The One Thing That Saved Me from Bed Bugs - and My Sanity!

I'll admit it - I used to think bed bugs only happened to other people, the kind who live in squalid apartments or are just a bit rough around the edges. But boy, was I wrong.

It was spring 2018, and I was living proof that bed bugs can happen to anyone. We were battling them for months, trying every trick in the book, but nothing seemed to work. That was until we stumbled upon the smoke gun, which I'll be talking about in more detail later. I know some people swear by those pesky little sprays or powders, but we tried those too and saw no results.

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The origin story.

So, where did they come from? To be honest, I have no idea. I'm guessing most people who've dealt with this issue are pretty tidy and don't attract unwanted critters into their homes. Maybe someone brought them in on their clothes or luggage, or maybe the neighbors were doing some renovations that brought them in. Or maybe - and this sounds a bit far-fetched, but it's a theory that's been floating around - pest control companies are somehow involved. I know it sounds crazy, but there have been cases where people have found boxes of bed bugs in basements or stairwells that someone had deliberately left there. And let's be real, pest control companies need to make a living, right?

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The beginning.

I'll never forget that March evening when my grandma called me over, complaining about some bug. She's a pretty elderly person, so I thought maybe it was just her imagination running wild. I searched the room, but I couldn't find anything. We chatted for a bit, and I noticed a small spot on the ceiling. I figured it was just a minor issue, but then I saw the 'bug' get swatted with a towel. It looked like it was defeated, but then it vanished and reappeared on the pages of a book, where it was eventually squashed. At the time, we had no idea what was going on.

I live in a three-bedroom apartment with multiple people, so it's always tidy and clean. But things took a turn for the worse in late March. My grandma and dad started getting bitten all over their bodies, and I was lucky enough to avoid it initially. But a week later, I woke up with a nasty rash and itchy skin. One day, I even went to work with a puffy eye. The internet helped us figure out what was going on, and later, the experts confirmed our suspicions – it was a full-blown cockroach infestation in our area.

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Bites from cockroaches.

I've had a pretty bad allergic reaction to bug bites. Mine were super itchy and took a while to change visually. There were these dense bumps where the bites were. I rushed to the doctor and they gave me a few options. After researching them, I went with Zodak (I've already written a review on it, which you can check out here). Zodak got rid of the itchiness immediately, and the bumps took about two months to go away. Before taking the medication, I had a runny nose and congestion, and sometimes my temperature would spike.

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It wasn't until later that I learned that intense itchiness and instant reactions to bites are usually a sign of baby bed bugs. Adult bugs release a saliva that contains an anesthetic, which puts you to sleep for a bit (baby bugs can't do that yet). That's why you might not even notice you've been bitten.

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At that point, we realized things had gotten out of hand. We didn't know what to do, we couldn't find the bugs or their nests, but we were getting attacked. Sleep was impossible. Since bed bugs hate light, we had to sleep with the lights on. We were exhausted, and every hour someone would wake up from the bites, and it felt like the bugs were crawling all over us all the time. We couldn't keep going like that, so we called in a professional for treatment (our local health department recommended someone).

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Should you call in a professional for treatment?

Opinions on this vary widely online, just like the products against bed bugs. Since this happened a few months ago, I can share my experience and give you my honest opinion.

Let's be real, some people might be desperate for a solution, especially when they've tried everything else and still can't find a fix. They'll cling to any hope, no matter how slim. But in our case, it was a total waste of time and money. We paid 6,000 rubles and spent three to four hours on the initial visit. And when they came back for the second time, they wanted half the price - but we weren't about to call them again. As I later found out, they weren't even doing the job correctly, and they knew it wouldn't help us. If you're considering hiring someone for this kind of work, I'd recommend going with people who use smoke bombs instead of chemicals. And if you do decide to go with chemicals, make sure to clear out the room, move all the furniture, and get everything in order before you start. Just because they're only biting you in one room doesn't mean they won't spread to the rest of the house.

Honestly, good professionals are hard to come by, and you might be able to tackle the problem yourself.

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The bottom line.

If things have gotten out of hand and you're dealing with a similar situation, be prepared to put in a lot of effort. Some people, even when they haven't solved the problem, have resorted to selling their apartment - and I'm not kidding. It sounds crazy, but if you've never been in this situation, you won't understand the scope of the issue.

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First things first, try to find the nests. They can be hidden behind wallpaper, linoleum, or other coverings, deep in a closet, or behind furniture, in electrical outlets, or even in the walls (where they can live for years, enter a state of dormancy, and then start causing trouble again years later), in furniture upholstery, bedding, and so on.xa0

You'll need to move furniture, push everything away from the walls.xa0

Purge your old stuff, declutter, and get rid of books or take them to the garage. Minimalism reigns supreme in your home. Of course, not everyone can afford to get rid of old furniture, but we had to take drastic measures. It wasn't until I got rid of my couch and armchair that I stopped getting bitten. It's not exactly something you'd brag about, so we didn't discuss it with our neighbors, but we noticed that during that time, people were constantly getting rid of couches and mattresses in our neighborhood.xa0

Adhesive tape or double-sided tape can help catch the critters. We stuck it along the walls, near closets, and around fold-out beds (we still haven't decided to buy a real bed after three months).xa0

Consider sleeping with a nightlight or a nightlight.xa0

It's better to take the kids and pets out of the house for the time being.xa0

Secure your outlets with tape. This is one of the most popular spots for them to make their nests, so you can keep an eye out for any unwanted visitors.xa0

Sort through all your laundry, iron it (or run it through the iron with the steam setting), and bag it up (you can even throw it away).xa0

Invest in a steam cleaner (we sometimes used an iron with a steam setting), and go through the entire house before bed, even under shelves and behind the heater. The bed bugs will scurry out, and you might be able to get rid of them.xa0

Stay dressed while you're in the house, so it's harder for them to bite you.xa0

When you're treating the house, close the windows and wear masks. Don't linger in the house for too long, and make a quick exit once you're done.xa0

Be prepared for the fact that these pests are incredibly clever and won't go down without a fight.xa0

Try different methods of treatment - it all depends on the scale of the infestation. Some people swear by DIY methods, while others prefer calling in the professionals, and then there are those who swear by smoke bombs.xa0

Using smoke bombs.

I'll be upfront with you - one smoke bomb is unlikely to be enough. The instructions say you should repeat the process within a month, but not before two weeks. If you get complacent after the first treatment and think you've solved the problem, you might be in for a nasty surprise when the pests come back. One smoke bomb is unlikely to be enough to keep them at bay.

After using a smoke bomb, you might think the infestation has gotten worse, but that's just temporary - you've basically woken up and irritated the pests.

A nice bonus is that the smoke bomb will kill off any other insects that might be lurking in your home. We still find dead spiders in our home, even though we clean daily.

Smoke bombs are usually the last resort in our battle against pests, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a more comprehensive approach. In our case, it's likely that we needed a combination of treatments, given that we'd been trying different solutions for months and were getting bitten left and right.

Make sure to invest in a specialized suit (it's cheap, and you can get it from the same place you buy the smoke bombs) to prevent the pests from getting on your skin. Get a respirator - a regular mask like mine won't cut it, and we only used it when dealing with the chemicals.

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You'll need a spare pot or a metal bucket (don't use plastic, as it might melt).

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First things first, get everyone out of the apartment. That's right, the person who's about to set off the smoke bomb needs to leave too - they won't be sticking around for long. We covered the TV with plastic, hid the computers, and made sure all the outlets were exposed. Then we placed a bucket in the middle of the room, lit the smoke bomb, and quickly extinguished the flame. We lit one smoke bomb per room per treatment, so three in total. It's essential to move quickly, as the smoke spreads fast. Don't even think about lighting just one smoke bomb in one room.

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We recommend opening all closets and closing the windows. Once you've left the apartment, don't hang around - the smoke will be intense, and you might find it's seeping through the front door and windows (good luck with those new-fangled windows). You might even get a visit from a well-meaning neighbor who thinks there's a fire. So, we waited outside for a few hours, watching as the smoke slowly seeped through the new glass.

It'll take some time for the smoke to clear, and when it does, it'll be a pretty nasty smell. We opened all the windows, gave the place a good airing, and left it empty for a bit to let the smell dissipate.

After we returned, we gave the place a good cleaning with a damp cloth, making sure to avoid any contact with the ash.

Before you do this, make sure you've got rid of any nests and eggs. The smoke doesn't affect the eggs.

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The Result.

It's been a few weeks since I did it again, and we started getting bitten again - it lasted for a few days, then stopped. After everything that happened, I had to do some repairs and replace the furniture. The plan was to do it eventually, but everything just converged at the same time. It's been a few months now, and I'm not even sure what to expect next, but the Shashka is definitely working.

Don't put it off - try everything you can and don't give up. Good luck in this tough battle!