The Night I Confirmed We Had Bed Bugs, I Thought I Was a Terrible Mom — Until I Found This

It was a Wednesday morning. Toronto. February.

I was helping my son Liam get dressed for school when I pulled up his pyjama top and stopped cold.

Seven red bites. In a row. Across his back.

I'd been lying to myself for three weeks. Mosquitoes. New laundry detergent. Sensitive skin. That's what I told myself every single morning.

But standing there, pulling his top back down so he wouldn't see my face — I knew.

I dropped him at school, drove home, and lifted the corner of his mattress.

Brown specks. A lot of them.

I sat down on the floor of his bedroom with my phone in my hand.

I didn't know who to call.

The night I confirmed the infestation — sitting on Liam's floor, phone in hand, no idea what to do next.

My first thought: call an exterminator.

I called three companies. Earliest available: next Thursday. Starting price: $1,100 — before follow-up visits.

Okay. I'll handle it myself.

I pulled up Health Canada's website. Found this:

So I couldn't spray Liam's bed. Couldn't spray near Max's sleeping spot — Max is our border collie, he sleeps in the hallway outside Liam's room.

Every bug bomb option I found said the same thing: "Remove children and pets from the area. Ventilate 2–4 hours before re-entry."

Remove them where? We live in a two-bedroom apartment.

They don't choose families based on how clean they are.

I didn't do anything wrong. I just didn't know what to do next.

That night, after Liam was in bed, I posted in a Toronto parents Facebook group:

"Confirmed bed bugs. 5-year-old and a dog. Can't use chemicals near either. Exterminator 8 days away. Don't know what to do tonight."

One mom — Catherine, Etobicoke — mentioned an ultrasonic pest repeller.

But Catherine said one thing that stopped me:

I didn't have another option. The product she recommended was Pestix — an advanced ultrasonic device that uses frequency technology to disrupt how pests navigate and feed. No chemicals. No fumes. Kids and pets stay in the room.

I ordered it at 11:47pm.

How Pestix Works (And why it's safe for kids & pets)

Plugged in and running in Liam's room — no chemicals, no fumes. Max slept right outside the door as normal.*
*Results may vary depending on environment.

What happened after I plugged it in

Units arrived at my door. Plugged two into Liam's bedroom, one in the hallway where Max sleeps, one in the living room.

• Day 4
  Liam came out of his room: "Mom, I didn't feel itchy last night." I went to the bathroom and ran cold water over my face for a minute.
• Day 9
  No new bites on Liam since Day 3. Checked his mattress — no new visible activity.
• Day 14
  Emma's room (second unit plugged in) — zero new bites. She'd had two in the first week.
• Day 17
  Exterminator finally came. Full chemical treatment. Liam, Emma, and Max stayed at my mom's for the day. Pestix units stayed running when we got back.
• Day 31
  Liam slept 10 hours last night. Emma is back in her room. Max is on his mat in the hallway. The Pestix units are still plugged in. I haven't taken them out.

I can't tell you Pestix alone solved it — I did use a professional exterminator too. What I can tell you is that from Day 4, something changed. And on the night I had no plan, I needed something to change.

From waking up with new bites every morning — to sleeping through the night.*
*Results may vary depending on severity of infestation and environment.

"Is it safe for my kids and my dog?"

First thing I checked before ordering. First thing every mom in the group asked when I posted my update.

• ✓
  No chemicals, no fumes, no residue. Nothing to spray, breathe in, or wipe off.
• ✓
  Outside human and pet hearing range. Your children can't hear it. Your dog can't hear it.
• ✓
  No waiting period. Kids and pets stay in the room while it runs. No ventilation required.
• ✓
  No need to vacate your home. Unlike bug bombs — no requirement to leave the apartment.
• ✓
  Designed for Canadian homes with kids & pets — it's Pestix's core design focus.

Max slept within three feet of a Pestix unit for over 30 days. Appetite normal. Behaviour normal. No distress.

Kids and pets in the room — Pestix running in the background. No chemicals, no disruption to their routine.*
*Results may vary.

One unit per major room. Most Canadian families with kids choose the 4-pack or 6-pack for whole-home coverage.*
*Placement recommendations may vary depending on home layout and size.

What Canadian Parents Are Saying

Pestix — compact, quiet, chemical-free. Designed for Canadian homes.*
*Results may vary.

🇨🇦 Ships within Canada only

Let Your Kids Sleep Tonight.

You've already done the hard part — you found the problem, and you're doing something about it. That's what good parents do. This is the next step: a home that's protected, a dog that's safe, and kids who wake up without new bites.

4-Pack — Most Popular

6-Pack — Save 30%

9-Pack — Save 40%

• ✓No chemicals — your kids and pets stay in the room
• ✓Plug in and it works 24/7 — no maintenance, no refills
• ✓Handle it yourself, privately — no strangers in your home until you're ready
• ✓Ships within Canada — no cross-border delays
• ✓Free shipping on 4+ units
• ✓90-Day Money-Back Guarantee — no questions asked

See Pestix Bundles & Pricing Multi-unit discounts applied at checkout

🛡️ 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee · No Questions Asked

Pestix Ultrasonic Pest Repeller

Chemical-free · 24/7 protection · Designed for Canadian homes · Rated Excellent on Trustpilot

Try Pestix for 90 days. Not satisfied? Full refund, no questions asked.

I'm not a pest control expert. I'm a mom in Toronto who found herself on a bedroom floor at 11pm with no plan.

I needed something I could order that night, that wouldn't hurt my kids or my dog, that I could actually do something with while I waited for the exterminator.

Pestix was the only thing that fit all three.

Whatever you decide — I hope your family gets some sleep tonight.

— Sarah Lawson, Toronto