Oh boy... here we go.This is my third time with bed bugs and I'm so glad that I've found this forum.
The first time I had bed bugs I was living in an apartment which I left shortly after. All of my stuff was put in storage for a year, except for clothes and a few other items.
After moving my stuff out of storage and into my next apartment I was fine for about 2 years. Then I saw bites on both my son and I. I looked and found an adult bed bug. Had a professional inspection and they found a baby. I had them treat my apartment and have been fine for four years.
Just before Christmas I started seeing bites on my son. Both my son and his father have been sleeping in his room. I'm sure my son's father is being bit, but the bites don't show up on him. I couldn't deal with the problem before we left for vacation, so I knew about them for about two to three weeks before taking any action. I did place some homemade CO2 traps (the kind made out of a soda bottle) in my son's room and didn't catch any bugs. The only thing we did as we were walking out the door for vacation was set off three bug bombs which listed bed bugs as one of the bugs it killed - those went off in my room, my sons room and the living room.
Once we returned - first week in January I spent a weekend taking apart my sons room - I washed and dried any clothes that needed it, I heat treated all other clothes so everything is out of all drawers and the closet. All clothes are now in bags down in the basement laundry room and we get clothes from there when needed. Dirty clothes are in a hamper in his room.
I took all items on shelves - books, toys, everything - placed them in bags with DE and tied them shut. I plan to leave them that way for at least 30 days. I placed DE on all shelves, in all drawers, even in the rails the drawers sit on. I pulled his bed to the middle of the room and place DE all around it. Yes, before I found this forum, I even put it on the bed above the mattress encasement (which we've had since the last instance) and below the fitted sheet. I pulled the mattress up and put DE under the bed and on the wood planks the mattress sits on. Since he has wood floors that have cracks and haven't been refinished in a while, I filled all the cracks with DE and placed DE around all baseboards. I put DE behind the electrical plates as well. My son is no longer being bitten.
Additionally, starting in the living room, I'm placing DE around all baseboards - using a paintbrush to push it into the wall. The baseboards are not flush with the floor. Then I use the brush to put a light dusting on the six inches next to the wall. I put DE under the couch cushions and on the back of the couch. I'm working my way around the room this way. I am also putting DE all over the floor to fill the cracks in the wood. It is naturally being pulled across the floor from us walking and I have not swept it up, so its forming a bit of a light dusting almost everywhere.
In my room so far I have placed DE at the base of my bed legs and along the bed frame. I am planning on doing the same treatment to my room as I did to my sons.
DE has been placed around the perimeter of the kitchen and hallway.
I guess my strategy is to make sure that no matter where they walk they run into DE.
I should mention that at no time have I found a bug (dead or alive) or any evidence of the bugs - no waste, no shedding, no actual bugs, no blood stains - and since this isn't my first time with them I know what to look for. The only evidence so far has been the bites on my son, which did look exactly like bed bites and often appeared in groups of three.
I should also mention that it was only after I treated my son's room that I read the warnings about breathing in DE on this forum. I can't do anything about the first two days he was in there. On the third, I tried to remove the DE from on top of his mattress, but it was already so worked in that I couldn't get much off. There isn't any wind in his room so the DE on the shelves, etc seems to stay put.
My questions -
Does this sound like it could work? I don't have 1-2K this time around to call in a professional.
How long do I need to leave the DE down? (I plan to always have it around the perimeter, but want to sweep up the rest and get it off the shelves and out of the drawers when I can)
How long before I can unpack the stuff in bags? Should I get those strips to place in there?
How long before I can place clothes back in his room (and my room once done)?
Anything I'm missing?
If it doesn't sound like it will work, what additional can I do?
In advance - THANK YOU so much for any replies. I really appreciate any feedback you are able to give!