprays and stuff people are trying to sell you. Besides who needs to sleep on poison. I found some great covers for my pillows, mattress and boxsprings at a store online, walmart.com. They were not over priced like so many are and are well made.

If you travel make sure you unload your suitcase in the garage and then toss your stuff in the washing machine. Will save you a lot of time and money..

allissa::

Not all allergy mattress covers are the same as bed bug free mattress encasements. Some may not prevent bed bugs from entering or exiting your mattress if the zipper size is too large. Look for teeth on the zipper that are small. Also poor covers have small holes where the zipper ends where bugs can escape. Usually will have special zipper stated on the package. I have found the average price to be $89.00 and up.

bridget::

I thought i had the bed bug problem beat with diligent vacuuming and spraying. i had a bed bug bag and checked the bed all the time…the other night i woke up out of sound sleep thinking something was crawling on me. my husband was just coming to bed and thought i had a bad dream.

I started flinging the pillows off the bed and that is when we found them coming through a crack in the plaster. there were adults as well as babies. they were getting ready to feast! at midnight we tore apart the room and sprayed. the next day my husband called our landlord who finally got back to us two days later. his response…first laughter and then he tells us he had set off bug bombs in the upstairs apartment because they were having a problem. all he did was move them down.

Today i am off to get another bag b/c the old one got ripped. the bag was what saved our mattress. they were on the outside but not on the inside as far as i can tell. i took all the bedding and put them in garbage bags and put them on my back porch and washed and dried them the next day.

Kimberly::

If you go looking for a cover with a bug lock zipper or bed bug zipper, you could end up paying a lot more just because ‘bug’ was used in the sales pitch. You can find the same thing in a good allergy mattress cover and save yourself a lot of money. Check out Walmart and look at the allergy mattress covers with an eye on small zippers or better yet, Velcro. Same goes for bed bug laundry bags, check out Walmart for allergy laundry bags.

sandy::

I agree with Kimberly. Because nowadays everyone is trying to make money. And they are going to make money off of you if you have bed bugs. Don’t buy into it. Walmart sells some inexpensive covers for both your mattress and your pillows. So does Target and Bed Bath and Beyond.

sandy::

I wanted to add that people shouldn’t just buy another mattress after a few treatments from the pest guy. They shouldn’t just think that they are protecting themselves because they encased their mattress either. Bed bugs will crawl on the wall, on the ceiling and when they feel that warmth from your body rising to the ceiling they will release their hold on the ceiling and fall onto the bed where they will begin to have their supper. It is true! So, don’t think that you are okay just because you protected your mattress and box springs. They are drawn to warmth and they will travel up to twenty feet or so to get to their host!

gary hancock::

these damn bugs are really upsetting me! I’m gonna try the matress cover things and maybe that will work anyone have any ideas let me know i got they from my apartment and they followed me to my house i have now no one else in the house has them yet just me but i need to get rid of these damn things thanx for any input possible

Mark Raven::

I checked a whole bunch of websites looking at bedbug covers and every one of them want between 50-100 bucks just for a cover. I would go to walmart but its an hour drive and traffic stinks, but i found a site online that has these things pretty cheap. I bought a set of covers off them for about $36 bucks and they gave me some free pillow covers. I spent over $1,200 bucks for an exterminator to come and get rid of the bed bugs. So far I am bite free and can finally sleep through the night with nothing crawling on me!

Bed Bug Girl::

Hey Mark,

You did need to pay the higher price from the online store you bought from, you could have purchased a mattress cover for bed bugs from Walmart’s website!

Glad to hear it’s working out for you!

bonnie::

there should be group therapy for everyone going through this crazy bed bug nightmare!
i”m off to buy the expensive mattress and boxspring covers. i’ve thrown out so much and i am running out of money and my sanity.

do you think a portable clothing steamer would really do the trick on furniture?

Kathy P::

I believe I was exposed to bedbugs at a hotel 1 week ago. I thought they were mosquito bites, but I have never had any that itch like this. I slept in a short sleeve shirt and pants. I have many “sets’ of bites on both elbows, one on an ankle and another few on one leg.

I am concerned about having brought them home and what to do about it. From the other advice it looks like washing all clothing I took and bedding at home, and buying mattress covers is a minimum. Is this likely to be enough to prevent an infestation?

Thank you.

Susan::

I bought the mattress covers from walmart and i didn’t last a month till it had a hole in it. I’ve used steam commercial bed bug spray powder a good shop vac and I feel like I’m wining the war but it just takes time spray every couple of days I painted my bed room and caulked everywhere never give up! San Diego has a bed problem with bed bugs right now

jet bar::

To Laura: Your landlord is supposed to take care of the extermination check your leasing info my landlord had to get rid of the bugs in my apt replace my carpet….if u soak the bugs in alcohol it will kill them but bed bugs can make u go into shock just like if you was allergic to a bee sting… i had to throw all my stuff away except my clothes but had to go to laundry mat put clothes in dryer to kill bugs….

There is a bed bug kit and bedbug free mattress you can buy at walmart but the bug man told me that they are worse than roaches(thank god never had those) depending on your state you might can take your landlord to court or take the exterminator fees out of your rent. you have rights as a tenant…good luck it took 3 months for my apartment to get bed bug free and I still have nightmares about them (and I’m pregnant so glad found them b4 my baby was born) my little sister was allergic and had to be on medication after her bites and she still has marks. They can travel through walls mine came from a neighbor’s apartment due to her wild cats and etc…

Chris Kuehnlenz::

Apparently there are 3 units above, and 2 next door from me as well as my own unit that are potentially infected with bed bugs. I have never experienced bed bugs before, and haven’t gotten bites. When the exterminator came in I wasn’t home, but when I came home, my sheets and comforter were wadded-up on my bed, and there was a white powder under my bed, also all the pillows on my couch were over-turned. There was a letter describing what to do to prepare for the exterminator, but I didn’t get a letter saying what to do now. I slept on my bed, but didn’t really notice anything unusual. Did they do the white powder because they saw bugs on the floor? I didn’t see it anywhere else.

Thanks,

Chris

mike::

You should look into the mattresses that can be unzipped and vacumed from the inside out to help keep the bed clean. Great system.

about mattresses covers::

When the exterminator came in I wasn’t home, but when I came home, my mattress cover and comforter were wadded-up on my bed, and there was a white powder under my bed, also all the pillows on my couch were over-turned. There was a letter describing what to do to prepare for the exterminator, but I didn’t get a letter saying what to do now. I slept on my bed, but didn’t really notice anything unusual. Did they do the white powder because they saw bugs on the floor? I didn’t see it anywhere else.

Upshall Dennis::

Hello Sir/Madam,

With much regards to your company am Upshall Dennis and I will like to make an order for mattress cover for bed bugs. Let me know if you have king and queen sizes, Let me know the price without shipping also advice the types of credit cards you do accept for payment so that the project for the mattresses will be will be fast.

Regards,
Upshall.

Bed Bug Girl::

Hi Upshall,

We don’t sell bed bug mattress covers, just provide free tips on how to do it yourself. Check out Walmart and look for products there, good prices!

Mrs. B::

I am having troubles finding a matress cover on Walmart.com that is allergy/dust mite quality. Can you point me in the right direction of what to search for?

My husband and I recently vacationed in the Dominican Republic. My husband has bites all over his body, accept for where his shorts covered. We think they are skeeter bites because i dont have any bites on me, BUT we want to be extra safe. Do you think I would for sure have bites too if it was bed bugs? We just got back on Saturday so it hasnt even been a week yet.

Wise Lady::

One thing I have not seen that SHOULD be posted – Get some CHEAP butter tubs – big enough to fit the legs of your bed into with plenty of room left between the sides and the legs – then – place them in the tubs , all 4 legs – and fill the tubs with HOT STRONG bleach water – this will kill the little buggers when they try to crawl up off of the floor – yes , I know they get to the bed other ways , but this is one of the main highways they use – anything to make their lives MISERABLE – like what they do to us ! THANK GOD I’M Bed bug FREE – Wise lady .

Miko::

My partner and I found bed bugs in our bed about 4 days ago. No clue how we got them. And we’ve checked all furniture and our guest room bed. Ours is the only one with any of them. Also my partner is the only one being bitten.

I have to take benadryl every night due to a different allergy, and i wash my hair in a tea tree oil shampoo. Our friends staying over aren’t being bitten. We’ve been fending them of with “clean sweeps” every day I take our bed apart, windex the heck out of the box spring, which kills them, and take baby wipes to the mattress. It doesn’t get rid of the babies, but does kill all the live ones.

I’m considering using chemfree insect killer, but I have three cats. Will it hurt them in any way? They’re all still babies. My partner and I are also getting the mattress covers, vacuuming our room entirely, and throwing everything into a dryer. Hopefully that will work.

Candie::

My husband and I have found occassionaly a bug on us while sitting late at night on the sofa, and didn’t think much of it. I started to realize that the room we were finding bugs, is where a family member and child had been living for a couple of months before. That’s when I decided to research bed bugs, cause I’ve known of history of family member that stayed with us- had delt with bed bugs (6 mths. prior). I didn’t realize helping family, would bring such trouble into our house.
I’m glad I found this site. You have confirmed my fears, but you also have the information to help the battle we are about to Fight! We will keep y’all posted on what has the best results for us!

GMR::

Please – help- I have read some of the things that people have said and I am worried like bedbugs being on the walls or ceiling and droping on to the host for feeding. This is making me go nuts so what do we do or what do I do.
I treated my mattress about three days ago and tonight I felt like I had crawing things on me only to find out that I didn’t get rid of them.
If I get this mattress cover will it be enough to stop the bugs that are in the mattress from biting?

Bed Bug Girl::

Yes, the bugs that are inside the mattress will be trapped and die. However, if you have bugs elsewhere, then they could climb onto your bed and bite. Use bed bug dust around your bed and other areas I mention in my checklist above to help kill them.

Andrew::

Those looking for decent priced bed bug covers, go to Ross. $19.00 for a queen size cover. Same as the one i got at walmart for $40. Different brand but same material and advertised specifically for bed bugs.

Stacy::

I actually got my mattress covers online and they work great and are even pretty soft.. I’d def suggest them and also i got this bedbug laundry bag and i put everything in it because I’m so paranoid since my bedbug infestation. It may be in my head but i think they really do help prevent bed bugs coming in your stuff.

Gary::

Your website does a GREAT job with informing people about bed bugs…. But, you are TOTALLY wrong about how to go about finding a bedbug safe mattress encasement. There are a couple of very good encasements to purchase, and like anything else, what you pay is directly related(unfortunately) to how well these encasements protect you from bedbugs…. There are a number of manufactures that carry what they call bed bug safe products. The only encasement anybody should be buying and installing to their beds are ones that can provide testing documentation that proves that their product is indeed bedbug safe…. When stating that the only criteria for a bedbug safe encasement is that they are dust mite proof is very naive and very misleading to anyone who has a bed bug problem…. People need to educate themselves from all the marketing HYPE…. When deciding on a mattress encasement, please buy one that will provide testing data to support bedbug protection…. Hope this helps…

Bed Bug Girl::

Gary, if the mattress cover is dust mite proof and can be completely enclosed, then it works perfectly fine for bed bugs. To tell people that it must be Bed Bug Certified is directing them to pay far more for a mattress cover simply because the it contains the term bed bug – that is what’s called marketing hype.

Robert::

I have been reading the comments regarding bedbug mattress covers and a few people have recommended buying cheap covers for protection, make sure what your buying is a full encasement cover, not a fitted sheet style cover, also have a look at what it is made of, if it is a plastic or polyester type material then not only will it to uncomfortable to sleep on but it will not stand up to a top load washing machine, once the fabric is ripped it will not longer protect your mattress from bedbugs!

trucker girl::

i drive a semi for a living and also live in my semi truck. I had to stay in a hotel while my truck was in the shop and a wk later i noticed a few bites. I shrugged it off as sand fleas because i was down south in sandy areas.

Well not long after that me and my husband spotted a few bugs which he assumed were ticks. again we shrugged it off because i was at this point the only one getting bitten. but after careful investigation i found some spots on my matress and also found casings so… much to my dismay i instantly knew.

After crying for about 2 days feeling disgusting and being sick of being bitten and at wits end we decided to buy hot shots foggers and spray. because i dont live in a house and only a semi truck im thinking they have nowhere to spread to and we sealed the truck and fogged. after we washed every thread of clothing and bedding in the truck. then i proceeded to put 2 sealed bed bug matress covers purchased at walmart and also sealed pillow cases on the bed.

we dont have a head board or bed legs and cant really put tape and vasaline around the bed because if you know the layout of a semi sleeper we sleep right next to the wall. i know the bombs dont kill the nymths and have heard the foggers dont work but…in such a small space could it? and if so how soon should i refog for the eggs?

we did find quite a few dead bed bugs after we bombed so… what next? did i do the trick? we also sprayed all of the nooks and crannies of the truck and havent gotten bitten again since. but i really dont want to get bit again! HELP!

bean bags::

Best to change mattress fairly often if possible, hate the thought of sleeping an all those bugs!

shaila::

me and my husband just found bed bugs tonight im going tomorrow to get matress covers, duct tape, vaseline, five gallons of bleach an alcohol we already have wood floors. so dnt have to worry for the carpet. im showing these pests NO MERCY!!!!!!!!!!

lucy yepez::

I ripped my mattress from the middle to see if i could find more bed begs hiding after i spotted some on the side of the bed. I have kept them outside and hopefully the sunlight will kill them since its been 100 degrees lately here in Dallas TX. I will try to sew the bed together and buy mattress covers and hopefully i will get rid of them but in the mean time i have no bed…sucks!!!

freakedbybedbugs::

Today I found on my HAND what I thought was a tick but after much googling have found is a bed bug! I just literally moved into my apartment 3 days ago w. My son and his father so I am NOT happy about this because I’ve never seen one ever at our previous home. I was wondering is it possible that I could have brought it in with me from the outdoors or a store? Should I get a bed bug mattress cover now? I had just come in from running to the store when I found it, does anyone know? Or what do you think? I’ve searched high and low for a trail of what could mean we have them but I really don’t see anything just the one I have caught in a ziplock cause I intend on taking it to pest control tomorrow to see what they say. Help!!!

Charles::

Me my girlfriend and her son sleep in one bed. the bed bugs where only biting her son.f or about 4 days than they started biting me.after that we brought a thick roll of painting plastic gorilla tape hotshot bed bug& flea killer. we taped all t he outlet. sprayed the box spring and mattress and wrapped it in plastic and sealed it with gorilla tape. we also sprayed alone the cracks of the walls and carpet set bed on plastic cracks and washed and dry all clothes. window seals to. no more bed bugs thank god

Erin::

We recently found bed bugs in our room. We tried treating them a few months ago with over the counter sprays. It seemed to work, however about a week ago, we can back from vacation and the bed bugs that returned in full force.

They had infiltrated our bed frame and had grown in size. We attempted to spray again, but they would not die! Finally, we gave in and have a exterminating service coming out next weekend to take care of all of the rooms in our home. Even though the infestation is only in our room, all other rooms could/can be infected. Therefore we decided to just take care of the whole house, including having the cat bathed since we heard that she could be a host for them.

We have no idea where we got them, we are very neat and clean people….but they have arrived. We have so much to do such as washing the curtains, sheets, pillows and bagging up all clothes, books, dvds, and setting them out in the shed for 3 days in order the heat to kill anything that may be on them, prior to the exterminators coming out. Hopefully this will help someone.

We did our research after the first outbreak, and in hindsight we should have called someone for help initially rather than taking this into our own hands…since we didn’t get rid of the bed bug infestation like we thought we had!

To_freakedbybedbugs::

Hi,

You probably had just picked it up from outside. Bed bugs are awesome travelers, but if you were moving around in your home, then they probably would remain in hiding until you settled down or went to sleep. Basically, they like to bite the unsuspecting sleeping or resting person but will settle on your skin to travel if need be (i’m not sure why this is).

To be on the safe side, I would go ahead and enclose the mattress anyway. Its healthier for you and if you do see another one or bites, they wont be able to live in your mattress and may be easier to get rid of.

If you do see another one, before you unpack and have all of your stuff set up, get a few big bottles of 91% Rubbing alcohol and spray spray spray down the baseboards, outlets (be careful here of course) and any other crack and crevice in your new home. 91% alcohol kills them ON CONTACT only, but since you just moved in, and the BBs probably arent in your stuff, they have to be hiding in the cracks and crevices or your previously unoccupied home (if you do have them).

Good luck!!

Elizabeth::

After getting bit for a couple of weeks and my husband getting nothing I went to the hospital because i thought it was hives. Three days later I saw a strange bug on the wall next to our bed so I googled it, right away I knew it was a bed bug so I checked our mattress and found at least a hundred bedbugs.

At the time I didn’t know how well alcohol would work so I bought hotshot flea and bedbug spray (could have saved money using alcohol). After spraying down the mattress and washing the sheets I thought the battle had been won. Long story short if I don’t tare apart the bed every day I end up getting eaten alive my husband has never gotten bitten not once but they do live on his side.

I am planning on getting a bed bug sheet but money is tight so until i can i will be using alcohol. A few weeks ago we found out that our local movie theater had been sprayed for bedbugs just two days after we visited and the theater had been sprayed in the imax and two other theaters. Now when ever i go there i feel as though im going to bring home tons.

help!::

I found out about ten days ago that I had bb not only in my house but also in my car! Since then, my life has turned into a nightmare. I live in Brazil, here bb are not so common, people usually don’t know much about them. The PCO guy has done some spraying in my car and in my house, but I’m not confident it will work, since they are not specialized in that problem.
I work as a clerk in a federal justice building and discovered some white dots in my work chair, I think they are eggs (these dots are like the one that are in my chair at home). I don’t know what to do, I’m terrified that the whole building will get infected because of me! Please give me some advice. What should I do with the chair? How can i stop this infestation to spread (the floor is carpeted)…. Help me.

Kaylee::

Here is my story. A little less than a month ago my boyfriend, my daughter, and I all moved into his mothers house and are currently sharing a very large room with his brother. (Money is a little tight) Little did we know before moving in that his room is INFESTED with bed bugs! He has known about this for well over 6 months. He isn’t effected by the bit so he didn’t feel the need to let anyone know or seek an exterminator. Now we are here, all of our things moved in and I start noticing that I am getting bitten at night and each bite is swelling to the size of a quarter and they are each burning itchy and burning like crazy. Needless to say, it is ruining my life. The bites don’t bother anyone but me.

First thing we did was take all our sheets and blankets and wash them in hot water and dry them. We also stood up our beds and sprayed everything down with alcohol. We didn’t have any nests in our mattress but they were all around my brother in laws mattress and box spring. They were also behind some fabric tapestries he had hanging and several in his curtains. After getting rid of everything where they nested we vacuumed the rug and sprayed the floor and any cracks in the wall we could find. We then returned our beds to normal (neither of us have a bed frame so its just the mattress and box spring on the floor) brought back the sheets, blankets, and inspected the pillows. How happy was I the next morning when I woke up with 3 on my forehead, 4 around my eye making it look like I got punched in the eye and 7 going from my chin to my neck. Kinda like the bed bugs were saying “pshh” and laughing in my face.

So the next night we again stripped the beds propped them up and vacuumed again. Then we took raid for reaches and a spray made more bed bugs (can’t remember the name) and sprayed down the mattress, box-spring, and around the whole room. Then we let it sit while we slept downstairs in the living room and my daughter stayed in with my boyfriends mom. Three times we had to go get anything out of the room within 3 different days we would find a different bug crawling around the mattresses. So we got 3 plastic covers (we couldn’t afford one for my box spring) and covered up out stress, and his mattress and box spring. I even ironed and steamed the rug and my box spring. After a couple days we came up and slept that night and of course I woke up again with more bites, and of course all over my neck, back, and legs.

I am sick of it. The embarrassment, feeling dirty all the time. I am a college student, a full time mom, and now a crazy person who cleans all the time, cries everyday, and has nightmares all night about this. Also, my boyfriend just started night shift so I am getting his harder than ever.

I have covered the whole outside of my mattress with clear packing tape (no double sided tape around) and then flipped some facing out to act as the sticky barrier. Then on what I didn’t double side a coated with a layer of Vaseline. I am praying that this will work. I also coated the let’s of my daughters crib with Vaseline. I don’t know how thick I should coat but I’m hoping this works. I am just looking for advice on what to do next if this is another fail. Someone please help.

chris::

I work in the home health care field, I got a new client recently and I started noticing i was getting bitten while I was at her house. She has a cat so I thought it was fleas for a week or so. I started noticing I was getting bit at home now and I have to dogs so still thinking its fleas. I look my dogs over real good and find nothing so now I no I got bed bugs from that client. I’m going on the fourth week with them now I have reduced them and the battle goes on. My thing is what do I do to stop them from coming home with me when I leave this ladies home.

SAPHLIN::

40 years living on my own since a teenager, and I’ve never in my life been threaten by insects, and I’ve never even live with roaches, but I rather have them then these bedbugs. I would like to know from anybody that can help me. I got the info on the mattress covers, crevices, bagging clothes and all, sprays and dust sprays. My question is if they are in your sofa or loveseats, how do you get rid of them. I love my Ashley furniture and don’t want to part with it. thanks!!

Jerry::

Heat kills bedbugs–120F. That is all–just a few seconds is all it takes at that temp. A standard clothes dryer gets hotter than that (especially set on hot–maybe lower?), so most clothing can be washed and dried in the dryer and that kills the bedbugs. Entire rooms can be cleaned also (items in the rooms as well), but you see the problem–you need a *sealed* room. Unsealed, the bugs will come back–so the room (cracks, outlets, pipe runs/access, etc) need to be sealed so bugs can not get in OR out.

There are special heaters that are designed to heat a room to 120+F and then hold it there for a few hours. Seal the mattresses so bugs can’t get in–then fire up the machine. Why heat it for a few hours? Bugs hide in a wide range of cracks and crevices–and they can be *deep*. In order to kill the bugs, the entire piece (mattress, lamp, chair, whatever) has to be 120F *inside* as well as outside (think of it as “cooking” and you don’t want a “raw” center–because guess where the bugs will be hiding). After a few hours, everything in the room should be 120F–and all bugs dead. THEN turn off the heater and air out the room.

If you just want to clean a single item (a fabric chair or some small stuff), then a heat gun (hot hair dryer?) will work–it must get REAL hot and that kills bedbugs virtually instantly as the air passes over the fabric and heats it up very quickly. Be sure to get under AND inside a fabric chair (such as a recliner, lounge, etc).

Freaked the hell out::

I found one. Didn’t know what it was so my mom kept it in a zip lock bag. It was confirmed bed bug so cause of my phobia to certain bugs, i called a pest company and yelled come now to tell me what this freaking bug is. The guy came out, checked and said bed bug. Showed him my bed. He said on a scale of 1-10, our’s was a one. He only found a one other and nothing else. Told my mom to heat the bed, than cover it with those mattress covers.

Well my mom did that, and lets just say I haven’t set foot in my room for over a week now. I am on medicine because my anxiety is through the roof. I told my mom to toss the damn bed, that i didn’t care if she treated it the way the pest control guy told her too. I cant sleep on that bed again. I am just praying that my mom killed it all and their not coming back. Now when i go out and come home, i have to use a hair dryer, take a shower all before i feel totally comfortable to relax. Yes my phobia is really bad….

SUPER FRUSTRATED!!!!!::

So , I started living with my boyfriend a few weeks ago and noticed these red bumps on my arms and legs and hands and he had none! I decided to investigate myself and found out that he had bed bugs.
I hadn’t actually seen one at this point. About a week after being there I found one on my backpack and couldn’t believe it. I was so embarrassed to go to school(college) because I thought everyone could see them and was looking at me and I always felt they were on me.

At night I just would try to distract my mind and tell myself they weren’t around so I could sleep.
I continued to find them on the walls and on the sheets. I saw all the signs with the blood smudges and all that.

I would still have to come to my house to get clothes and what not but would leave stuff in my car or not bring things into my room because i didn’t want to transfer them to my house where my sister, her husband and 2 young children and my mom and brother live.

I decided to stay home last night instead of going to his house because he had to be up early for work and I had a test to study for. I woke up this morning and started studying when I looked to my left and saw one crawling up the wall!!!!! I was so furious that they are now in my bedroom at my house. I don’t even want to go over to my boyfriends again. The worst thing is, My mom is kind of a hoarder and if they travel, I feel we will never get rid of them. I am just super upset right now and want to know what I can do to get rid of them from my room! Please help!

Shannon l::

My little sister had company and the girl who slept over had been bitten by bed bugs at someone elses house the week before she slept over …..now my sister has bumps on her arm and back but they are not really close and when I checked the matress there was none thing and when I checked the other furniture there was none thing and I’m debating on throwing out the furniture or keeping it because I haven’t been bitten or have bumps…..

busybee::

i dont know how it all started i just got all new furniture i think it came from my neighbors things that she gave my daughter and she put them under her bed now i am terrified . this stuff is driving me crazy. I’m going out to get a cover toady!

Go out of my mind!::

Hi, Back in June 2012, my daughter’s friend spent the weekend with us. A couple weeks after we found out that we have bed bugs in her room. I called in a pest control exterminator company who sprayed her room. I threw out her both mattress and box spring and brought new ones.

She slept comfortably until August 18th my other daughter started to have bites. I checked her bed and she too has bed bugs. I went to Home Builder Hardware where I purchased industrial bed bugs spray and mattress covers and box spring encasement. We have queen size bed but make sure you purchase king size as the queen size did not fit and for health reasons we could not return the covers. Hoping it will work as this is driving me crazy.

Tips –

• ensure that all beds and box springs are covered
• wash and dry all clothing in hot temperature and on high heat
• steam clean carpet and vacuum well. Throw out vacuum bag right away
• Ensure that you continue to check your bed every day
• Don’t just leave it all up to the exterminator, you must also do your part above and etc.
• There are other tips posted which I’m sure will help us all for those who are suffering and in the future from bed bugs.

Good luck to us all and getting rid of these blood sucking creatures