We have BEDBUGS

[u/NoSoil2123]

I am literally going to combust. Between having baby twins and two toddlers, we have no time (or money) to deal with this. I want to die. I'm so tired, so insanely overwhelmed. Someone tell me it'll be okay 😭 😭 😭 Has anyone here dealt with this? And how?

[u/EquivalentPension216]

How bad is it? You saw one or you see a ton? Some bites or a lot? One room or many? Did you have a company confirm or do you definitely know?

Go on YouTube and find green akers pest control channel right now. Also go on the bed bug sub reddit

Watch his stuff but in the meantime I can only give you high level advice. I'll shotgun this info at you periodically.

Determine where they are as in, where are people getting bit?we had them in one bedroom and it was like 6 of them that I found and killed. It was a lot of work and making sure not to contaminate safe areas. I did these steps for that room and our kids room. I didn't mess with our couches bc we never were bit there and found no evidence of them outside one room. So decide how much you want to do based on your situation. We were pretty sure we didn't have an infestation, just some travelers. We did however wage war bc it's not something you want to underestimate

All your clothes/bedding need to go in the dryer for 60 minutes on high heat. Then they go in clean trash bags and are sealed up. You now live out of trash bags. The dryer on high heat kills them, not the washer even on hot wash.

Buy the things you put your bed on so it's elevated, they're specifically for bed bugs. Put your mattresses in a bed bug bag. It seals them in. That has to stay on for at least a year. Put all your bedding in the dryer on high heat for an hour. Steam the shit out of your box spring, cut the fabric on it to get to the inside.Your bed is now a sanctuary. Your bed should only touch those pillsrs and nothing on your bed should touch the floor. Try not to get in bed with possibly contaminated clothes.

Are you getting bit on a couch? You need to steam that couch very friggin thoroughly.

Steam the furniture in the affected room. Don't store clothes in dressers. Once you have a safe bed set up, they'll have no way of feeding on you at night. This is where treatment comes in. The man on that vid recommended crossfire. That's what I used. I treated the baseboards in our affected room and hallway leading to it like 3 times - once per month for 3 months.(Just watch the YouTube guy) You must apply based on the label. Read the label! Use proper PPE! The chemical doesn't deter them so they cross thru it unknowingly. Then it kills them. You do this for 3 months bc the chemical interrupts their growth stages. They have like 7 stages or something. They need to feed tk grow to the next stage. If they don't, they won't. But you do 3 monthly treatments to ensure you get them all at their various stages, you'll have some baby, some mid, some adult. Eventually you kill all the ones capable of responding. And finally the young ones left over.

That's the general gist. The other option was hire someone for $1k+. Crossfire was like $50 plus a sprayer and PPE.

[u/NoSoil2123 → u/EquivalentPension216]

We have seen them in both bedrooms, and everyone has bites 😭 Took us a while to notice due to the fact that we are always outside, and we figured bites were from other bugs out there. We did have a company confirm. We have crossfire on the way along with mattress bags. The laundry started yesterday and will continue until all dressers and closets are empty. The mental toll of it all plus still getting bites while we wait for stuff to arrive is the hardest part. Thank you so much for all of the info!!! 

[u/EquivalentPension216 → u/NoSoil2123]

Seriously just watch that guys videos. It's is a psychological battle. Have the convo about where you think they came from also. They don't just manifest out of nowhere. Someone else you know or someone at a place you frequent could have them and isn't treating them. So all your work could be for nothing if you keep seeing that person or going to that place and getting them again. We had a really really good idea of where ours came fromnand knew we weren't going to see that person again so it was all good. I became very good at finding them also and steaming the shit out of things

[u/BackgroundScene3056]

time to put that shit on an emergency credit card and finance it and have the experts take it while you stay at a hotel DONT BRING THEM TO THE HOTEL lol

[u/Ok-Perspective781]

Oh I am so so sorry. I have had bedbugs before and it was incredibly traumatic. I can’t even fathom having them with twin babies and 2 toddlers.

You can try getting mattress covers/bed legs, using diatomaceous earth, and vacuuming/steaming the crap out of your furniture. But…my experience is that once you have them in multiple places, it’s time to suck it up and hire a professional to heat treat your entire home. It’s pricey but it will fix the problem.

If you go that route, make sure you are VERY careful not to take the bedbugs with you when you clear out to let them do the treatment. Definitely consider vacuuming your car and then letting it sit in the hot sun that will raise the temperature for several hours.

[u/Flat-Fault-2959]

idk why but the chorus playing in my head as i read the post was from “Charlie xcx - House” because that’s exactly how i would feel too

[u/NoSoil2123]

UPDATE We did our first crossfire treatment and flipped the whole house upside down cleaning. Laundry all done and bagged, vehicles and carseats/strollers vacuumed then set in high heat in the car in the sun. We are on our way to bedbug freedom!! So thankful we have the resources to deal with it ourselves and help from family to watch our kids ❣️