Hi all,
I recently learned that my boyfriend has a bed bug infestation at his apartment. I used to stay there frequently, bringing school bags and clothes back and forth from there to my house. It seems that other units are infested in his building, since we found dead bugs in his staircase, but I think it is recent in his apartment. We had done a complete cleaning and painting when he moved in 3 months ago. A bit more than a week ago we saw a live nymph in his room and two days later I saw a live nymph crawl out of my purse while it was on a counter at home. I know it is probably likely that other bugs have crawled out of the stuff I brought back from his place into my house. My boyfriend moved back to his parent's house last week because of the infestation in his apartment. I know this wasn't the safest thing to do, but anyway it's done. He moved his stuff carefully and washed all his clothes. I have to consider the possibility that his parent's place may be infested now.
I have started to clean and vaccuum my bedroom, which was a huge mess before. Up to now I only saw an exoskeleton in my room (which I also could have brought from his place), but no other sign of bed bugs. I live in a big house with my parents, and they did their best to check their bed, but no signs of bed bugs there either. I also started to bag and launder all my clothes at high temperature. I put homemade interceptors under my bed and couch legs. I set up yeast traps in my room, my parent's room, my sister's room and my basement (where I sleep with my boyfriend when he visits me). I haven't caught anything yet. I have inspected my bed twice now, without finding anything suspicious. I am considering bagging my duvet comforter and buy another one that can be washed and dried at high temperature. I am really not sure what to do with all my books and notebooks (I have a ton in my room). Any advice on that? Anything else I should be doing at home to monitor/inspect/clean? Can my houseplants be contaminated?
I would also like some advice on how to prevent spreading the infestation from his place to mine or vice-versa. For now we are carrying our stuff in air-tight bags and wearing only freshly laundered clothes from each-others place. What else should we do? Can we carry bedbugs on ourselves apart from our clothing, e.g. in our hair?
Any advice would be much appreciated! 