Bed bugs

I do not think anyone could pass judgement on you. Bed bugs are everyone's nightmare and, as I understand it, for many people bedbugs are the souvenir of a holiday you really enjoyed and brought back inadvertently in your luggage.

The received wisdom on getting rid of bed/mattress is that it must be securely wrapped and sealed in heavy duty plastic and that your local council's refuse department are then responsible for removing it.

The Refuse Department may also be able to offer help and advice with the sealing and wrapping. I used my local council to remove domestic appliances recently and while the rule was that the appliances had to be left roadside, if you were old or disabled the council workers would come into the house and even to upper storey flats to remove appliances for you. I know white appliances are a very different thing to a bed bug infested bed, but it illustrates the help your local council can give you if you are old or disabled.

I do not know what kind of bed you have, but if it has an upholstered base - as in a divan/ottoman, the whole bed would need to be disposed off, but if it is an old-fashioned style bed with a wooden or metal frame, then only the mattress needs to be disposed of.

I would not be afraid to ask a friend to help. Look at the way the pest people dress and either see if they will supply you with suitable protective clothing to wear, ask their advice about how to wear it and what to do afterwards. They are clearing bed bugs daily and know exactly how to make sure they do not take stray bedbugs home with them at the end of each day.

You could also speak to your local Age UK. Every branch has an Information and Advice line, they may know where you can access help.

That is a start, there may well be a GN member who has had a similar problem and can give you really good advice and help.

Where the heck do you think they have come from?
Do you think pest controller might wrap & carry outside for you, may have to pay extra.

Probably needs burning tbh.

M0nica

I do not think anyone could pass judgement on you. Bed bugs are everyone's nightmare and, as I understand it, for many people bedbugs are the souvenir of a holiday you really enjoyed and brought back inadvertently in your luggage.

The received wisdom on getting rid of bed/mattress is that it must be securely wrapped and sealed in heavy duty plastic and that your local council's refuse department are then responsible for removing it.

The Refuse Department may also be able to offer help and advice with the sealing and wrapping. I used my local council to remove domestic appliances recently and while the rule was that the appliances had to be left roadside, if you were old or disabled the council workers would come into the house and even to upper storey flats to remove appliances for you. I know white appliances are a very different thing to a bed bug infested bed, but it illustrates the help your local council can give you if you are old or disabled.

I do not know what kind of bed you have, but if it has an upholstered base - as in a divan/ottoman, the whole bed would need to be disposed off, but if it is an old-fashioned style bed with a wooden or metal frame, then only the mattress needs to be disposed of.

I would not be afraid to ask a friend to help. Look at the way the pest people dress and either see if they will supply you with suitable protective clothing to wear, ask their advice about how to wear it and what to do afterwards. They are clearing bed bugs daily and know exactly how to make sure they do not take stray bedbugs home with them at the end of each day.

You could also speak to your local Age UK. Every branch has an Information and Advice line, they may know where you can access help.

That is a start, there may well be a GN member who has had a similar problem and can give you really good advice and help.

The carpet will need to go too. Any picture frames, bedside cabinets need checking as they can hide in cracks, even light switches & behind loose wallpaper.
Sorry don’t mean to frighten you!

You can buy mattress bags for disposal online.

You will have to wrap and seal the mattress and label contaminated.

A private waste company should come and take it for a fee.

Local councils do have a cleaning team that go into properties where there are health hazards. Unfortunately usually where someone has died alone.
It might be worth enquiring whether they would help you, there may be a charge.

On my way back from holiday.
All my clothes I will put through my steam program, or hot wash.
Delicates bagged & into the freezer.
Case will be steamed with hand held steamer.
I would hate to bring them things back with me 😩
Sorry you are going through the stress of these pesky things SNA

How did you go on with the removal of your mattress?

Question: Has anyone moved ( if living in an apartment ) next door or above or below your flat OR has anyone remodelled their apartment ? This could be how these insects have entered your flat .. In Spain, they are called CHEE CHEE BUGS !! You could also investigate Exterminators and their prices.

Amazon maybe able to provide a variety of insect killers of all types.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CLEANLINESS !!! Sorry, my typing error.

I noticed shops they are selling more & more of these chemicals to get rid of bed bugs. Must be quite common.

Do they only come from holiday travel?

We treat for such critters regularly in our holiday cottages just to be on the safe side With so many people through the beds like to be on the safe side. Never had a problem but never say never

supernanauna1 I can’t help practically but just wanted to say
I m sorry you are in this pickle it’s horrid and you sound as if it’s all on your shoulders.
If you can get anyone to help they could wear those (paper) overalls that could be burned afterwards ( you can get them easily on Amazon or diy shops )
Do you have any idea where they came from ? has your husband been on a holiday or anything, with them just infecting his room.
We had a concern last year with my grandson whose work takes him into many weird and wonderful sleeping/ living conditions when he came up with itchy spots but it turned out to be a form of eczema….panic over
Good luck and let us know how it goes

Thanks for your messages folks.

I found a company to wrap the bed and take it away. That was the biggest single problem solved.

The house has been sprayed, with another treatment later this week, and all clothing, bedding etc. has to be washed. The poor washing machine doesn't know what hit it!

Trying to empty a house in 24 hours is simply impossible. The pest control people wanted everything out, but it just couldn't be done. I have never worked so hard or such long hours in my life. The back and front gardens are now covered in layers of black bags - luckily I had the foresight to label them saying which room they came from. God only knows what the neighbours are thinking. Nothing can go back till after the second treatment is done, so it's been tough trying to find whatever uniforms or clothing were needed for today, but with my son's help I managed it.

We're probably halfway through the whole process, but all I can say to anybody else in this situation is you have my sympathy. The whole thing is a nightmare. Absolute hell. I've been amazed that my creaky back hasn't acted up yet - maybe it's adrenaline keeping me going.

To be brutally honest, it's only now I realise how much I've let housework slip in the past few years. I have a difficult marriage - he has spent the last three days sitting on the couch, sighing and huffing and puffing - and lots of times I just say 'sod it, can't be bothered' and sit down with a book. Well, that's come back to bite me. I thought I was good at decluttering, but the amount of 'stuff' in the bedrooms has been astonishing. And as for the amount of dust....it was embarrassing walking round with the pest control person as she inspected the house. When all this is over I'll need to pull my socks up.

As to where they came from? Absolutely no idea. Nobody has been on holiday or anything like that. So your guess is as good as mine.

Oh dear what a to do don’t blame yourself. I don’t think not being big on housework gives you bed bugs, the little tykes have been carried in by someone or sonething
You ve done a massive mission with your son’s help and it ll soon be past and gone and you can look forwards.

I hardly dare say this but is your marriage good, because it sounds if it was me that I d much rather be on my own than with a huffing, puffing, sitting on his hands husband. Just saying
Anyway a bit of dust or more clutter than you need is not how bed bugs become involved, somehow they have arrived at your house via somebody or something.

The 2 products from Amazon, are:

Terminix - 30 to 90 day guarantee

Orkin - 30 to 90 day guarantee

These 2 products are exterminator quality with guarantees.

Best wishes.

We had new carpets in our bedrooms and the following spring we noticed carpet beetles on the window ledges, obv present in the carpet when it was laid, we sprayed with carpet beetle spray which did the trick, but we have to do it every spring or the beggars come back again, hopefully they'll die out for good soon. Your bugs could have come from anywhere, hope you get sorted soon

My ex - a scrupulously clean man - accidentally brought them when he flew in to visit. He complained to Singapore Air, because he knew that he’d been bitten during the flight but to no avail. I put the duvet in the freezer for a couple of weeks, threw out video tapes of great sentimental value, lots of books etc. Was lucky to find a young chap who was happy to take the bed regardless and had to sleep on a camp bed with the heat turned up high to attract the little darlings before any spraying could be done. It’s not an experience I’d wish on anyone, but I think that going through it on my own was probably easier than the way you’ve had to go through it.

In this heat wave you can certainly ask a friend to help you.

Just make sure your helper or helpers bring a complete change of clothing in a sealed plastic bag that they do not bring into your house with them, so they have something to change into after showering in your bathroom when the work is finished.

If the bed is too heavy or bulky to cart out of the house, you need a helper who can use a power saw to cut it into manageable pieces.

There are regulations regarding how asbestos has to be packed before collection by the local authorities, so I assume there are similaar regulations regarding bed-begs.

If you have not done so phone and ask the relevant authoritiy about this, and ask the company who are coming to spray the house etc. if they can and will help with the heavier furnishings, or can provide the name of a firm that will.

Even in my 30s I could not have carried say a box mattress out of the house alone and now, at 74, I assuredly cannot!

None of this is your fault, and you are dealing responsibly with the disaster, so please do ask for the help you need.

How did they get in to your house? It seems now lots of holidays seem to be having this problem. They seem to like hiding in suitcases only to give the owner a shock when they get home. Its a terrible business but now you have everything out maybe be time to decide what to get rid save taking it all back in again.
As for housework its a joint thing.

Our son lived in Boston which is one of the worst US cities for bed bugs. They spread so easily. Put a bag down on a floor and they hop on board and bingo they are in your property. He lived in apartments and they spread from one to another. Nothing to do with your housekeeping standards, they are just very invasive. Second hand furniture is often the culprit, or even second hand clothes. Virtually no one has carpets or curtains in rentals in Boston. Less places for them to take up residence. When travelling he always put his suitcase into the empty bath for a few days when he got back just to make sure there were no passengers. I think climate change is making them more common here.

AuntieE supernatural has a follow up post that say the bed has gone

Ktsmum

We had new carpets in our bedrooms and the following spring we noticed carpet beetles on the window ledges, obv present in the carpet when it was laid, we sprayed with carpet beetle spray which did the trick, but we have to do it every spring or the beggars come back again, hopefully they'll die out for good soon. Your bugs could have come from anywhere, hope you get sorted soon

They are a blinking nightmare too.
I’ve steamed my bedroom carpets so haven’t seen any this year thank goodness.
I don’t get they are attracted to white objects but like dark corners to hide in.
Wardrobes also get blitzed.