It is still not quite 7am, but I put in a call to the exterminator. I figure I will leave a message and move on to something else, but no, he answers and we go over a few things. I email my homeowners association, I need a few things from them: 1) I have bed bugs, that probably means they are in other units and/or the common areas. 2) Do they have a contract with an exterminator that I am obligated to use? 3) I found some documents used by other groups in New York to inform residents and staff, pass them along. 4) They need to conduct examinations of the residents next to me and they need to inform all residents. 5) Pass along the number of my exterminator as someone to contact for guidance.
OK - what next? Everything I have read thus far regarding what to do when you discover bed bugs in your place basically starts with: ACT FAST. BE AGGRESSIVE. STAY DILIGENT.
I decide that what I really need to do is wash things as fast as possible (details on wash regime later), and get the area that I know is affected encased in a plastic wrapper.
Unfortunately, our day is not free. In fact, I have obligations that will keep me out of the house from 10am - about 3pm. All I do before we leave is take stock of what I need to get done, inform people, and take a long hot scrub-filled shower.
LAUNDRY REGIME TO KILL BEDBUGS & EGGS - The articles I read online (a good summary of information is at bedbugger.com here) suggested washing things in hot water and then drying on HOT for an hours (or until bone dry + 20 minutes) whichever is longer.
I've decided everything washable in the house will get this treatment. According to some of what I read, some believe it is only the drying that kills the eggs, so I decided I will just dry the harder to wash items and some items that I am pretty sure would be damaged if washed. These include: throw pillows on bed and couch, some silk items, tennis shoes, and stuffed animals.
Before anything gets washed or encased, I have armed myself with a spray bottle with 90% rubbing alcohol. This will kill live bugs, NOT eggs, but live bugs only. The exterminator suggested have this on hand before dealing with the mattresses so that I could kill any live bugs I see and get maybe a few non-squeezed to death samples. I have cheapo plastic encasers for all the mattresses in the house. The exterminator says not to invest in the expensive ones until I get treatment for the house. First I pull out everything from under my bed and look for evidence on them, find a little, spray spots down in case there are small live bugs there. Then I go to work carefully lifting up my mattress and spraying any live bug I see as well as any spotted area (where they have defecated) in case there are some live ones there. There are only two areas I see and I get 3 more live bugs from them. yuck yuck yuck. I carefully remove the dust ruffle from between the mattress and box springs and get it into the plastic bag with the sheets. I spray down all the seam area around the mattress, in that crease area is a prime place for the bugs and their eggs. Then I prop the mattress up on one end and get up on the box springs and go about getting the plastic cover on and then pull it back down to get it zip on around the end. 1 down. Then that comes off the bed and now I have to figure out how to do the box spring. Thank goodness I only have a full sized bed, I do not think I could have done a queen by myself. The exterminator warned my that there may be places on the bedframe that would tear the plastic, so to be very careful. Actually what seemed to want to tear the plastic on mine was these plastic caps on the bottom corners of the box spring itself. I raised up both ends of the box spring and librally sprayed the alcohol down all edges and slats. Little by little pulling here, easing there, I get the cover on the box spring and zip it up. I already feel a lot better. I see one hole on the top of the plastic wrap on the box spring, so I get some heavy clear tape and seal it up. Mattress back on.
Next up is laundry for the comforter, sheets, mattress pad, and dust ruffle. All the items that I know have had live bugs on them. I kept the items sealed up in the plastic bags until I am at the machines and the doors are open. I dump the stuff in as fast as possible close it up and get that hot water flowing. Then I toss the plastic space bags I used for transport into the garbage.
When it was time to move them to the dryer, I bring down all the throw pillows from my bed and I put them in for an hour in the dryer on high also. Things end up being in the dryers overnight.
I make my now plastic wrapped bed in light colored sheets so that I will be able to watch carefully for evidence.
My son's bed has no live bugs (that I find) and no evidence in the form of spots. Still he gets a new plastic wrap for his bed and everything in his room will be treated.
Money spent today:
2 bottles 90% rubbing alcohol - $9.00
spray bottles - $5.41 (for 3)
4 vinyl mattress zipper close covers - $62.65
Space Bags - $83.66
rubber gloves - $6.50
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