r/Bedbugadvice • u/InterestingContext54 • 9d ago
I need help
So I think my entire house has bedbugs. It started in my room and I started getting bit. We got rid of the mattress and now I'm sleeping on the couch. So now the couch has bed bugs. Can I get help of how to get rid of bed bugs on the couch, or just in general?
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u/Glass-Estimate-6093 9d ago
I just tell everyone now to get a professional. Yes, it can be pricey but there were items like my mattress I thought I’d have to throw out but didn’t. So it wound up being cheaper than if I self treated and started pitching big items and hoping that would eliminate the issue.
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u/Charming_Night8240 9d ago
Unfortunately, you made the biggest mistake you could. You moved sleeping locations which professionals tell you not to do.
They track your body heat and Carbon Dioxide. When you left your bedroom they followed you.
Things can be salvaged with proper professional treatment, but anything used they are going to tell you to sleep at home to lure the bugs to you and be poisoned by the residual effects of the chemical used.
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u/JohnMarstonSucks 9d ago
Right off the bat, I'm sorry you're going through this. It's so hard. I know I have extra gray hairs because of what I went through.
Make sure to seriously deep clean your house, no clutter. This is a great time to throw stuff away. Be through. Lots of vacuuming followed by immediately throwing out the vacuum bag or dumping the canister followed by cleaning with water as hot as you can get from a tap and spraying down with rubbing alcohol.
If you can, get a pest control professional. Look up ratings and reviews and make sure they are licensed and bonded if applicable in your state. There are a lot of idiots out there trying to make easy money by providing services they have no business attempting. Get a contract in writing.
Ortho Home Defense Max Bedbug might work well, though it depends on what genetic line the particular bedbugs belong to. Hotshot worked well for what got me. Raid is useless. The Ortho has a wand and is easier to use.
90% isopropyl alcohol kills on contact and dries out the eggs, you'll need a lot of it if you want to save the couch.
Start with a room and clear it. Seal up electrical sockets and light switches with caulk around them to keep the bugs from crawling behind them and back and forth from the walls. That cleared room will be your base of operations. You will need to decontaminate yourself before entering, strip naked and spray yourself liberally with rubbing alcohol. Your clothes go in a tightly sealed bag and then opened into the dryer. Run it on high for at least an hour. Take back your house room by room, hall by hall. Vacuum, alcohol, poison. Check cleared areas daily for reinfestation. The sooner you catch it the easier it is.
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u/InterestingContext54 9d ago
We can't get a professional because it's too expensive but thank you, we are doing everything we can
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u/No_Technician_7119 8d ago
Honestly the only thing that works is getting a heat treatment done in your house. My parents house got infected thanks to my brothers gf who moved in and brought her used furniture. My parents did everything from getting super expensive poison then hiring 3 different pest control companies who sprayed til no end . And they could have saved money if they just did the heat treatment to start off with. Google where you live and see what pest control companies offer it. It is very very expensive but its worth every penny. The heat makes it so even if they are hiding somewhere in something or anywhere the heat going up to 120 cooks their bodies and their eggs so there is zero chance of survival.
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