<p>My D emailed that she thinks her couch has bedbugs. She bought a used couch over the summer, sublet her apt and only recently came back to school. Don’t know if bedbugs came with couch or sublet renters. If it is true, I am waiting for more details from her, then:
How to ascertain that it is bedbugs?
Asides from getting rid of said couch, isolate everything from it, high heat her clothes, sheets, etc., what else should she do?
Is there a reliable internet source that I can send he?
This is all new to us. Never had to deal with bedbugs, even throughout the years of backpacking in cheap hotels!</p>
<p>There are videos on the internet of what to look for. I followed one of those and concluded we didn’t have them (sorry, can’t find the link for the one we used). You can also google ‘Bed bug traps’ for some ideas on how to draw & capture some.</p>
<p>I hope this is a false alarm. I also hope everyone reading this post takes it as warning never to bring used upholstered furniture (or, of course, mattresses) into one’s home unless you personally know the donor. When I was in college, each year I would buy an easy chair at Goodwill for a pittance, throw a cheap slip cover over it and have myself a nice place to read. I would NEVER do that today. A friend recently had to move out of an apartment in NJ three days after moving in when he discovered it was infested with bedbugs. The exterminator who came in to confirm the presence of bedbugs said they are at epidemic level in apartment buildings in the state, and I’m sure NJ isn’t alone. I don’t trust even the nicest hotels anymore (never put my suitcase on the bed or carpet, usually keep it in the tub), because the critters are everywhere.</p>
<p>Everyone should be extremely careful about bringing any used furniture into their home, particularly anything that is padded or cushioned. If an item is sitting out in the trash, assume there is a good reason why the person threw it away. Don’t take chances.</p>
<p>Bedbugs can spread quickly, and once they are there, they are very hard and expensive to eliminate. If in doubt, throw out the couch. I’d also slice up the cushions so that no one else brings it into their house. Then put everything that is cloth in the dryer at a hot temperature (particularly bed sheets), and then keep them in tightly sealed plastic bags when they are not being used. It is easier to spot bedbugs if you use white sheets.</p>
<p>As noted above, in apartment buildings, it is almost impossible to eliminate them, because they can travel back and forth, even if some of the tenants do everything right.</p>
<p>High heat kills them. Not really convinced any treatments other than that (chemicals, etc) are fully effective. I don’t know how to do it easily unless you can crank up the heat in rooms high enough to kill them.</p>
<p>You’ll have to look at various sites for suggestions. Quite a few unfortunately. The main suggestion is DO NOT sleep on different furniture ( the guest room, the living room couch etc) in your house to escape them which runs to contrary to every normal impulse you have to escape them. Cover the furniture you are on to contain them but above all don’t spread it from room to room. You may be taking an isolated infestation and blowing it up into a whole house infestation.
the main thing is prevention–learn to look for signs of bedbugs before settling into your hotel room, don’t go for the free couch on the corner.
Don’t bring them home: Keep suitcases out of hotel closets (they like the dark), away from walls (again no hotel closets and they hang by walls), don’t put your suitcase on the floor etc. Look behind headboards and side of box springs in hotel rooms for signs of them. Find some pix on line for what to look for.
Once you’ve got them…it may take at least a couple treatments to get rid of them from what I’ve read which is a major reason to keep them very isolated in your home.</p>
<p>Unfortunately it’s for real! Raised bites, in groups of three, black specks on couch cushions. They have done the wash, I will remind them of the high heat dry cycles. They need to get rid of the couch ASAP. Slashing the cushions before throwing out is a good suggestion.</p>
<p>It’s hard to tell kids what to do. I’d rather she stayed in University housing, at least if this has happened, the university can take care of it. But she and her roommates were antsy to move out and furnish their own apts. Sigh… let’s hope this is not too expensive a life lesson.</p>
<p>I googled the video. Ugh. Don’t do it before lunch…</p>
<p>Wait. Don’t slice up the cushion inside the house. Before removing the couch seal it in plastic if possible so that you are not dropping bugs or eggs on the way out.</p>
<p>Bed bugs do not move quickly so a lot depends on how long she has had the couch. She could try getting rid of the couch and removing all of the bedding from the beds. Wash it in hot water or dry it for an hour on high heat. Either way works. You do not need to seal anything in plastic bags after you wash it. The bedbugs will not survive the heat of the dryer.</p>
<p>For items that cannot be washed or put in the dryer, seal these items in plastic trash bags with a Hot Shot No Pest Strip (available at hardware stores). Leave them sealed for at least 48 hours. If you vacuum, dispose of the vac bags in sealed plastic bags.</p>
<p>Even doing all of this is no guarantee that the bugs have not set up residence in the apartment. Within a few weeks, she will know.</p>
<p>We had them two years ago after my H brought some back from a hotel in DC. They can come from the worst hotels or the finest. They are not picky. The whole ordeal cost us over 3000 dollars for exterminator, dry cleaner, replacing things, buying storage bins and no pest strips.</p>
<p>We lived with empty closets and drawers and each family member had one rubbermaid bin to keep our belongings in for three months (the time it took for the exterminator to come three times).</p>
<p>I really think I have PTSD from the whole thing. The other day my niece and nephew came to visit and I looked up the hotel that they had stayed at the night before on Bedbugregistry.com. It came up as having a history of bugs. We didn’t let my relatives bring their luggage in the house and we treated all their stuff for them. Thankfully they didn’t think we were bonkers and even appreciated the intervention.</p>