# omg bedbugs! what now



## M123 (Aug 14, 2009)

Hi

This may sound terrible but I have found a couple of bedbugs! I haven't reacted to the bites but I've captured a couple now and am certain that they are there. 

Unbelievable considering the cleanliness of the apartment and the area we live in, but I guess in a country where many travel for business it is a risk.

Question is what to do as I am moving to a new place in the summer anyway.

I called Rentokil, and they have a heat treatment pricey option to superheat the room, plus some chemicals, which I will go for, but I am wondering if anyone has tips?

They could be coming from a neighbouring apartment as I have seen one on a ceiling and one in the ensuite bathroom and I've captured one on the bed, although it seems early stages. I'm hoping the heat plus chemicals can at least kill and prevent them returning prior to moving. 

I also want to dispose of the bed safely. Having googled for 24 hours about this, I have the following questions if anyone can help

1) Is there anyone I can hire to come wrap up bed/mattress and take it away? 
2) they don't like something called 'food grade Diatomaceous Earth' , does this stuff exist in Dubai (ace don't have it)?
3) Is rentokil the best bet, or any recommendations?
4) I want to buy heat generating stuff, apparently in america there is something called 'packtite' which is a heat generating box, and I may get a commercial steamer.
5) Is there any laundry place with commercial size dryers so I can superheat my posessions?

I realise it may be embarassing to go into this subject (after all who wants to say they have bedbugs) but I guess if vigilance isn't there then it can and will spread (it can happen to me with my almost ocd lifestyle it can happen to anyone) 


Any answers to any of those questions appreciated.


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

the super-heating is meant to be the best option.

the cheap way of doing this, later in the year, is to put all of your bedroom furniture, including mattresses etc outside in direct sunlight.
50+ degrees in direct sunlight does the job, apparently.
Worked for our neighbours.

not much help in April, though!


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## Laowei (Nov 29, 2009)

vantage said:


> the super-heating is meant to be the best option.
> 
> the cheap way of doing this, later in the year, is to put all of your bedroom furniture, including mattresses etc outside in direct sunlight.
> 50+ degrees in direct sunlight does the job, apparently.
> ...


So thats why our neighbours when we lived in springs had their mattreseses and bedding draped over the balaconies all the while. Always thought they had terminal incontinence issues. Live and learn eh :confused2:


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Unfortunately we discovered an infestation last year at our place - most likely picked from my travels. It had actually become bad by the time we realised it was bed bugs because we had never seen one before, and they did a good job of staying out of sight. 

There was another thread on here about it I think.

We ended up throwing away a lot of our stuff. When I say throw away, it means putting it into the service elevator with the help of one of the security guys, putting it just outside the service elevator downstairs, and then being reassured that the garbage truck will take it away. I hope that was the case and it was not just sold off to someone.

We used Rentokil as well, and just the chemical treatment. Had the sprays done 4 times at a weeks' interval each. The chemicals don't kill the eggs though. They never suggested the heating option (which regardless of the price we would have definitely taken up - we were so very psyched by it). Heating is the best way to kill them off. Heating, and being vigilant to keep checking all corners and cracks and furniture as they seem to like corners. Vacuuming everything (even the walls and ceiling corners) helps a lot. Washed everything in the washing machine at the highest temperature possible. Also got almost every piece of furnishing laundered (or threw away).

Also, even moving from the apartment may not guarantee that the bed bugs go away. Eggs or adults could still remain attached to luggage, furniture whatever and get transported.

Specific answers:
1. As above
3. This was in AD. I called another (big) firm whose guy came and said that the chemicals they use may be banned. Did not inspire confidence even when reassured multiple times later that they used legal chemicals. Their T&Cs included staying out of the apartment 24 hours, and to ask neighbours to stay away as well. WTF. Rentokil were much more professional
5. We just used our regular laundry for whatever we did not throw away


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I have bad news.

If you found bedbugs on the ceiling and in the bathroom, you probably have a lot more than you think. *A lot more*. Bedbugs usually stay as close to the sleeping body as possible and at the beginning of the infestation they're usually only in the bed, but if they're spreading through the apartment, uh oh. 

Get some Pif Paf. At night sprinkle the pif paf heavily around the perimeter of the floors of the bedroom and the other rooms in the apartment. Next morning see how many bedbugs you see. 

Your best bet is to call in a pest control company and have them treat the entire apartment. 

And yes, get rid of the bed and take all your linens to be commercially washed/dry cleaned as the heat will help kill bedbug eggs. Or even throw them away!

You'd be surprised by how many people in Dubai get bedbugs at some point. We're a major transit hub and people travel so frequently so the odds are you'll pick up bedbugs eventually. I did but fortunately found it very early on. Threw away the entire bed and all my linens and had the apartment treated (and stayed in a hotel for a week). I wasn't taking any chances. 



M123 said:


> Hi
> 
> This may sound terrible but I have found a couple of bedbugs! I haven't reacted to the bites but I've captured a couple now and am certain that they are there.
> 
> ...


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

One of the reasons we left an apartment was because we kept getting roaches coming up the plug holes. Regardless how clean you keep your own apartment you can't do anything regarding your neighbours.

Anyway, be extremely careful regarding chemical spraying, children have died due to dodgy companies using poisonous chemicals.

I had a spell of waking up with itchy bites all over my body, got so bad couldn't sleep at night, things were having a right feast.

Striped the bed, dumped the slats and covered the bed in the spray version of Pif Paf. Wrapped the mattress up in bin bags and stuck it out in the sun for a day. Washed off the Pif Paf and went over the mattress with a steam iron.

Seemed to have done the job, touch wood.


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## M123 (Aug 14, 2009)

Thanks for the responses, reassuring (if that's the right word) to see that it does happen in this place and I really appreciate all your thoughts.

As it is a new downtown apartment there aren't many 'visible' hiding places. Everything is white and I have pif paffed the hell out of the room. 

weird thing is I have no reaction to bites but I can tell they've been feasting away from the sheets. Mattress has no box spring (just slats+plywood) and with sheets removed I can't see much. Clothes get drycleaned all the time and tough to see anything there.

I think first thing I have to do is dispose of the mattress and bed, then I can do a deep clean with what I have. Then maybe use rentokil for chemicals. The heat sounds like a good plan but my source of confusion is that there isn't anything inaccessible, so worried about the A/C vents as potentially an entry point from neighbours.

Do I need to call a specialised company to remove the bed and mattress? if so any tips?

then I can go ahead with some steam and chemicals and whatever else is available to me. The deaths are usually due to those with less to spend purchasing industrial strength pesticides and 'bombing' their room while their neighbours get poisoned. I should hope rentokil or national pest control use decent stuff.

unbelievably frustrating and obviously on each business trip I'm going to have to bring a flamethrower

so first things first, any ideas how to remove the bed, or someone I'd happily pay to dismantle and do it themselves ( I presume they would need to wrap it just in case).

thanks again


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## M123 (Aug 14, 2009)

rsinner said:


> Unfortunately we discovered an infestation last year at our place - most likely picked from my travels. It had actually become bad by the time we realised it was bed bugs because we had never seen one before, and they did a good job of staying out of sight.
> 
> There was another thread on here about it I think.
> 
> ...



Thanks for that, and good to hear you are rid of it. in terms of chucking the bed/mattress, I could take it downstairs after spraying it etc, but the bed probably needs taking apart and transported down easier. Hoping there is someone I can pay to remove it at reasonable value).

Rentokil charge about 2k for the heat of one room, but if they are going to come back or chemicals are required anyway I can use my own steamer and get them to do chemical option. (apparently doing research unless you heat the whole apartment it may not be effective, and potentially as temperatures rise they scatter/escape).


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## Sparki (Mar 22, 2014)

OMG, bedbugs drove me crazy last year! I used to stay awake till morning paranoid I couldn't sleep.

I tried every possible way. eventually nothing worked until I found one sticker for bugs fighting company.

they sprayed all the apartment and told me to leave the apartment for 1 day so I did.

once I came back I replaced all the mattresses and took the sheets/blankets to the laundry. now I'm living bedbug free


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## kmdxb (Jan 19, 2014)

Mr Rossi said:


> One of the reasons we left an apartment was because we kept getting roaches coming up the plug holes. Regardless how clean you keep your own apartment you can't do anything regarding your neighbours.


Yikes, which apartments where those? (I'm looking to move, and I guess these would be ones I would prefer to avoid...)


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

kmdxb said:


> Yikes, which apartments where those?


The tall ones.


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## Proff42 (Feb 11, 2012)

We had bed bugs last year - worst period in Dubai Ever. 

Basically we threw out everything in our bedroom. We went through all our clothes and threw out a large amount and then boiled the rest (including shoes/bags, etc.). We also had them in the lounge room so all our soft furnishings (cushions, blanket) were tossed to. 
We got in a professional company to spray the unit 3 times - the use of a heater was not possible as the fire detectors in our building were the heat sensing type (Old town area - downtown Dubai). 
Basically we were sprayed weekly, we slept on stretchers in the lounge room and repeatedly boiled our clothes/washed all the time. If you could imagine a full moving out deep clean for 3 weeks is what we had to do - it was exhausting. 
We also purchased a steam gun so we could spray all the joinery out to ensure no eggs survived. 
Happy to say that we finally got rid of them but it was 3 weeks of hell. 
Note - do not stay in the unit when they spray - go get a room in a hotel as the spray is toxic!

In terms of how we got them we have 2 thoughts. 1. They came with us back from a holiday on/in our bags. They get into your bags at the hotel, travel back and then you put the bags on your bed to unpack - perfect for them 2. We sent our duvet out for dry cleaning and it was mixed in with other hotel washing. Hotels here are infested with them. A friend of ours got them this way.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Worries over bedbugs takes some of the fun out of traveling. Every time I travel I now check the beds and linens before sleeping. Pull up the sheets and look underneath/behind the mattresses. Do you see any brown/black flakes? Avoid. 

I also keep my luggage as far away from the bed as possible and never put them on anything upholstered or the floor. Keep the luggage on a table or even in the bathroom if it's possible. Never lay clothes on the bed. Wear one outfit for sleeping and check it every morning (I'll sleep in a white shirt/white boxers so it's easy to detect any small black apple seed like bugs). When you wake up, put the sleeping clothes into a sealable plastic bag to keep it away from the rest of the clothes. 

When I return I immediately put all the clothes into the washer and thoroughly check the bags. I never take the luggage in the bedroom anymore. 

It's been three years now. So far so good. Yes, I'm aware the above is a bit OCD but it's really only a few minutes preparation each morning/night. 



Proff42 said:


> In terms of how we got them we have 2 thoughts. 1. They came with us back from a holiday on/in our bags. They get into your bags at the hotel, travel back and then you put the bags on your bed to unpack - perfect for them 2. We sent our duvet out for dry cleaning and it was mixed in with other hotel washing. Hotels here are infested with them. A friend of ours got them this way.


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## M123 (Aug 14, 2009)

Man this is stressful, and I have a zillion flights and hotel stays coming up.

I am going to use steam for a deep clean and get the chemical treatment done. I just think a heat treatment isn't a solution if they can hide in vents or retreat or it comes from neigbours.

It's good to see that people got rid of them. I guess if you live in an old wooden house it's probably much more difficult than a rented new build mainly tiled apartment.

Just remaining questions.

1) any ideas on who I can pay to take apart the bed and take it with the mattress? will pest control do it?
2) Is sleeping in house in evening if they spray in the morning really bad or is that just a precaution as I think rentokil would just say leave for a few hours?
3) any other tips I may have missed? 


incidentally for anyone shopping for steamers, ACE has some bloody good deals on Karcher steamers (about a hundred pounds cheaper than UK for top models that can be used continuously without stopping with a refillable reserve tank and much cheaper than Souq and other outlets)


thanks again


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## CHFIII (Mar 21, 2014)

I haven't run into this yet but it is quite common in us hotels of late, and not the hourly rate, sheets extra type but the major business chains so this is a global, first world problem - don't be embarassed!

I'm paranoid about it but a few suggestions...
1. Good mattresses are not cheap. Clean it, steam it then put it in a mattress cover designed for this very thing - google. We just bought a new mattress (the old one was crap, completely broke down in under two years) but this one was around 8000aed so I'm willing to fight the little *******s if we get them! 

2. A good clothes steamer is good to have anyway ;-)

3. Outside in a summer day might get you to 120 (50) to kill them with heat but a car parked in the sun on a much cooler day will get you there fast.

4. Ok. Someone has to say it.... Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! I feel your pain my friend, I travel a ton and my day is coming and I'm not sure if I dread the critters or my wife waking up every hour asking me to search for a month more. Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite.... For years I thought that was just something parents said to kids!


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Try using a hairdryer on the hottest setting and as close a possible to the seams.. if you have a material type headboard don't forget this too might be a harbour for them. If you can get hold of a 'bomb' that you use in greenhouses for fumigating and killing critters it might be worth a try...


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## M123 (Aug 14, 2009)

thanks for that. I have an expensive steamer that should do the heating aspect ok and will kill on contact.

My concern at the moment is finding a way to dispose of the bed and take it apart!

From my research, contact killing (e.g. heat) along with a program of chemical care and systematically washing and segregating things will get the job done.

pesticide bombs apparently disperse everything and you can get it to spread throughout the house and probably isn't safe. The deaths of children etc recently are connected with these things, so I strongly recommend you don't use it.

I appreciate the tips though and am also sharing what I have read


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

M123 said:


> 2) Is sleeping in house in evening if they spray in the morning really bad or is that just a precaution as I think rentokil would just say leave for a few hours?


Rentokil's direction would be to leave the house for 6 hours (if I remember correctly). We did sleep in the house. However, our main problem area was the bedroom (thats where the spraying was done, with a bit of spraying in the living room) and we were sleeping in the living room for almost a month.


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## CHFIII (Mar 21, 2014)

Nobody reading this is sleeping tonight.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

1 - We live in a desert country, there's going to be bugs. Probably even more if they keep seeding the rain.

2 - You're more likely to get bed bugs from the cab to and from the airport here than you are from any foreign hotel.


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## RandomDude (Mar 7, 2014)

There was a period where I was doing lots of GCC travelling. Although I was staying at five star big names hotels, nevertheless I caught scabies.

- Never use hotels laundry services
- Never sit with your clothes on the bed

Anyways, cover your mattress with a nylon cover, nylon will kill these MOFO, get yourself a nice water spray thingy, like your barber use, put in water and chlorine and spray out services. 

Don't go overboard. A good suggestion is leaving the house for a couple of days, without the human contact they'll die out (no food source, lol)


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## RandomDude (Mar 7, 2014)

Mr Rossi said:


> 1 - We live in a desert country, there's going to be bugs. Probably even more if they keep seeding the rain.
> 
> 2 - You're more likely to get bed bugs from the cab to and from the airport here than you are from any foreign hotel.


The heat is a factor and people personal hygeine is a major factor.

I just hate it when I have maintenance guys coming in.


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