TIP: You cannot steam your baseboards and possibly your floors, after chemical treatment. You risk vaporizing the chemical pesticides and wiping out the entire treatment, and you risk inhaling the steam and poisoning yourself instead.

Warning
Do not put anything in the microwave or oven. It may catch fire. Books have glue on them. You may cause more damage than you knew possible, and still have bed bugs.

TIP: Even though you can put dry clothes and bedding into the dryer to kill (must go to 120 F) don't. Wash and then dry for two cycles.

Wet clothes might not heat up for long enough as they are drying so consider two drying cycles. It's expensive, but not as expensive as more treatments. And you'll have done your best to keep others from getting your bed bugs in their dry laundry.

I developed hives for the first time in my life in late September 2008. Two months later I learned my next door neighbor had been dealing with bed bugs since June.

October 2008

I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a little red bug on my mattress. Not knowing bed bugs were a "thing" I thought to myself, "what a cute little dinosaur" and flicked it off my bed. I'm going to credit this behavior to there being no media or public education about bed bugs in the Northwest, at that time.

The bites appeared in the late morning, so I didn't equate them as coming from home. Bed bug bites don't always show up right away, it can be hours or days before they are noticeable. Entomologists estimate that 70% of the population doesn't react at all to bites.

In November I Googled bed bugs and recognized the bug. After researching bed bugs, and speaking with pest control operators in New York, I knew I was going to be working very hard to get rid of this problem.

The pest company inspector came and I showed him the bed bug from a ziplock in the freezer. It's important to have a specimen, as most reputable companies won't treat without a specimen or finding bed bugs during the inspection.

I purchased a vapor steamer and steamed every baseboard in an attempt to ease the infestation before chemical treatment. There were no companies at the time providing thermal heat treatment.

I began to prep for treatment, washing and bagging everything. I moved objects to isolate them in bags, and unknowingly spread bed bugs more in doing so.

Our association agreeed to have treatment in the common areas of the building, including my unit. Some people quit using the laundry room.

The PCO came and sprayed everything. I purchased bed bug proof mattress encasement covers. They cannot get in or out of the zipper.

By then I had purchased a Packtite which immediately provided a way to kill bed bugs in my shoes, backpack, books, and other possessions. Bed bugs die at temperatures above 120 degrees.

The Packtite is a fabric oven with a wire frame inside and a heater with a fan. It comes with a thermostat you place in the bag with your stuff you are heating.

Heat kills bed bugs. You can cook all your papers, books, and anything that won't melt in a Packtite. It was definately a worthwhile investment. The Packtite temperature rise up to 140 F. Certain bed bug death!

I put my things in giant ZipLocks which are clear and easy to get in and out of. They're thick plastic and durable. You can cook them with your clothes, shoes, books in the bags. You can reuse the bags over and over.

I put on a mask, gloves and goggles and put the lightest dusting of food grade diatomaceous earth with a blush brush around every baseboard. Caulk went on top of that. Then I put another hardly visible layer of DE against every connecting floor surface. It is believed bed bugs will avoid walking through piles of DE. This advice came from a highly competent PCO in New York .

You do not need to reapply DE unless you know you've mopped it up. Don't vacuum DE up, it will kill your vacuum. DE is pretty much forever, as it is silica. The term Food Grade means it can be used in food manufacturing factories to reduce insects. It kills bed bugs by drying and shredding their exoskeleton. It does not kill on contact and can take up to ten days to kill bed bugs. **Only use food grade diatomaceous earth.

I scheduled another treatment and decided to replace my bed frame to simplify treatment. It was disassembled, wrapped and taped completely in plastic sheeting and hauled away.

The new bed is a metal futon frame with legs that would fit into bowls. I put the legs into small metal dog dishes filled with Murphy's Oil. Murphy's oil also kills bed bugs. Now there is a better way with Climb-Up monitors.

The bites in bed stopped. I had two treatments behind me. Sleep is good. Life seemed to be getting better.

The sofa, computer, chest of drawers were put into a moving van and Vikaned by another pest company. Vikane, a super deadly gas put into the truck ensuring the truck and my furniture would be bed bug free when I brought them home. There is no residual with Vikane.

A knowledgeable pest control company suggests that to kill bed bug eggs Vikane must be used at 10x strength.

The pest company came once more and used an IGR, Insect Growth Regulator. It prevents bed bugs from reproducing, which is the number one reason they are so hard to get rid of. They can reproduce like nobody's business. The bites had nearly stopped.

In May, I wanted to have one more treatment for a long term residual since it had been two months since my last residual, and about two months since my last bite. Residuals vary in how long they last. 90 days is optimal, but light and temperature affect residual length..

In June, Sprague's bed bug sniffing dog April came to inspect my home and declared my unit and the building's common areas clear, including my neighbor's home. April came back in November 2009 to check my house again. All clear!

Multnomah Public Health is now actively working to increase education and information about these pests.

I am proud to be a member of the newly formed advisory task force to educate the public, housing agencies, and the government about the need for strategic policy and advocacy around bed bugs.

If you have questions, use the Contact Form. Post your story on the forum.

TIP: Only 90% or better rubbing alcohol will kill bed bugs on contact. Don't saturate yourself or your bed with it. The fumes are toxic.

IMPORTANT: Diatomaceous earth is permanently harmful if inhaled. Use a mask to appy it. It is made of silica. Use Food Grade. You can find it here. Do not put it on your mattress, bedding, chairs or sofa. It belongs along baseboards, and crevices.