I heard--watched on TV -- there is a service that freezes the beds and this is what the hotels are doing -- the service uses a freezer truck and it takes a few days to freez kill the bugs. After this it is keep the place cleeen, rugs and carpets might make a good hideout so avoid if possible.

there are mattresses where the covers are removable and this might help with the visability issue and provide some washability. . . Green Sleep is one brand

Natual Bedroom By vivetek sells organic cotton mattress barrier covers that zip on -- much better than the plastic kind when it comes to air quality / toxic free and they are washable -- slide one on and see if the beggers can get through.

visit http://www.birc.org/index.html


good luck. . . good sleeping

Greg
founder of
Green Fusion Design Center

Evie,
Hello. Our website, GreenNest, recently started carrying a non-toxic pest control:
http://www.greennest.com/index.php?cPath=68

It is safe for humans and pets and works for crawling insects - including BED BUGS by creating a barrier which they avoid. You can purchase this in powder or spray form.

I hope this helps! I can only imagine how frustrating your problem is and I too, would be seeking a non-toxic option :)

We also offer barrier cover (organic/cotton) and organic mattress, pillows and linens.

Best of luck!

www.arbico-organics.com 1-800-827-2847 were so helpful last year when we were having a bug problem. they specialize in non-toxic bug control. they counsel with you, no charge and the owner sherry i believe,is an epidemiologist, she talked with me several times.I'd recommend calling them,hope it helps!(we don't have the bug problem any more, what they recommended did work.)

Evie, all the things you have tried will work (to some degree) Even pest contollers use steam. I will refer you to a Bed Bug Code of Practice drawn up by Stephen Dogget, an Australian Medical Scientist.
http://medent.usyd.edu.au/bedbug/bedbug_cop.htm

It has largely been rejected in USA (they are intending to re-invent the wheel)As far as pesticides, the USA alone has banned or severely frowned upon carbamates. The rest of the world still accept them as useful, and almost the only pesticide that controls bed bugs. It is non repellent, and almost all the insecticides used indoors in the USA are repellant and hunt the BB's away for a few days/weeks, but it doesnt kill them and doesn't conrol them.

Read through the code of practice, it is more specifically intended for pest controllers, but Doggett reveals lots of gems that most of us would not think of. Many of them are passive and will assist in getting you to being closer to bed bug free.

By the way, if the BB's are under your mattress/box springs or behind your head board, vaseline wont work. If they have to climb onto the bed vaseline should work.

We had bed bugs and we bought 2 gallons of Kleen Free online from www.Genesis.com.

I put it on my skin as well and it helped with the itching. How it works is by literally "consuming the bugs" because it is straight enzymes.

I had terrible bites that got infected, originally my doctor thought I had hives so that is why it went on so long until one bed bug literally crawled over me when I was sitting on our carpet one day.

Before the enzymes arrived I used hydrogen peroxide on the sores, it was the only thing that stopped the itching.

I still have scars on my ankles and legs.

I got rid of the box springs but before we did that I took boric acid and saturated the box spring in it. It killed any bed bug babies that may not have hatched.

We were going to replace our carpet with non toxic carpet anyway so we did that as well and sprayed the floor with the Kleen Free.

I bought a sprayer at Home depot and sprayed the entire house.

We have never had another bed bug and it has been 4 years now.

Thanks and good luck. I know how much suffering these nasty bugs create.