Days 25 - 40

I had a family emergency. Those don't really stop for bedbugs. Funnily enough, bedbugs don't stop for them either.

There is no way I can do a day by day run down, and who would want to read that?! But I have been doing a lot and I think have made good progress.

Now where were we....

First and foremost, no new bites.

Professional Treatment:
PCO comes and inspects on Day 26 (week 4), does not find anything, but since I found one live bug since the spraying, he said he will most likely come in one more week to treat again. I am to call if I see any other bugs.

My goal for the second treatment is to have the livingroom fully treated and to make things more accessible for him in the 2 bedrooms. He tells me again that I need to steam the carpets. I have a lead on a home steamer from a friend (this ends up only partially working, more later).

In week 5 we find one live bug on the floor coming out from under a piece of heavy wooden furniture (ugh, they fit anywhere). Also find the dried out body (YAY dead!) of one under an area rug. So I call the super to notify the PCO that I defiantely need re-treatment.

Day 32 (week 5) the PCO come to re-treat. This time all the furniture in the two bedrooms as well as the livingroom was out from the wall. The dresser in my room and the drawers under the captains bed were cleared out, so they go treated as well. He found one bug in the sticky monitors he had left, but did not see any evidence in the form of droppings or nesting. Restated that I needed to steam.


Self-treatment/Prevention:
Laundry/bagging continues - nothing is worn that has not been treated and everything is in bags until worn.
I've ordered the better encasements for my son's bed and the hide-a-bed mattress, as well as more pillow ones and more ClimbUps.
I use the heat treatment machine everyday now. Treating shoes and bags that we use every week. I've treated all my son's school supplies, and I've been treating things to get rid of as well as store away.
RE: storage - made great strides this past weekend. I had 5 21 gal bins, 2 18 gal bins, 3 small bins, a bike, and 2 xxl ziploc bags - all taken offsite for storage. Also acquired 3 30 gal bins and 5 more 21 gal bins. Since most of my out of season or non-essential clothes are in bags, this is going to help alot in getting them better stored.
Re: Getting rid - I have treated and tossed probably 4 XXL ziploc bags full of stuff at this point. Much more to go as I sort through clothes.
I got the steamer that was offered by a friend, but it is really a steamer mop. I go ahead and steam the edges of the carpet and I also go ahead and steam mop all the exposed wooden floor in one room. I don't think this is working for the carpet though, so we are going to rent one of the big things from a nearby store and just use water we heat up on the stove to make sure it is hot enough.
Probably the biggest thing I got done, was someone came out and caulked up my son's room. After thoroughly vacuuming the floor and baseboards, every gap and crack got sealed up with clear silicon caulk. I hope to get another room done in the next couple of days and maybe my room done over the weekend.

With fall approaching, as I have been going through bags of clothes to treat, I am pulling essentials for fall, then sorting the rest into "storage" or "toss". So far it seems I am tossing about 1/4, storing about half and keeping out about 1/4. same for shoes. As I wear the summery clothes I am now treating them and putting them into storage bins also. Anything that did not get worn this summer is getting tossed. Anything that is a bit too tight or really not that great of a fit is getting tossed.

I've packed up probably half of my books, haven't sealed up the plastic bins, but at least the books are in plastic.

Things are still in piles in the middle of rooms, treating the carpets is going to be a pain and will easily take a day of prep work (which really means 3-4 evenings of prep since I never have a full free day).

With help, I got the very large and not at all great rug from the living room wrapped up in plastic and sealed up and thrown out. I will be buying a much smaller (will not go under any furniture) rug to go in that room. In the meantime, the carpet padding is still on the floor. If rugs were not required byt the home owner assoc, I would not replace it until I had gone several months clear.

Speaking of the home owner assoc, still radio silence. They have never acknowledged my emails, much less answered them. They have not asked to have the units around me inspected. They have not told anyone else that bedbugs ahve been found. I took matters into my own hands and informed all of the closest people to my unit. Some seem weirded out, others are really grateful, so hopefully at least some of them are inspecting and being watchful. I have seen rugs and pillows being thrown out in the last few weeks and neither were in plastic - UGH!

Looking ahead - If we see more live bugs in the next couple of weeks, I think I will contact the home owner assoc and let them know that I am not satisfied with the level of attention the matter has been given, nor with the treatment. I will probably look to hire a PCO on my own to come inspect and offer and estimate for treatment.

I will continue to reduce the number of things in the house. As mentioned above, both caulking and carpet steaming are planned for the upcoming days.

Probably more items will go to offsite storage and probably more plastic bins will be purchased (these are going to be so handy if/when I ever move).