I spent so much of my time trying to get rid of my mite problem that I didn't have the energy to post hundreds of solutions that were not working. Perhaps if I had, someone might have alerted me to the dehumidifier solution and I might have used it and I might have eradicated the problem sooner.
Nevertheless, I am posting my review for Kleen Free on Amazon here.
I'd like to post all the responses... but I'm not sure I can do that without anyone's consent. So let me redirect you back to that review: Kleen Free Please read everyone's comments (on my review) as there are some great solutions recommended that I did not try myself.
My review follows:
12 January 2010
This review is targeted towards people who have had an ongoing issue with mites and are desperate to hear from someone who has tried something that worked. I have spent thousands of dollars on various methods over the last ten years to try to get rid of my bug problem. I have tried: moving house, fumigation, throwing out all bedding, beds, linen, various chemicals and powders, vacuuming daily, showering twice a day (washing my bedding daily), listerine, menthol crystals, diatimacious earth, neem oil, baking soda, windex... you name it, I've tried it.
A couple of years ago I kind of resolved to learn to live with the problem. But this year I found some websites on the internet with information from people who had beaten the problem so I spent 6 months trying a range of products that they recommended. I purchased many of the products on the internet and had them posted to me from America to Australia at great expense.
I tried so many things that I cannot be certain whether it was the combination of products that worked in the end or not. But what I can tell you is that this product seemed to make a very radical difference very quickly. It is the only product that I am certain kills the bugs in the wash. This is important to me as my clothing and bedding seemed to be the last battleground with the mites. After ten years I had mostly eradicated them from other areas of my house but I found that I kept reinfecting myself until I started using kleen free. I have only been using kleen for around one month.
I wish I had received this advice when I first got the problem. In fact one of the websites that I followed said that Kleen Free didn't work for them so I didn't bother to try it until I read testimonials on the Kleen Free website that sounded truthful. I doubted that it was going to make a shred of difference though when I bought it.
Again, I'm not certain it will work for you. We are all amateurs out there trying things through trial and error and I'm sure there are a million bugs out there that respond to different products differently. I just know that it worked for my bugs. The fact that it is non toxic is so important. I was using products that I knew were toxic but I had decided that I would take the risk and use the other products anyway because I was so desperate to get rid of the bugs.
If I had to start from scratch again, I would do this:
Cover your mattress and pillows in mattress and pillow protectors that are properly sealed (ones recommended for bed bugs etc, not the flimsy dust mite ones), or wrap in thick plastic and seal with thick tape. You'll get nowhere until you start doing this. Spray the mattress with Kleen Free first though!
Get rid of anything that is non-essential that you could live without (furniture, clothing, books etc.). And when I say "get rid of", I mean throw in the bin - do not donate to charities or sell on ebay - don't pass the problem onto someone else. I threw out 95% of my clothes and ALL my furniture. This was hard to do because I collect vintage clothing and it is hard to replace. I threw out all furniture because the bugs can go in deep and it seemed too hard to keep cleaning, vacuuming my favourite couch etc. I don't regret it. But I highly recommend not buying any new furniture until you have full confidence you have eliminated the problem, and if you do buy something, choose something you can wipe down with few crevices (like plastic chairs etc). (I did this before I came across Kleen Free)
Think of the creatures as you would dust. Wherever dust can reside, so can they. However difficult dust is to eliminate, so are they. This may seem extreme, and if you've only had the problem for a short while, you might think my advice is over the top - it is not. This "dust" also likes to breed! And can do so very quickly. What may start off as a minor problem can become a major and expensive problem within a week. Think of them as breeding dust that can lay eggs that can survive for years. When they do hatch, it takes them around a week to mature and start breeding again. So do the math... you could have millions within a week. And these are worse than dust because you can't see them and they can scurry away very quickly.
Vacuum clean EVERY DAY and everywhere. Use a vacuum with a hepa filter. Throw the bag out everyday if you can afford it. If not, put the bag in a plastic zip-lock back and put that bag in another zip-lock bag and put that bag in the freezer. (My experience makes me think that freezers kill mites but not their eggs). Handle the bag with disposable gloves.
Note: Try not to reinfect anything (as a general rule).
Wash your bedding everyday (in kleen free). Only use towels and clothing once and wash immediately. Put washing in a freezer (or sealed bags) until you can wash them.
Clean (with Kleen free) all areas where you plan to put your clean clothes, bedding etc. (cupboards, drawers etc)
Vacuum your whole house including floors, walls etc as much and often as you can. (This includes shoes).
Tell yourself that this will take you six months to beat! And that it requires planning, persistence and patience - (make that your mantra when you think it is unbearable and no believes you!!!). If it takes less than 6 months it will be a bonus. Also, tell yourself that it might take a month of mad cleaning before you start to notice a difference.
Follow the instructions on the kleen free bottle - bathe in it, spray the whole house etc for the first week then every second day in the second week.
Even if you don't buy this product, the vacuuming and washing of clothes (or disposal) is absolutely essential.
In fact, when I got bitten while wearing an item of clothing (before I discovered Kleen Free), I would take the item of clothing off immediately and throw it in the bin. I also did this with bedding. I would ask myself whether it is worth the trouble of trying to wash the bugs out or not... what is more costly? I bought myself heaps of cheap blankets, sheets and pillows I was willing to throw away every so often... but with Kleen Free, hopefully you won't have to do that. (I stopped doing it when I discovered this product!) I threw out expensive woolen coats etc. too. It's best to wash your clothing in the hottest water possible and in the hottest drier, so I started buying synthetic clothing that could handle such temperatures. Try to buy cheap, synthetic clothing and don't buy too much... throw it out if you're getting bitten too much.
Psychologically, what worked for me was that I tried to keep some kind of tally of how many bites I was getting on a daily basis. At first it was 50, then 20ish then 5, etc. As annoying as five new bites a night is, as least you know it's less than it was last month, so what you are doing is working, so persevere! I remember I used to count how many bites I'd get on the way to work... usually three or four, then down to two, then one. Then one day I remembered that I hadn't counted them for a couple of days. That equalled NO BITES on the way to work! Sure, I was being bitten at night still, but they were disappearing VERY slowly but surely.
As I write this review I am awaiting another bottle of Kleen Free to come from the USA. I didn't follow the instructions correctly when I first bought the product and I ran out of the product very quickly. I also didn't take the baths etc. (because I don't have a bath) I just bought myself an inflatable one on ebay! I have been getting the occasional bite (one these last three weeks). But I know it's because I have reinfected myself with something I haven't treated. I only wash my clothes in Kleen Free now, and I'm saving all that I have left for my washing. When I do the whole program properly, I will amend this review.
I'm writing this review because I feel compelled to help people who need somewhere to start. I know if I post on a bird mite board somewhere people might think I work for the company and not take my review seriously, so I'm posting here.
Good luck to those of you who have had the misfortune of a bird mite infestation!
Later edit:
I just read the review above mine that talked about a bedbug crawling straight through the product. I agree that that would be extremely disconcerting. My bug problem was probably a type of mite, not a bedbug. I don't know if that makes a difference to the effectiveness of the product. If you do have an "invisible" biting mite problem like I did, I would chance this product... it's a relatively cheap low risk. I'm only adding this footnote because if I had come across the negative review and not given it a go that would have been a shame and I wouldn't be experiencing the relief I'm experiencing now.
If you want to check out the ingredients of this product for product comparison's sake, do a google search by including the name of this (or any) product with "MSDS" (Material Safety Data Sheet). All companies by law, must list the ingredients and safety requirements of the product. You will then have the knowledge to make your own judgement. This information is abundantly available on the internet.
Even later update (Oct 2011):
I have practically eliminated the problem and I have run out of Kleen Free. All I do now to maintain my sanity is clean my clothes and bedding in hot water and dry them in a hot (laundromat/gas) dryer on a weekly basis. I also vacuum clean once a week. And this seems to be good enough. I had not been bitten for some months though. I recommend maintaining your routine until you haven't been bitten for three months. Just to be sure!
I recently walked into my garage and stepped on some old furniture and by the end of the night I was being bitten again. This time I didn't panic! I knew that if I stuck to my usual regime I would get rid of them eventually... and I did after two-three weeks.
But I am adding to this review because I came across another additional product that I believe assisted me on my journey and that is orange oil. I read somewhere that if insects lay their eggs too deeply in the skin of an orange, the eggs do not survive. Apparently when they come into contact with the d-limonene found in the peel of oranges (and some other citrus fruits) the eggs die. When I read that I decided to try dabbing orange oil wherever on my body I felt a bite. Be warned, this stuff is used as a cleaner because it is very corrosive. 99 % of the time I had no reaction to it but on occasion I did. It stung me and I believe it can burn your skin. So if you choose to try it out like I did use it very cautiously or mix it with another oil. I purchased it from a health food store and then in bulk from an essential oil supplier. Be very careful!!
But I do think it helps. You won't notice its effect immediately because I think it only kills eggs... but I think it does help in time.
Good luck to you all and I'm glad my review has assisted some of you.
A couple of years ago I kind of resolved to learn to live with the problem. But this year I found some websites on the internet with information from people who had beaten the problem so I spent 6 months trying a range of products that they recommended. I purchased many of the products on the internet and had them posted to me from America to Australia at great expense.
I tried so many things that I cannot be certain whether it was the combination of products that worked in the end or not. But what I can tell you is that this product seemed to make a very radical difference very quickly. It is the only product that I am certain kills the bugs in the wash. This is important to me as my clothing and bedding seemed to be the last battleground with the mites. After ten years I had mostly eradicated them from other areas of my house but I found that I kept reinfecting myself until I started using kleen free. I have only been using kleen for around one month.
I wish I had received this advice when I first got the problem. In fact one of the websites that I followed said that Kleen Free didn't work for them so I didn't bother to try it until I read testimonials on the Kleen Free website that sounded truthful. I doubted that it was going to make a shred of difference though when I bought it.
Again, I'm not certain it will work for you. We are all amateurs out there trying things through trial and error and I'm sure there are a million bugs out there that respond to different products differently. I just know that it worked for my bugs. The fact that it is non toxic is so important. I was using products that I knew were toxic but I had decided that I would take the risk and use the other products anyway because I was so desperate to get rid of the bugs.
If I had to start from scratch again, I would do this:
Cover your mattress and pillows in mattress and pillow protectors that are properly sealed (ones recommended for bed bugs etc, not the flimsy dust mite ones), or wrap in thick plastic and seal with thick tape. You'll get nowhere until you start doing this. Spray the mattress with Kleen Free first though!
Get rid of anything that is non-essential that you could live without (furniture, clothing, books etc.). And when I say "get rid of", I mean throw in the bin - do not donate to charities or sell on ebay - don't pass the problem onto someone else. I threw out 95% of my clothes and ALL my furniture. This was hard to do because I collect vintage clothing and it is hard to replace. I threw out all furniture because the bugs can go in deep and it seemed too hard to keep cleaning, vacuuming my favourite couch etc. I don't regret it. But I highly recommend not buying any new furniture until you have full confidence you have eliminated the problem, and if you do buy something, choose something you can wipe down with few crevices (like plastic chairs etc). (I did this before I came across Kleen Free)
Think of the creatures as you would dust. Wherever dust can reside, so can they. However difficult dust is to eliminate, so are they. This may seem extreme, and if you've only had the problem for a short while, you might think my advice is over the top - it is not. This "dust" also likes to breed! And can do so very quickly. What may start off as a minor problem can become a major and expensive problem within a week. Think of them as breeding dust that can lay eggs that can survive for years. When they do hatch, it takes them around a week to mature and start breeding again. So do the math... you could have millions within a week. And these are worse than dust because you can't see them and they can scurry away very quickly.
Vacuum clean EVERY DAY and everywhere. Use a vacuum with a hepa filter. Throw the bag out everyday if you can afford it. If not, put the bag in a plastic zip-lock back and put that bag in another zip-lock bag and put that bag in the freezer. (My experience makes me think that freezers kill mites but not their eggs). Handle the bag with disposable gloves.
Note: Try not to reinfect anything (as a general rule).
Wash your bedding everyday (in kleen free). Only use towels and clothing once and wash immediately. Put washing in a freezer (or sealed bags) until you can wash them.
Clean (with Kleen free) all areas where you plan to put your clean clothes, bedding etc. (cupboards, drawers etc)
Vacuum your whole house including floors, walls etc as much and often as you can. (This includes shoes).
Tell yourself that this will take you six months to beat! And that it requires planning, persistence and patience - (make that your mantra when you think it is unbearable and no believes you!!!). If it takes less than 6 months it will be a bonus. Also, tell yourself that it might take a month of mad cleaning before you start to notice a difference.
Follow the instructions on the kleen free bottle - bathe in it, spray the whole house etc for the first week then every second day in the second week.
Even if you don't buy this product, the vacuuming and washing of clothes (or disposal) is absolutely essential.
In fact, when I got bitten while wearing an item of clothing (before I discovered Kleen Free), I would take the item of clothing off immediately and throw it in the bin. I also did this with bedding. I would ask myself whether it is worth the trouble of trying to wash the bugs out or not... what is more costly? I bought myself heaps of cheap blankets, sheets and pillows I was willing to throw away every so often... but with Kleen Free, hopefully you won't have to do that. (I stopped doing it when I discovered this product!) I threw out expensive woolen coats etc. too. It's best to wash your clothing in the hottest water possible and in the hottest drier, so I started buying synthetic clothing that could handle such temperatures. Try to buy cheap, synthetic clothing and don't buy too much... throw it out if you're getting bitten too much.
Psychologically, what worked for me was that I tried to keep some kind of tally of how many bites I was getting on a daily basis. At first it was 50, then 20ish then 5, etc. As annoying as five new bites a night is, as least you know it's less than it was last month, so what you are doing is working, so persevere! I remember I used to count how many bites I'd get on the way to work... usually three or four, then down to two, then one. Then one day I remembered that I hadn't counted them for a couple of days. That equalled NO BITES on the way to work! Sure, I was being bitten at night still, but they were disappearing VERY slowly but surely.
As I write this review I am awaiting another bottle of Kleen Free to come from the USA. I didn't follow the instructions correctly when I first bought the product and I ran out of the product very quickly. I also didn't take the baths etc. (because I don't have a bath) I just bought myself an inflatable one on ebay! I have been getting the occasional bite (one these last three weeks). But I know it's because I have reinfected myself with something I haven't treated. I only wash my clothes in Kleen Free now, and I'm saving all that I have left for my washing. When I do the whole program properly, I will amend this review.
I'm writing this review because I feel compelled to help people who need somewhere to start. I know if I post on a bird mite board somewhere people might think I work for the company and not take my review seriously, so I'm posting here.
Good luck to those of you who have had the misfortune of a bird mite infestation!
Later edit:
I just read the review above mine that talked about a bedbug crawling straight through the product. I agree that that would be extremely disconcerting. My bug problem was probably a type of mite, not a bedbug. I don't know if that makes a difference to the effectiveness of the product. If you do have an "invisible" biting mite problem like I did, I would chance this product... it's a relatively cheap low risk. I'm only adding this footnote because if I had come across the negative review and not given it a go that would have been a shame and I wouldn't be experiencing the relief I'm experiencing now.
If you want to check out the ingredients of this product for product comparison's sake, do a google search by including the name of this (or any) product with "MSDS" (Material Safety Data Sheet). All companies by law, must list the ingredients and safety requirements of the product. You will then have the knowledge to make your own judgement. This information is abundantly available on the internet.
Even later update (Oct 2011):
I have practically eliminated the problem and I have run out of Kleen Free. All I do now to maintain my sanity is clean my clothes and bedding in hot water and dry them in a hot (laundromat/gas) dryer on a weekly basis. I also vacuum clean once a week. And this seems to be good enough. I had not been bitten for some months though. I recommend maintaining your routine until you haven't been bitten for three months. Just to be sure!
I recently walked into my garage and stepped on some old furniture and by the end of the night I was being bitten again. This time I didn't panic! I knew that if I stuck to my usual regime I would get rid of them eventually... and I did after two-three weeks.
But I am adding to this review because I came across another additional product that I believe assisted me on my journey and that is orange oil. I read somewhere that if insects lay their eggs too deeply in the skin of an orange, the eggs do not survive. Apparently when they come into contact with the d-limonene found in the peel of oranges (and some other citrus fruits) the eggs die. When I read that I decided to try dabbing orange oil wherever on my body I felt a bite. Be warned, this stuff is used as a cleaner because it is very corrosive. 99 % of the time I had no reaction to it but on occasion I did. It stung me and I believe it can burn your skin. So if you choose to try it out like I did use it very cautiously or mix it with another oil. I purchased it from a health food store and then in bulk from an essential oil supplier. Be very careful!!
But I do think it helps. You won't notice its effect immediately because I think it only kills eggs... but I think it does help in time.
Good luck to you all and I'm glad my review has assisted some of you.
[I just directed people back to this site so that discussion can ensue here uninhibited]
Also, many many people commented on their success with dehumidifiers. Although I did not try them myself, if I had to start again, I would invest in one or two now. I'd actually try that first. It sure beats constant cleaning and vacuuming!!
