How to get rid of bed bugs?

amdublin

I have little bites/hives all over and am thinking I have bed bugs. Eeeugh!

Is there a product I can buy in a chemist to get rid of them??

I was thinking of washing the duvet cover, sheets etc really hot. And then the pillows, duvet, mattress: I was thinking of going over them with my steam cleaner (supposed to be for tiled floors but I think will work)

Any other suggestions or any help on a product I can buy would be much appreciated!

Capt'n Midnight

IIRC
washing will just mean you have clean bugs - they can hold their breaths
I think you leave the sheets in a press for 8 weeks and they starve to death and then wash

or maybe not

amdublin

Thanks Cap'n!

Yes that is why I think need to nuke them.

Anyone got any chemical recommendations??!!!

Kevster

They'll do your immune system the world of good if you leave them there. I just wash my sheets once per week

Devia

Hives usually suggest an allergy of some sort. You sure its bites you're getting?

amdublin

My initial thought was an allergy. Or midgey bites. I do tend to be a bit allergy prone. Plus when i get one mossie bite (even in Ireland) that tends to be the start of things and I tend to get loadsfrom then on - I live on piriton all summer. And I did get midgey bites - from out on the Liffey (kayaking) around August and it continued since then.

BUT my OH has got them as well. And they never get bites/not allergy prone etc.

So that is why I think bed bugs. Plus possibly couch bugs? (We spend a lot of time there also ) So I am going to steam it as well.

Thanks so far. Any other ideas/suggestions???!!!

kelle

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

IIRC
washing will just mean you have clean bugs - they can hold their breaths
I think you leave the sheets in a press for 8 weeks and they starve to death and then wash

or maybe not

You have me feeling sorry for them, Cap'n!

Capt'n Midnight

amdublin wrote: »

out on the Liffey (kayaking) around August

not sure if urban myth but drink coke after being out on the river to prevent Weil's disease :P

sunnyjim

Kevster wrote: »

They'll do your immune system the world of good if you leave them there. I just wash my sheets once per week

Go on, you can't leave us hanging - why?!

blossom180

go to the chemist and ask them,there is a powder you can get cant remember the name of it.

Kevster

sunnyjim wrote: »

Go on, you can't leave us hanging - why?!

They're faeces usually triggers an immune response, but nothing major. Once you recover from it your immune system will be stronger.

mp22

put the sheets duvay cover in plastic bags and put in the freezer for a few days then wash

jumpguy

Might be wrong, but surely an 80/70 Degrees Celcius wash you'd easily kill bed bugs?

Either that or freeze them.

Or be creative! Think of the most gruesome way to kill the microscopic pests.

enfeild

Here is what you do. It is used n a room where someone died from an infection and used to disinfect and kill everything in it. Close the windows and turn th bed on its side and allow air to pass through whatever you want 'sterilised'. Go to the chemist and buy a sulphur candle. Light it in the room and seal the room for 12 hours. Open the room then and vent it by opening doors etc. There will not be a living thing in it and not even a musty smell from your books either.
Oldy worldy solution but it will work
Regards.
Tom

locum-motion

enfeild wrote: »

Go to the chemist and buy a sulphur candle. Light it in the room and seal the room for 12 hours.

Hey, sounds great, but can you tell me...

WTF is a sulphur candle?

I've worked in community pharmacies for 21+ years, 13+ of them as a qualified pharmacist, and I've never seen/heard of a sulphur candle!

yank_in_eire

enfeild wrote: »

Go to the chemist and buy a sulphur candle. Light it in the room and seal the room for 12 hours.

You could also stop shaving your armpits and legs and dance around the room eating granola and chanting.:rolleyes:

Seriously though, the disinfectant/antiparasitic properties of sulphur are well documented..........snigger:p:p:p

Capt'n Midnight

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

The name Tardigrada means "slow walker" and was given by Lazzaro Spallanzani in 1777. The name water bear comes from the way they walk, reminiscent of a bear's gait. The biggest adults may reach a body length of 1.5 mm, the smallest below 0.1 mm. Freshly hatched larvae may be smaller than 0.05 mm.

More than 1000 species of tardigrades have been described. Tardigrades occur over the entire world, from the high Himalayas (above 6,000 m), to the deep sea (below 4,000 m) and from the polar regions to the equator.

...

Tardigrades are polyextremophiles and are able to survive in extreme environments that would kill almost any other animal. Some can survive temperatures of -273°C, close to absolute zero,[5] temperatures as high as 151 °C (303 °F), 1,000 times more radiation than other animals such as humans, more than a century without water, and even the vacuum of space.

spurious

Rentokil will get rid of them.

Kevster

Capt'n Midnight, Tardigrads aren't bedbugs though... ...I am amazed all the same at the extreme temperatures they can survive. That's one positive of having a simple physiology, like all of those extremophile bacteria too.

Capt'n Midnight

of course they aren't but maybe amdublin has a water bed

seriously the link was to show people that what would kill you or I mite not kill off all the unwanted nasties.

IIRC we sweat a pint a night and shed about a pound of skin a year in bed , in case anyone was wondering what they lived on. That in itself is a good reason to wash the sheets once in a while.

Kevster

...pound of skin, anyone? - 2 dollars/pound, special offer

:P

How much we 'sweat' - or lose through transepidermal water-loss (TEWL) - is quite astonishing. How much 'beating' can a mattress take, in all seriousness? I mean, after a year, there are probably megalopolises of bug cities inside your mattress!

oeb

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

IIRC we sweat a pint a night and shed about a pound of skin a year in bed , in case anyone was wondering what they lived on.

They don't live on our dead skin or sweat, bedbugs are hematophagic (blood drinkers)

A steamer WILL kill bedbugs, but you will need to keep at it for at least half an hour to ensure that you get the eggs too (And make sure you get the entire mattress). Keep it nice and hot too. Check this under 'heat'. Also keep in mind that if your house is infested, it is quite possible that they live somewhere other than your mattress.

enfeild

Well you must have been way out of date. Ask a pharmacist in a rural area.These have been around for a long time. I last used one to kill the must on books.Do a search on the net. here is one;
http://www.twowests.co.uk/TwoWestsSite/pages/product/product.asp?prod=BPSC&cookie_test=1

Regards.
Tom.

Capt'n Midnight

oeb wrote: »

They don't live on our dead skin or sweat, bedbugs are hematophagic (blood drinkers)

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

seriously the link was to show people that what would kill you or I mite not kill off all the unwanted nasties.

yes indeed bed bugs and mites are different things

http://www.dust-mites.org/protecting-bed.php

And though it isn't true that your mattress doubles in weight over its lifetime due to the buildup of dust mites and their waste products, it's certainly possible that you currently have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites taking up residence in your bed.

The first thing you'll want to do to limit the number of dust mites in your bed is to thoroughly wash and dry all of your bedding products in water that's at least 140o Fahrenheit. Do this every week to help reduce the number of dead skin cells that remain on your bedding. If possible, you can also freeze your bedding products for 24-48 hours to effectively remove any dust mites living on them.

You'll also want to air out your mattress on a regular basis. Many of us keep our bedrooms shut up tightly, with our bedding and linens mounded on top of the bed. Together, these two factors combine to keep conditions right for dust mite infestation. Not only are you trapping all the dead skin cells you shed during the night on your bed, you're preventing the heat and moisture that accumulated while you slept from evaporating into the air. If your bed stays warm and moist throughout the day, you can be sure you've got a dust mite infestation happening in your mattress.

Link to info on bed bugs - this interesting bit
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2105.html

Steam cleaning of mattresses generally is not recommended because it is difficult to get rid of excess moisture, which can lead to problems with mold, mildew, house dust mites, etc.

amdublin

okay so maybe steaming is not an option?!

Locum-motion - any suggestion of name of nuking product available from chemist?

Kevster

You know what, you could all just pop down to Dunne's and buy a new feckin' mattress, quilt, and sheets to save all the bother! :P

... ...silly scientists :cool:

WicklowRover

The only way of removing bed bugs is to destroy your mattress, sheets, pillows etc., and then destroy your bed. Bed bugs thrive in wooden furniture.

They are a nightmare.

WicklowRover

The only way of removing bed bugs is to destroy your mattress, sheets, pillows etc., and then destroy your bed. Bed bugs thrive in wooden furniture.

They are a nightmare.

amdublin

You lie Rover!!!!

Noooooo!!!!

Ps. I have cast iron bed frame....

Cameron09

I think you should go for herbal treatment... there is no need of the use of chemical... for this you can use lavender oil, mint leaves, eucalyptus oil..can also use the combination of canola oil or rapeseed oil and pyrethrins... You can get more information from here... http://www.whatdobedbugslooklike.net/interesting-bed-bugs-pictures.html

TroJohn

One of the methods they use in OZ for hostels to get rid of bed bugs is to leave your non washable items in a freezer overnight.

Orlaithface

I've dealt with bed bugs before. they will hide in the creases in your mattress. you have to physically remove them, then use a bug spray ( you can get some specific for bed bugs) spray matress and all areas around bed, use you steam cleaner on mattress, rugs, even clothes. Its a big job! they're resiliant buggers!!

Eadaoinh9

I had bed bugs and tried steam cleaning and hoovering but you just don't know where they could be hiding. The thing that got rid of them in the end was bug bombs. I bought mine on amazon and haven't seen any signs of bed bugs since using it, that was a month ago.

General General

This is why I sleep on straw.

maninasia

You can try food safe diatomaceous earth, sprinkle it on the mattress, floor , all over the room. This stuff dehydrates and kills pretty much all bugs that come in contact with it.

I've had a problem with bed bugs (never identified them but characteristic bites and itichiness at 4am) before and bought a heater type device from Japan which is like a cover for a mattress with a hot air machine attached, it dries out your bed clothes and mattress and helps to dehydrate and kill bugs too. I didn't have any other furniture in the room so it wasn't easy for them to hide though (in sunny climates in Summer you can take all your stuff outside and air your stuff out also).

It's good for allergies as it keeps the dust mites in check also.

maninasia

TroJohn wrote: »

One of the methods they use in OZ for hostels to get rid of bed bugs is to leave your non washable items in a freezer overnight.

This will help to deal with contagious diseases such as scabies but will not be much use for bed bugs which hide in mattresses and furniture.

Motley Crue

Can I just ask why people here suggested the OP even attempt to wash or sterlize their sheets? I can respect if the sheets are particularly expensive or a certain type or whatever but could you not just throw them out and replace them...I can't imagine the expensive of getting them cleaned is worth it compared to just buying new sheets and replacing everything (with the exception of the mattress

Maybe that's just me

amdublin

Motley Crue wrote: »

Can I just ask why people here suggested the OP even attempt to wash or sterlize their sheets? I can respect if the sheets are particularly expensive or a certain type or whatever but could you not just throw them out and replace them...I can't imagine the expensive of getting them cleaned is worth it compared to just buying new sheets and replacing everything (with the exception of the mattress

Maybe that's just me

Yeah maybe that's you. My Laura Ashley duvet cover cost me a fortune.

seamonkey92

Scabies. Need to clean everything, flip mattress, hoover any cushions, freeze/ warm wash clothing (Or let it sit for a few days, allows them to die) and cream with permethrin in it.

thimble

If you really have bed bugs, they'll be in the mattress. Just treating bed linen won't solve the problem.