The exterminator isn't coming for days - what can I do to keep until then?

It may take awhile for you to get your bed bug problem taken care of. Even if you get the pest control guy in the next day, it can take a long time to finally get rid of the infestation, and you don't want to be bitten in the meantime. Here's what you should do:

1) Get a mattress cover. These will lock any that are in your mattress (the main hiding place) in there. That alone will cut down on the bites.

2) Wash all your sheets regularly. If you can wash your pillows, do that too. If you can't, then get a pillow cover (they're discussed on the mattress cover page).

3) Get some double-sided tape. Make a little barrier all the way around the side of your mattress. This is essentially a bed bug trap - if they try to crawl up the side, they'll get stuck. You can buy it online here. Make it at least a couple of strips wide - and make sure it's above any zipper, etc. on the mattress cover. Anything that crawls on the tape can also be useful to help the exterminator identify them. To do this, you can't have any sheets or anything hanging over it - wherever the tape is, there can't be a way for them to crawl up. If it connects to the headboards, etc., then you need to put tape there, too - basically you want an unbroken barrier of tape as much as possible.

These things alone will cut down on your bites a ton. They won't kill off the infestation. You have to have an exterminator to do that. But whatever you do, don't panic. Don't toss all your furniture, don't go sleep in another room or at someone else's house (you'll spread them) - basically, don't do much else until you've consulted with an exterminator.  

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