February freeze and a pest problem

 Well, the last month of winter began with a freeze, This morning I woke up to a temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. We were supposed to possibly get some snow flurries, but no flurries were spotted where I live. Today was still very cold to us Floridians.

This past week was rather... crappy. Nothing major, just stressful at work and then on top of that, I woke up on Friday morning with suspicious bites on my side. Three in a line, and I was thinking, "Please, do not let this be what I think it is. Please do not let it be bed bugs."

I convinced myself that it must be something else, but no. This morning I woke up with a few more bites, and I stripped my bed completely and washed everything, right down to the mattress -- dust ruffle, mattress protector, sheets, coverlet, duvet, shams, and pillow protectors. I put everything through the dryer (high heat for a full cycle will kill the bed bugs and eggs). Sure enough, I found some dead ones in the lint filter, and also some more bodies when I thoroughly vacuumed the room. I went over the mattress with a dust buster, especially the seams. I sprayed my metal bed frame down with 70% isopropyl alcohol, as well as my pine nightstand and pictures with wooden frames. I also washed my dog's bedding. I'm also going to wash all pillows and run them through the dryer. 

Just for tonight I'm camping out on the living room sofa, which I think is okay (this might be TMI, but I sleep in the buff, so at least I don't think I'm carrying bed bugs to other parts of the house). I ordered a special airtight cover for my mattress that won't allow bed bugs to enter or to survive. I also ordered some natural, plant-based spray that's supposed to kill bed bugs. These are supposed to arrive overnight from Amazon. I'm going to spray the whole bedroom, including the mattress, and put the mattress cover back on before I re-make up the bed. I also plan to order a steamer  that puts out very high-temperature steam. From what I understand, this is not an easy fix, and will take diligent and regular treating, cleaning, and washing. 

I don't know where I would have gotten bed bugs from, unless it was from a cruise I went on the second week of November. I didn't think my issue could have originated there, but upon researching, it can in fact take several weeks from the time bed bugs are introduced into your home till you notice bites and other signs. 

I'm praying that I caught this issue early enough that it will not require professional pest control, as that would be very expensive.