Bed Bugs

Maximum Spider · Feb 25, 2021

I'm not afraid to admit that I had bed bugs fairly recently. The only reason I was able to defeat them was by moving away, throwing away my mattress and frying all my clothes in a dryer so that half my wardrobe no longer fits.

I have one issue though: my couch. I spent a decent amount of money on it so I'm not about to toss it out for a new one. That said, I'm terrified of moving it into my new apartment because I am NOT about to have bed bugs ruining all my other stuff. I've done literally everything possible to treat my old place (which still has 28 more days left on it's lease) and the only thing I haven't moved into my new place is the couch since it's leather and not easily treated for bed bugs. What am I to do, Era?

My issues aside, has anyone here had to deal with them? I thought people were being dramatic when they said that bed bugs gave them long term stress and even trauma. I totally understand where they're coming from now. Everytime you get a little itch or see a little red crum, the fist thing you think of is bed bugs.

Also, just to dispel one misconception about bed bugs, people don't get bed bugs because they're dirty. If that were the case, I'd have never gotten them. I legitimately have OCD and keep my place spotless.

Br3wnor · Feb 25, 2021

You can't bring the couch with you unless you want to risk more bed bugs. They can live for MONTHS with no food supply and can easily be hiding in your couch right now

SoleSurvivor · Feb 25, 2021

I've had them. It was awful, and felt unsolvable at the time. Did much of what you mentioned above but couldn't move. Went to a pest place and they sold us bug bombs you set up in your house and in combination with the other stuff (washing clothes on hot) etc it took care of it.

Wish you luck!

Malajax · Feb 25, 2021

Buy and sprinkle Diatomaceous earth all around the couch. Get some bed bug bombs. If you're brave, get an industrial grade steamer and steam every cushion, crevice, and the underside.

It took months but I was able to keep them confined to my room and eventually was rid of them entirely. Good luck.

Deleted member 6263 · Feb 25, 2021

just reading about bed bugs gives me the willies. ughhghdfdlsk;

Best of luck against those things.

psynergyadept · Feb 25, 2021

Had them twice; we just put all all our clothes and linens through the washed and hired a bed bug specialists: luckily the first time the apartment management payed for the costs...2nd time wasn't so lucky...

Kill3r7 · Feb 25, 2021

Burn it.

Maximum Spider · Feb 25, 2021

Br3wnor said:
You can't bring the couch with you unless you want to risk more bed bugs. They can live for MONTHS with no food supply and can easily be hiding in your couch right now

That's my fear. My only idea is to pour diatomaceous earth in and around the couch and then wrap it up in the giant cling wrap they use for large pallets so they can crawl out and then put in a storage for 6-7 months. I can't tell if this is the best possible idea or the dumbest thing imaginable.

Helmholtz · Feb 25, 2021

I feel for you. I rented somewhere that had an infestation, I was lucky enough not to have them invade my space, but lived in fear for a while.
To be 100% safe you probably have to ditch the couch.

pezzie · Feb 25, 2021

See if there's a local service available to heat treat the couch. If you raise the temperature high enough it'll kill the bed bugs.

Br3wnor · Feb 25, 2021

xaM said:
That's my fear. My only idea is to pour diatomaceous earth in and around the couch and then wrap it up in the giant cling wrap they use for large pallets so they can crawl out and then put in a storage for 6-7 months. I can't tell if this is the best possible idea or the dumbest thing imaginable.

I mean this is probably most complete thing you could do but it would probably need to be like a year and the cost of storing it might rival what a new couch would cost.

pezzie said:
See if there's a local service available to heat treat the couch. If you raise the temperature high enough it'll kill the bed bugs.

This is what we did when my tenant brought bed bugs to our upstairs. Cost $2400 but did the trick, I wasn't dealing with the long term solutions, mentally I just wanted it over with. We made tenant chuck his furniture though, dunno if I trusted the heat treatment that much

Jarrod38 · Feb 25, 2021

If you want to save your couch place it in a small room and pay someone to heat treat it. Using DE or any crap from the local store is just a scam.

Evoker · Feb 25, 2021

Honestly, knowing what my brother went through with bed bugs in his dorm at college, no couch is worth the price of getting rid of bed bugs. It took him nearly a year to get rid of them and he had to still throw out most of his stuff. You might be worried about the money now, which I get, but you'll be in more of a world of hurt if bringing over that couch moves the bed bugs to your new place.

scottbeowulf · Feb 25, 2021

Have it professionally treated or just throw it out.

Legend of Aims · Feb 25, 2021

🔥 everything
We had to get rid of our furniture, couch, bed. It was expensive.

You can be the most clean person, all it take is coming close to someone or something that is infected.

Deleted member 21709 · Feb 25, 2021

By 'moving away' do you mean you moved to a different residence?

MrNelson · Feb 25, 2021

xaM said:
I have one issue though: my couch. I spent a decent amount of money on it so I'm not about to toss it out for a new one.

Easy answer, was everything you just went through worth the price of a replacement couch?

Would you rather do all of that again, or would you rather just buy another couch?

pants · Feb 25, 2021

You can seal and heat treat it. Alternatively you can just wrap it and leave it in storage for a year.

Ultimately up to you if the couch is worth it, but you can take reasonable precaution+vigilance to know if they reactivate once you bring the couch with you, and react accordingly.

psynergyadept · Feb 25, 2021

You can buy products specifically for bed bugs, as stated above both time I've had bed bugs we never threw out our furniture.

edit: we did throw out our mattresses.

Boondocks · Feb 25, 2021

I would buy Bedlam Plus, turn the couch on it's back, and spray the underside. Then spray the rest of it. Do a stain test first since it is leather.

Amazon.com: Customer reviews: MGK Bedlam Plus Bed Bug Aerosol, 17oz, 1 can

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for MGK Bedlam Plus Bed Bug Aerosol, 17oz, 1 can at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.

www.amazon.com

nanskee · Feb 25, 2021

Somehow I managed to kill my infestation by just spraying my entire room for 3 days. I guess it was in the early stages.

Not too sure about your couch, but I'd consider giving some of the suggestions a try before throwing it out.

Maximum Spider · Feb 25, 2021

inguef said:
By 'moving away' do you mean you moved to a different residence?

Yes, different building.

OrangeNova · Feb 25, 2021

xaM said:
Yes, different building.

Yeah throw out the couch.

Don't do your neighbors dirty by bringing in something that potentially has bedbugs in it, into the building.

DJ_Lae · Feb 25, 2021

Bed bugs terrify me. It's like having a lice outbreak (which we have had as kindergarten seems to be a breeding ground) only worse. And it lasts longer and is harder to get rid of.

Necromanti · Feb 25, 2021

That couch will be your demise. It's not worth the risk.

Deleted member 21709 · Feb 25, 2021

xaM said:
Yes, different building.

So wouldn't you also just give up the couch? Don't bring the bed bugs with you. And don't leave it out on the street or sell it, of course. It needs to be destroyed.

Pandora012 · Feb 25, 2021

Just toss the couch

Baked Pigeon · Feb 25, 2021

As others have stated, put your belongings in a heat treated hot box.

krazen · Feb 25, 2021

Not worth it, kill the couch. Hell, id give cash to you for a gofundme to go buy another fucking couch.

I am hrm...4 years removed from when I moved out of my last apartment where I have bedbugs? Once a week ill wake up with an itchy feeling while sleeping and have a whole freakout. The worst breakup I ever had which involved me moving back in my parents...still doesn't compare to that hell.

Onebadlion · Feb 25, 2021

This site needs a pinned bedbug thread. It feels like every week some new unfortunate fucker gets infested.

Good luck OP.

BLEEN · Feb 25, 2021

DDT from the black market.

discogs · Feb 25, 2021

Throw the couch out. I had bedbugs for 9 months. It was absolutely traumatic. I can't stay in a hotel anymore without hanging my luggage on the back of the door. Even when I get mosquito bites I get panic attacks.

VeryHighlander · Feb 25, 2021

8 months down the line, you treated, cleaned, bombed, steamed, used a flamethrower on the couch, and you're finally convinced all those bugs are dead. You decide to sit your ass down on your couch and enjoy some TV. You feel a slight itch on your legs. It's probably nothing.

Huey · Feb 25, 2021

OrangeNova said:
Don't do your neighbors dirty by bringing in something that potentially has bedbugs in it, into the building.

This. You wouldn't just be risking your own place, you'd be risking other units.

xaM said:
Also, just to dispel one misconception about bed bugs, people don't get bed bugs because they're dirty. If that were the case, I'd have never gotten them. I legitimately have OCD and keep my place spotless.

Totally - but just out of curiosity, did you get them due to contamination from another unit in a building?

Soapbox Killer · Feb 25, 2021

Malajax said:
Buy and sprinkle Diatomaceous earth all around the couch. Get some bed bug bombs. If you're brave, get an industrial grade steamer and steam every cushion, crevice, and the underside.

It took months but I was able to keep them confined to my room and eventually was rid of them entirely. Good luck.

Good advice.
add in some 91% alcohol (good luck finding that at the moment) and if you really wanna try to "save" the couch, take several heavy duty plastic sheets and make a bubble around the couch, as air tight as possible. take a fogger and set it off inside the bubble and then don't use the couch for 7-14 days. unwrap the couch and immediately repeat the steps in the above quote.

siteseer · Feb 25, 2021

sprinkle diatomaceous earth liberally all around (under and side of) the affected furniture, its gonna be messy but it works.

DazzlerIE · Feb 25, 2021

I have mild PTSD from dealing with Bed Bugs ten years ago - wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy

Bearwolf · Feb 25, 2021

Diatomaceous earth can take a week to kill bedbugs. Cimexa does it in 1-2 days. Just be sure to wear a mask when distributing it and not get it in your eyes or on your clothes.

But just to be safe I would toss the couch anyway.

Maximum Spider · Feb 25, 2021

Huey said:
This. You wouldn't just be risking your own place, you'd be risking other units.

Totally - but just out of curiosity, did you get them due to contamination from another unit in a building?

I have no idea tbh.

Pretty sure I'm just gonna cut my losses on the couch.

TheLastOfPizzaCrUSt · Feb 25, 2021

10 years ago, had to defog, use a lint roller on the mattress, and always just my feet.

Fart Master · Feb 25, 2021

So I have a question related to this a couple weeks I was laying in bed with my girlfriend and she found what she thought was a bedbug. We had a guy over and he checked my room and found none but my 2 buddies room had shed skin and one them had a dead larvae. The guy didn't think we had an active infestation but he did tell us we could do the treatment for like 900 hundred bucks just in case but we decided against it and bought some spray and traps. The traps continue to be empty and we can't see any ever even at night. Sometimes I feel itchy or like I'm being bitten but I can't see anything so I don't know what to do. Would I be able to see them if I was bitten and could it be something else? I don't get bite welts or anything btw. I feel like my paranoia is driving me nuts.

vainya · Feb 25, 2021

Lopez said:
So I have a question related to this a couple weeks I was laying in bed with my girlfriend and she found what she thought was a bedbug. We had a guy over and he checked my room and found none but my 2 buddies room had shed skin and one them had a dead larvae. The guy didn't think we had an active infestation but he did tell us we could do the treatment for like 900 hundred bucks just in case but we decided against it and bought some spray and traps. The traps continue to be empty and we can't see any ever even at night. Sometimes I feel itchy or like I'm being bitten but I can't see anything so I don't know what to do. Would I be able to see them if I was bitten and could it be something else? I don't get bite welts or anything btw.

The best time to see a bedbug is at dawn. That's when they come out to feed. That's only if they're big enough to see. Bedbugs can be the size of a pencil point. If you see skin and larvae, some probably got in, but you'd have to check to see if there are more.

On topic, throw the couch away. I was the host for an active bedbug infestation. It was miserable and I still have PTSD from it.

DazzlerIE · Feb 25, 2021

Bed Bugs also like to bite in a straight line, so if you find yourself with three mystery welts in a line, it might be an indicator you've got bed bugs

Huey · Feb 25, 2021

xaM said:
I have no idea tbh.

Pretty sure I'm just gonna cut my losses on the couch.

If it was in an apartment building and you have no other mechanism, it was probably through contamination from another unit. So bringing the couch into a new apartment risks the same thing

And that's aside from you potentially starting all over again. I know it sucks, but it's probably the way to go.

demosthenes · Feb 25, 2021

inguef said:
So wouldn't you also just give up the couch? Don't bring the bed bugs with you. And don't leave it out on the street or sell it, of course. It needs to be destroyed.

If you leave it on the street you're supposed to slash it to let ppl know it shouldn't be taken.

demosthenes · Feb 25, 2021

vainya said:
The best time to see a bedbug is at dawn. That's when they come out to feed. That's only if they're big enough to see. Bedbugs can be the size of a pencil point. If you see skin and larvae, some probably got in, but you'd have to check to see if there are more.

On topic, throw the couch away. I was the host for an active bedbug infestation. It was miserable and I still have PTSD from it.

Ditto. My roommate brought them back. I still don't think I sleep right like 4-5 years later.

Shadow of the Void · Feb 25, 2021

I've been dealing with a long-term infestation lasting many months. It happened after my friend/previous roommate (and previous owner before he sold it to me) moved out and I had someone else move it to rent a room. My previous roommate owned the living room furniture and took it with him when he moved, so I ended up buying a couch second-hand. Not sure if the bugs came in from my new roommate or from that couch since both came in at the same time, but some months afterward I started getting bitten. It was during the spring or summer so I thought I might have been bitten by a mosquito, but when the bites started becoming regular I looked it up, saw a number of possibilities, and confirmed it was bed bugs.

I've tried a bunch of over-the-counter treatments (spray, bombs, steam cleaning) and at best it seems to just reduce their numbers for a while. I once went several weeks without getting bit and thought that was it, but they came right back. I even threw out the couch and had my roommate throw out his mattress and box spring (they were really bad in his room) and then bombed the house and sprayed everywhere, but those little bastards are persistent. I at least managed to eradicate them from my own bedroom, but they still keep finding their way into the living room couch and my roommate's room, so we're clearly missing something somewhere.

I'm at the point where I just want to bite the bullet and pay a professional to exterminate them, because I'm tired of getting bitten. I have a bad reaction to the bites and it makes me ridiculously itchy, to the point where I've scratched my skin to where it's raw and scabbing over, and it makes it hard to sleep sometimes. I'm sick of it and want them gone, without having to take off and nuke the site from orbit.

Fart Master · Feb 25, 2021

vainya said:
The best time to see a bedbug is at dawn. That's when they come out to feed. That's only if they're big enough to see. Bedbugs can be the size of a pencil point. If you see skin and larvae, some probably got in, but you'd have to check to see if there are more.

On topic, throw the couch away. I was the host for an active bedbug infestation. It was miserable and I still have PTSD from it.

I've looked in the early times of the morning and can't find shit...I don't want to give it to my girlfriend so that's why it's making me so annoyed. If she sleeps over can it cling on to her clothes and bring to her house? My friend says the bed bugs would stay on her by the time she leaves if she had any. She doesn't bring extra belongings or anything specifically so she doesn't bring it home.

shaneo632 · Feb 25, 2021

I got bed bugs years ago after some assholes above me with bedbugs hung their laundry out the upstairs balcony and they got into our place. Awful.

Eblo · Feb 25, 2021

I would torch the couch tbh. The peace of mind is worth whatever losses you incur. I'm not even exaggerating.

The only thing that effectively killed bedbugs in my experience was blasting the entire home with heat. Great, inhospitable heat.

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