# She's bugging out.



## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I have a strange job for a client & need to protect myself. She lives on the second floor of three story coop, attached buildings. She says that she has bed bugs only in her 2 sectioned couch. My job is to disassemble & remove the couch in any way that I see fit. The already disposed of the cushions. I plan to unscrew whatever is possible & use a sawsall on the rest of the frame.


My question is, what can I do to assure myself from carrying those things home? Should I wear something similar to asbestos protection? Is there any thing that I can spray that won't put my health in danger? Is vinegar any good for that?


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

I've heard you can spray the item [usually mattress] down with 70% rubbing alcohol and it'll kill em on contact. A 50/50 mix water/70% rubbing alcohol kills em with less chance of wrecking the item, but I'd go full power and buy a couple Costco bottles of 70% personally - bed bugs just sound nasty to me.


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## RRH (Nov 24, 2016)

Alcohol mix 50% with water and spray will help. And they are not just in the couch it is just where she has seen them. They hide a lot even in electric outlets.

As much protection as possible. Undress in your garage and carry clothes in a seal garbage bag to your dryer and put on high heat.

Spray yourself with the mix before and after. Then go out and treat your truck that you drove home with.

Think all this is worth it? Will also mention you are wasting the clients money. 

Tell her to get a bedbug inspection and price for treatment. Once they show her they are at other places. They will also get in the new couch.

If she wants the couch removed why not wait until after treatment. The treatment will cost her the same.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

RRH, Your point that the bed bugs are not only in the couch makes sense even though she only gets bit when she sits on the couch. I will call her in the morning. If she still wants me to remove the couch, would wearing one of those suits that are worn for asbestos removal protect me? If not what is worn for bed bug removal?


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

This is a good article. It's a Public Health issue.
I've always read >130 degrees. Too bad it's not Summer.


https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/do-it-yourself-bed-bug-control


https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/bedbugs-infestation#1


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

You will have to do the work neked.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

SeniorSitizen said:


> You will have to do the work neked.



Don't do it! I saw a guy who had bites all over his back from bedbugs. He stood under the cold water of the hose then forgot to turn it off, he was so upset.


I finally figured out Senior's sense of humor. It's facetious.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Tyvek suit is recommended for people entering homes with bedbugs, like Social Workers, Healthcare.


https://pksafety.com/dupont-tyvek-400-disposable-hazmat-coverall-suit-ty122svp/


Lots of practical suggestions:


https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/bb-healthcare1.pdf



Wear protective booties at all times or at least when you are uncertain about the presence of aninfestation in the client’s home. If asked about the booties, let the client know that you are trying to
protect them from insects that you may have encountered at other residences.
• Coveralls or a Tyvec
®
suit can be worn if you are entering a home where you know there is a severe
infestation. Coveralls should also be considered if you know that you will be moving or carrying
items, like a wheelchair from an infested home. Coveralls should also be worn if you are physically
moving people or animals from an infested home (see more on transporting infested people below). 
• Do not sit on upholstered furniture or the bed. Take a quick look in the cracks of hard chairs before
sitting down, or better still, bring your own chair when you visit.
• Carry only those items with you that are essential to the home visit. Leave everything else in the car.
A plastic clipboard can be used to hold your paperwork. A fanny pack can be used to hold your
wallet, personal items, spare gloves and booties.
• Avoid placing anything on upholstered furniture, bedding, or on carpeted floors. 



When you return to your vehicle, remove your booties immediately and seal them in a plastic bag.Dispose of the bag before you get in the car.
3. If you were wearing coveralls or a Tyvec
®
suit remove it by turning it inside out to trap any bed bugs inside. 
Place the suit in a sealed plastic bag and dispose of it before you get in the vehicle. 
4. Have a hand mirror handy so that you can perform a quick self-inspection. Check your clothing,
(the back of your pants, tread of your shoes, shoe laces, socks, cuffs and collar). 
5. If you find an insect on yourself (bed bug or cockroach), don’t freak out. Use a “wet wipe” to capture the
insect (for later identification). Use another to wipe down the surrounding area, paying attention to seams,
A portable, hard surface chair or stool. 
• A fanny pack for holding personal items like your
identification, cell phone, additional booties or gloves
• A change of clothes and shoes (kept in your vehicle)
• A plastic storage container with a sealed lid that is large
enough to contain the items listed below or items that
you might suspect to be infested.
b) Protective booties and Tyvek
®
type coveralls.
c) Disposable gloves
d) A roll of duct tape (light colored)
e) Small plastic garbage bags
f ) A roll of clear plastic drum liners (50 gallon
garbage bags)
g) Flashlight
h) Narrow banded spatula (for crushing bed bugs)
i) A fresh container of wet wipes (i.e. Wet Ones
Antibacterial)
j) Plastic box-type clipboard containing paper and pens.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I planned to get some kind of HazMat suit. First, I'm going to tell her that even if the bugs are confined to the couch, as soon as I start to cut, they will run everywhere.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I spoke to the owner. She agreed to have the bed bug exterminators do their job first. Then I'll go there & remove the couch.


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## RRH (Nov 24, 2016)

Guap0_ said:


> I spoke to the owner. She agreed to have the bed bug exterminators do their job first. Then I'll go there & remove the couch.


much better plan. Still wear the suit you have not worth the chance bringing them home.

In case the exterminators miss a few.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I certainly will wear a suit.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

The latest is that an exterminator is on the way. He is going to spray the couch & inspect the rest of the apartment. I think that he should spray the entire place without question. I'm waiting to see what he says. In the meantime, I haver to buy a suit.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

It's the flat spatula for crushing bugs that got to me.:surprise:


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Difficult job to get involved in but good the exterminator comes first. My concern would be other units suddenly seeing those bugs and then all who participated in the removal become part of the liability. Others may already have bugs but haven't said anything but may choose to do so once they can blame someone else.

Bud


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

It also looks like 25% deet repels them too. After the suit and around shoes. I'd possibly rub it on the tools too.:smile: And not taking the garbage home. Also check the ceiling and possibly lay a tarp and work on the tarp.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

So, here's the grand finally. The exterminator went there & said, "There are no bugs here." I said What? Anyway, I didn't bother to buy a hazmat suit. I demolished the couch & that's the end of the story. Thanks for all the opinions.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Guap0_ said:


> So, here's the grand finally. The exterminator went there & said, "There are no bugs here." I said What? Anyway, I didn't bother to buy a hazmat suit. I demolished the couch & that's the end of the story. Thanks for all the opinions.



Now that's interesting. Was she imagining things?


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I don't think so, She showed me a few red marks on her arms & one on her chin. They were a little bumpy but I really had to look hard to see them. She said that they were worse yesterday. I don't know.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

That medical marewanna can do strange things to the human mjind.:vs_laugh:


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## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

I think it was here, someone got bed bugs in his apartment. It started a good conversation. One poster worked in a pest control operation. They had 2 trailers set up to kill the little red bugs. One trailer had a propane fired heater. Furniture was put in and the heat killed the bugs. The other trailer had a propane heater, and hoses to heat the apartment and that killed the bugs. Then they heated the apartments on the same level, the level above and below and diagonally.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Oh, they're red? I had no idea. Anyway, I have another small problem. I nicked the fake wood floor. Maybe a little wood filler & touch up stain?


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)




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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

They start out translucent & become red with blood.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

They sure are ugly.


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## PestGuy (Jan 15, 2018)

I can't stand when people say they are getting bit, and they know it's bed bugs. First of all, even doctors can't tell what kind of insect is biting you, and secondly, it could be a number of other things, such as an allergic reaction to something else, dust mites, etc.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I see on the news that Measles are occurring in places again. 

Could she have gotten exposed and gotten a mild outbreak.

I had them as a kid in the early 60's, and got over them fairly easy, some of us are better equipped to reject the disease than others, I suppose.


ED


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## StGPest (Apr 30, 2019)

I'm glad to hear that this client decided to have a Pest Control professional come in first. That was going to be my first suggestion. Bed bugs are just plain harder to get rid of then other bugs. It requires several visits to ensure that not only the bugs are dead, but that their eggs are dead too!


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