How many times a week should you wash/re-wash clothes/linens if you have bed bugs and an exterminator?

Question

We found out we had bed bugs pretty quickly. We got an exterminator and he will come every 2 weeks a total of 3 more times. In the meantime, I have washed linens, clothes, etc. in hot water and bleach or ammonia and in hot dry. We've been fine up until this morning when I woke up with a huge bite on my arm. I am going to wash the linens on the futon (we moved into the LR) and the clothes that are sitting out, but should I be washing my clothes and stuff every 3 days? I know I am vacuuming a lot. anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

Jennifer,

Yuck...bedbugs...they are tough to get rid of.

I am going to mention something that might help you out.  Consider getting some chemical free sprays like those made by Kleen-Free and use them around your house and on the furniture and in your wash.

They have two products that should work.  The first is BedBug Terminator that you can spray safely on your own as it is chemical free and it will kill the bedbugs that it comes into contact with.

The second is Kleen-Free itself that you use in your wash at about 4 ounces of teh concentrate (not the premixed) for each load of laundry and wash on hot and dry on high.

Nice thing about adding this to yoru arsenal is that it may get the last few bugs that are chemical rseistent.

You need to keep washing as much as you can until after your last exterminator appointment.  You may want to consider bagging some of what you have washed but will not be wearing and storing it somewhere offsite so you do not feel the need to rewash it again.

Good luck.  They take time to get rid of but being thorough will help and it sounds like you are on your way.

Answer 2

Just to be safe i would wash all my clothes and any type of fabric and atleast once every other day just to b safe...also i had fleas and bed bugs once and if u take Eucalyptos oil (spelled it wrong) and lace ur floors and beds with it the high fuymes will drive the bedbugs crazy and they will leave and will kill the fleas cuz of the posion in its fumes...dont woory harmless to humans and animals...i put it on my 3 cats 4 dogs and bird and nuthign happened...hope this helps...!