fml

[auntiemeesh]

I've just found a new string of bites on the back of my leg. This makes me sad. I washed all my bedding and everything, but I guess that wasn't enough. I'm not entirely sure what the best next step is. There's a million products out there, all claiming to be natural and safe bedbug killers. I should also get a steam cleaner, but I have to find one that gets hot enough, that I can actually afford. Maybe I can borrow one from somebody. And I'll probably have to buy enclosures for the mattress, box spring and pillows. And in the meantime, keep sleeping on the bed because there's no way of knowing if that's where they actually are, or if I'm getting the bites somewhere else in the apartment, not to mention the fact that if they are in the bed, I don't want to spread them anywhere else. And of course, I'm in the middle of a massive sewing project with fabric strewn across the living room that I would like to keep uninfested if it isn't already.

I'm also trying to figure out where I picked the little buggers up. I didn't have any problems before last week and the only place I went was the lake. It's possible I brought hitchhikers home from the houseboat.

I didn't get as much cleaning done as I wanted to this weekend because I got focused on sewing. Which is great for the project - the bustier is done except for buttons and today I did most of the work for the skirt. It just needs to be hemmed.

I did six loads of laundry, washing everything that had touched the bed or the floor in the bedroom, ran my pillows through the dryer for half an hour on high, vacuumed the bed. But there's just a lot of junk lying around. I suppose, if nothing else, this will spur me on to get rid of a bunch of stuff I've been hanging onto for no good reason. I have a couple of old blankets that are lovely and warm, but they're falling apart and too heavy for my landlady's old washing machine. I guess I'll bag them up and put them out with the trash tomorrow. I despair at the thought of having to wash everything again. No point right at the moment, I guess. I'll see if I can find a steam cleaner and in the meantime, I'll lie awake all night twitching at all the imaginary bugs crawling all over me, while probably never noticing the real bugs until they're long gone and the bites pop up.

If any of you have any tips or suggestions, I'm all ears. I really need some help/support.

Comments

[whtmtnwmn.livejournal.com]

Yuk! I hope you find a solution quickly.

I'm always afraid of this whenever I go sleep somewhere else. Icky hitchhikers!

Good luck! *passes the Benadryl*
=D

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I didn't give it even a single thought when I was away last weekend, but that must have been when I picked them up - I haven't stayed anywhere else since April.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Bugs need air. Sealing the blankets in those vacuum storage bags for a couple of weeks might do the trick. (Can't do the deny them moisture thing, because they're getting it from you.)

Good luck.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I might end up getting enclosures for the mattress and box spring at least, but the thing about these bugs is that they just don't die. Even sealed in an airtight enclosure, they can live for up to eighteen months! That's just insane.

[penwiper337.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, that's horrible! :( I've always heard extreme heat and extreme cold are your best bets. Some of the exterminator companies now have these heaters that they set up in the middle of the room and "bake" the room with.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I've heard the same thing. I started calling around to exterminators this morning. I got as far as Terminex before learning that because I live in an apartment, they need to speak to the owner before they can even think about talking to me. Which means I need to throw this mess into the lap of my 85 year old landlady. :(

[penwiper337.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. :( If you live in an apartment, it's possible they spread to you from one of the other apartments - yeck!

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

My apartment is the ground floor of my landlady's house. I've talked to her and she's very emphatic that she doesn't want the bugs spreading upstairs to her, lol.

[antbee362.livejournal.com]

Why are you convinced they are bedbugs? Scary idea. I believe in denial until proven.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I guess I should have gone with denial as well, but I seem to function like a horse with the bit between its teeth. I take the idea and run.