Lord of the Bed Bugs: 08/13/12

Monday, August 13, 2012

It just occurred to me that throughout the entire two weeks of Olympics, I never suspected any athlete of bed bug bedlam--even after hearing references to the Olympic Village. This is a miracle!

Sightings

May 1 Live bed bug in Cami's bed; bites on Cami!
May 11 One dead bed bug on stairs; one live bed bug in trap under Keaton's bed leg
May 20 Live bed bug caught in box spring casing
May 26 Bed bug spots on Connor's sheets
May 28 More bites (the tell-tale 3) on Cami!
May 29 Bed bug spots on Connor's sheets
May 30 More bed bug spots on Connor's bed sheets--what is it with him?!
June 2 More bed bug spots--guess where? You got it--Connor's bed.
June 5 Dead bed bug in the study--WHAT?!
June 17 Bed bug spots on Connor's and Keaton's bed sheets

Things I've Done and Tried

Called the exterminators. They encased all mattresses and boxsprings and scrutinized outlets, cracks, mattresses, everything! They spray Phantom on carpets, cracks, mattress seams every two weeks.
Washed all clothing in hot water and dried on high heat for about 75 minutes.
Washed bedsheets on a weekly basis. If spots occurred, washed sheets again.
Put all clothing in large zippered bags.
Removed all heavy blankets, comforters, decorative pillows, stuffed animals--basically anything extraneous or fluffy--and stored them in zippered bags or large black lawn/leaf bags. Stored these for later in the hot attic.
Placed all books, trinkets on dressers, desks or bookshelves in large zippered bags.
Vacuumed all rooms--carpet, baseboards, visible cracks--with beater bar and knife edge on a weekly basis.
Vacuumed thoroughly all furniture inside and out.
Kept shoes outside.
Used ozone generator in any room where a bed bug was sighted.

Things I Do Daily

Pray. Hope in God.
Ask kids if they had a good sleep and if they have any bites.
Check all bedsheets for spots, other signs of bugs. Check traps under each bed leg.
Wash everybody's clothes in hot water and high heat. Throw a Color Catcher into the wash. No exceptions. I don't let clothes sit in the hampers.
Check the lint trap in the dryer for signs of bed bugs. I usually use a magnifying glass and flashlight to make sure.
Put laundry in baskets on tables or chairs when done and waiting to be put away.
Put clothes away in large zippered bags. No bags are left unzipped. The kids do their own clothes.
Don't allow clothing, books, or basically anything on the floor.