Frequently asked questions about
the bed bug treatment video
Link to bed bug treatment video: https://youtu.be/GCjVlrFfToA
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Q. How do I prevent taking bed bugs with me when I leave home? I certainly do not want to share them with anyone else.
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A. Start by creating places where bed bugs cannot go. You can use these places to keep clothes and shoes that you are going to wear when going out. The best place to do this would be in areas where bed bugs usually do not hang out anyway. The ideal location would be either in the bathroom or the kitchen. Any small table will work fine. Just treat that table the way I show in my bed bug video, and then put bed bug traps under all the legs.
Make sure that you wash all the clothes that are going on the table and dry them on a high heat. Spray your shoes with Bedlam Plus. Everything you put on the table will remain bed bug free.
Always change your clothes in the bathroom. Immediately wash whatever clothes you take off when changing. If you do not have a washing machine, then bag those clothes and wash them at a later time.
You should also carry a handbag that is washable and that you can use as a purse. You should wash and dry this prior to use and keep it on that table at all times when you are at home.
Doing all of these things will prevent bed bugs from hitching a ride with you when you leave your home.
Q. If I am still seeing bed bugs after the treatment, how long should I wait to repeat the treatment?
A. The treatment should be once and done. If you are still seeing bed bugs after the treatment, then you probably missed something. Remember that the key to success is to be thorough. You need to treat everything and leave no stone unturned. That said, it is not unusual for folks to miss something or not do as good a job as needed when steaming, so the pesticides are there to make sure that there are no stragglers that got away. Bed bug eggs should hatch within about 2 to 10 days, so if you still have activity, then you would want to do the entire treatment again after 10 days. This is because the Crossfire is only good for a month tops. The Bedlam Plus and the Gentrol IGR last a lot longer, but if you still have bed bugs that didn't die within about 10 days, then you need to vacuum and steam again, which will remove these products. If you retreat, think about places that you may have missed the first time. Also, go a bit slower with the steam. Don't work so slowly with the steam that you damage anything, but you do want to move slowly enough to allow the steam to do its job. The hotter the steam, the faster you can work. At a minimum, you should use a steamer that puts out 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 71 degrees Celsius. The steamer listed in the video description will put out a temperature twice that high, and that will all but ensure success, even if you are working too quickly.
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Q. Are these products harmful to children or pets?
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A. All of the products are safe for children to play on after they dry. If the kids like to roll around on the floor, then don't use diatomaceous earth on the floors where they play. It won't harm them, but it could get all over their clothes. Just leave the DE out of the mix.
None of it is harmful to cats and dogs, but you don't want to apply diatomaceous earth where they like to lay down. They often have their favorite spots to lay down, so just avoid DE in those areas. It won't really harm them, but it can get all over their fur. If they lick it off, there is a small chance that they could get ill from it, but not much. Still, no sense taking chances. It's fine for them to walk on it though. The other pesticides are fine to use where they lay down. Just make sure it is dry first.
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You should always keep children and pets in another room while you are applying any pesticide. After everything is dry, it's safe to let them into the room that is being treated.
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Q. Will any steamer work? I have one I use to get wrinkles out of clothes. Can I just use that one?
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A. At a minimum, you should use a steamer that puts out 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 71 degrees Celsius. The steamer listed in the video description will put out a temperature twice that high, and that will all but ensure success, even if you are working too quickly. The problem with clothes steamers is that they may not put out steam that is hot enough, so you will be wasting your time. Also, they may not get into all the areas where the bed bugs are located. You would be wise to invest in a good steamer that was designed for cleaning and not fabric care.
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Q. You didn't cover how to treat carpeting in the video. Can you explain how to do that?​
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A. I am so sorry that carpeting was not included in the video. I did not happen to have any carpeting located in the building I was using to treat. You would treat carpeting much the same way as treating the walls, by simply spraying a mixture of Crossfire and Gentrol IGR on the carpet, using either a handheld spray bottle or pump-up garden sprayer. Always wear a respirator when you are doing this sort of work, as well as gloves and eye protection. This material is safe for children to play on after it dries. If you don't mind the way it looks, you can also mix some diatomaceous earth with it as well. You do not need to soak the carpet. A light spray is all you need.
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Q. How do I treat books?
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A. Bed bugs can hang out in books, so inspect them carefully. You can treat a book by placing it in a plastic bag and putting it in a microwave oven for about a minute. Put 1/2 cup of water in the microwave to avoid damaging the oven. The bag will protect the book from the steam from the cup. If the bag starts to expand, then turn off the microwave before the book gets damaged. Take the book out of the bag and inspect it for damage and live bed bugs. Repeat the treatment for a longer time if you find any live bed bugs. After treatment, place the books in a sealed plastic bag until the infestation is gone. Make sure that the books do not contain any metal.
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Q. The products mentioned in the video are not available in my country, unless you are a licensed pest controller. Is there another way to eliminate bed bugs?
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A. This is not the best way to treat bed bugs, but it is possible to eliminate them with just vacuuming, steaming, and diatomaceous earth (DE). All of which you can obtain in almost every country around the world. The key is thoroughness. Leave no stone unturned and do a very good job vacuuming and steaming. You must buy a steamer that produces at least 71 degrees Celsius or 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The one I recommend in the video description produces twice that temperature. 71 degrees Celsius is the minimum. The hotter the better. At 140 degrees Celsius, death is instant for both live bed bugs and their eggs. So, the hotter the steam, the faster you can go.
Use diatomaceous earth as a dust everywhere it cannot be disturbed by people, pets, or air currents. Mix it with water for all other applications. Apply it everywhere possible, as shown in my video on how to treat bed bugs. Try mixing the diatomaceous earth 1 part DE to 4 parts water. If the powder it leaves behind is too unsightly, then mix it 1 to 6. If it is still too unsightly, then mix it 1 to 8. The more concentrated it is, the better it will work. Keep in mind that the powder that is left behind will come off easily, so you can't apply it on floors where you are going to walk. However, you can apply it on baseboards, under furniture, inside dressers, and anywhere else it will not be wiped off. You can also apply a 6-inch (15 cm) band on the floor along the walls.
If this treatment does not work the first time, then you missed something, so repeat the entire process and look for areas that you may have missed.
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Q. Does heat treating bed bugs actually work? I have a pest controller that says he can eliminate the problem by heating my home. Is he right about that and can I do this myself?
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A. Heat treating can be an effective way to eliminate bed bugs, but it must be done correctly. If you go this route, then it is best left to a professional who specializes in these treatments. You need to get the room very hot. Virtually everything in the room needs to reach a temperature of at least 113° Fahrenheit. That is not just the air temperature. That temperature needs to be reached inside the bed, furniture, and maybe even inside the walls. So, for this to work, you need the right equipment and somebody using it who knows exactly what they're doing. It is very easy to mess this up, so there is no guarantee that heat treating is going to eliminate the problem.