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I live outside of NYC and assume I got them from the bus. I’ve seen them on the bus, anyway. It got bad before I realized. I did my research— bought the bed co
by xtiansimon 4y ago
I live outside of NYC and assume I got them from the bus. I’ve seen them on the bus, anyway.
It got bad before I realized. I did my research— bought the bed covers, put everything near the bed in clear plastic bags, and bought a steam cleaner.
The bugs infest your bed, reproduce, and spread out. To get rid of them you do the reverse—kill them on the bed with steam. Wait a day or two for the commuters to repopulate the bedding, repeat.
Most important thing is don’t panic. If you panic, throw out your bed, then you will prolly end up dragging your bed through your home and spread the bugs everywhere.
A year later I was volunteering at a community program teaching adults to use computers. The topic of bed bugs came up. A person said the Cedarcide product was absolutely the best product. I’m adverse to using any poison on or near my bed, so I gave it a try—it’s just cedar oil.
Well, I tried it and shared the product with my neighbors. I didn’t see any direct effect on the bugs. What I did realize was the smell of the product is distinct (and pleasant). Living in an apartment building, when you smell the product, you know someone has the problem and you can catch an infestation early. This is key.
Also, once you find and deal with the issue, best to continue to check your bedding twice a week. I found spring through to early summer is the worst. If you can get past that time, and you know your neighbors are clear, then you’re good. But as long as your neighbors have a problem, then you too have a problem.
There is a lot of irrational shame when people have the bugs. They deny and deny, so communication is key—even if it’s coded communication as the smell of whatever spray people use to treat and kill the bugs, or empty bug spray cans.
- IG_Semmelweiss 4y agodowntread poster suggested : Fly paper on bed posts and pull the bed away from the wall. This’ll let you get a good nights sleep while you engage all the additional preemptive measures you point out.
- voidfunc 4y agoAren't the bugs usually in/on the mattress tho? They don't climb up the bed posts.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- kirykl 4y agoactually they do, source: "Mark Rober Bed Bugs- What You've Been Told is Totally False" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAOTJxYqh8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAOTJxYqh8
- voidfunc 4y agoWell I just learned a shit ton about bed bugs (saw this in another post). Cool.
- tashoecraft 4y agoWas about to suggest this video. Seems everything you need to know about an infestation and preventing the chance of getting them is described.
- finfrastrcuture 4y agoIts a precaution for when you turn the bed into a safe zone, they don't re-infest the bed (provided you are being super careful about what you're putting on your bed).
- sidewndr46 4y agoHow dirty does a public bus have to be to have an ecosystem living on it?
- kijin 4y agoEverything has an ecosystem living on it. Are you sure your laptop is any cleaner than the toilet seat? How long has it been since you disinfected its surface with alcohol, bleach, or citric acid?
- sidewndr46 4y agoThe toilet always gets brought up in these conversations. For example, the toilet in almost every restaurant is substantially cleaner than any surface you eat on. It's made of ceramic and doused in bleach (and other cleaners) on a regular basis, so it comes as no surprise that it is cleaner. Comparing to the toilet is a fallacy because of this and the fact that no one I know defecates on their laptop.
- kijin 4y agoThe toilet is actually a very good example that illustrates the importance of easily cleanable surfaces. It doesn't matter if you poop on it every day as long as it can be doused in bleach from time to time! Can't say the same for a MacBook Pro. (By the way, one usually poops in the toilet bowl, not on the toilet seat...) We won't get cleaner buses by magically wishing all the passengers to have better hygiene. The answer is to cover all internal surfaces with non-porous, corrosion-resistant, easily cleanable materials and to eliminate nooks and crannies where dirt can accumulate. Ideally, you should be able to hose down all the seats of a bus after a day's service.
- MichaelZuo 4y agoThis would make each bus cost tens of millions of dollars. Actually seamless welding and assembly, for large objects like busses, is only used by very high end manufacturing like rockets.
- Aerbil313 4y agoI read on reddit that only reliable way is those house-heating companies.