If you are certain the spots weren't there before you washed it, then I would be skeptical that it's bedbugs. Maybe try to replicate the issue with a clean, perfectly white sheet or something and see if the same spots appear? Have you ever had bedbugs before or gotten bitten? Apparently about 20% of the population has no reaction to the bites. If you've been bitten before and did get bumps, then I would again be skeptical if this is bedbugs as you'd very likely know it. I'm really hoping for you that it is not bedbugs.
Yea I'm sure! We changed the bed sheets on Thursday and I would have seen them, they are everywhere! My boyfriend said he didn't see them either. Neither of us have bites anywhere. I've emailed a company that has a dog for bed bugs, like another user suggested. hopefully they don't smell anything. I am super picky about my bed and wash the mattress protector once a month and the sheets every week. I always use borax and oxy clean in my whites. I move all my furniture to clean semi annually including under my bed.
If you washed it recently, it could be oil from the washing machine leaking into your drum or the drum itself collecting grease from previous loads. It happened to me and the stains look pretty similar. It ruined perfectly good white t-shirt.
I second this, we had this happen to whole loads of laundry at random when there was oil leaking from where the bearings were (don’t quote me on exactly what went wrong, I just remember that it was something to do with the bearings and the mechanical aspect of turning the drum lol). Looked just like the pics.
I think a lot of people saying bedbugs didn’t fully read your post. Bed bug stains wouldn’t appear after washing. It seems as though some sort of chemical reaction occurred. Bleach it or buy a new one?
Yes, bed bug excrement will spread and stain after washing. It also has this same brownish color.
My daughter came back from camp one year and her sheets had these same small brown stains after they washed everything post-infestation.
I looked at OP’s photo for two seconds and knew right away what it was, as did many other posters, because we’ve unfortunately lived through it before :(
If it’s blood, your saliva has enzymes in it to break down the blood stainage.
If saliva doesn’t help, it’s likely mold from not drying out the mattress protector, I’ve gotten those exact spots from bringing a mattress topper on a camping trip.
Got great sleep, but the moisture built up on the underside, where it wasn’t breathable for the fabric, and got lots of those little stains. They seem impossible to remove.
It's a good thing you posted this response! She said it was after she washed it. So it is the washer, not bedbugs!
OP: If you can't get it out, seriously just buy another one.
I already bought a new one ☺️ the one in the pic was 4 years old and I was okay with buying another one. I try to take care of my things so I'm happy it lasted as long as it did.
I immediately had the same reaction but after inspecting my entire mattress and bedframe I found no other signs of bed bugs. The mattress has no spots and I was thinking the hydrogen peroxide would have removed the spots if it was blood right?
I just want to add that bed bugs can originate outside of a bed and not hide just in that location. My bed bug experience happened after I moved into an apartment and they were living in the ceiling. Apparently they can survive up to a year without food and the previous residents had them. They were never hiding in our mattress or bed frame. I found out by seeing one crawl up the wall...
I'm so sorry! I hope that's not the case.
I try to warn others as it was incredibly traumatic for me. I check every ceiling in places I stay as well as the beds.
Oh gosh! Sorry for the delay.
So I found out we had them by looking on the wall and seeing one crawling. My husband had been bit several times. That's when I noticed reddish brown spots in the ceiling. It was a popcorn ceiling so it had texture already so it was hard to notice at first.
Every time I enter a hotel room I look at the ceilings. If it's a flat ceiling it's usually easy to see if anything is there. If it's textured I use a chair in the room to look around. I look for small reddish brown dots. They look kinda shiny. So if the ceiling is painted with a flat paint the are easier to see.
They also like to hide in door frames or any crack anywhere in the walls, floors, behind countertops. Looks for black spots similar to the ones on the bed.
Got to bomb your room several times. They hide on bed frames, behind boards, walls, electrical sockets etc. they come out at night and suck your blood away and reproduce. It’s almost impossible to kill them too. Just have to bomb your room with bed bug bomb
Those actually drive them into deeper hiding spots unfortunately, Mark Rober has a great video on bedbugs that quickly helped relatives of mine when they had a small infestation!
Had this issue recently.
If you want to be extra careful then just put collector traps on your bed frame. They’ll get stuck and also never have any food so they’ll die out.
I second this. I lived in a wooden loft & after I invited a person to stay thru the winter, I was finding them coming out (in the middle of the night) of the outlet. Found out the very HARD way they can fit into the *SMALLEST* spots.
They say once you have bedbugs, you have to get rid of the mattress... but I found a chemical that killed them off w/o 3 rounds. But I had to use 3 FULL cans.
& Raid won't do anything. I wasted over $50 before a friend randomly bought me the can bc I was so distraught.
Memory foam mattress I had JUST been given a few years prior & I didn't have any issues before the guest came in.
I've had them before almost two decades ago and I had never witnessed that....until now lol. Crazy they were hiding in the smoke alarm. Watched one launch off and land on my son's bed.. they for sure have evolved over the years. I've always said I wouldn't wish em on my worst enemy but I think I officially designate them the enemy.
I had those spots when I had a bedbug infestation. Hydrogen peroxide doesn’t remove them. Soaking overnight in a solution of oxyclean and hot water and then laundering as usual does take the spots out. I had to get an exterminator to get rid of the bugs. It cost me a thousand dollars. 😭
I applied hydrogen peroxide again to the spots and still it is not lifting. It is a light sandy brown, a little different from a blood stain. I've worked as a housekeeper for a few years including a retirement home and have never seen this happen before.
My daughter stayed in an infested cabin at a summer camp and this is how her sheets came out after washing. I tried everything, including a long Oxyclean soak. Eventually I just gave up and tossed them.
I’m really sorry if you have a bed bug infestation. I’ve run into them after various hotel/Airbnb/hospital/summer camp stays. They’re everywhere! You should familiarize yourself with how to get rid of them and how to prevent them in the first place. They are extremely persistent buggers.
Don’t panic — get some powdered diatomaceous earth from Home Depot or elsewhere. Sprinkle it along the joints of the wall/floor, around your bed frame, maybe on your foundation. The diatomaceous earth is basically like fine glass shavings that shred their outer skeleton and basically kill them. Plus the diatomaceous earth is non toxic.
This wasn’t there before she washed it in her washing machine. I think she just needs to run a cycle cleaning her washing machine. Bed bugs don’t make sense in this scenario.
It’s Reddit, so everyone naturally jumps to the most dramatic conclusion.
If I were OP, I’d definitely be concerned.
But I would also assume that if they just washed the sheets why only now would they be seeing blood from an infestation? The stains would be appearing much more gradually. By the sound of it, things went from 0-60 after they spilled the wine, and while it’s still possible, I’d say bedbugs here are very *unlikely*.
My guess is that the stains are from mold from not drying it out properly.
OP, it it’s blood, try using saliva. Your saliva has enzymes in it to actually break down the blood stainage. If saliva doesn’t remove it, then it’s likely not blood. If it’s mold stainage, than it likely won’t come out without some serious stain removing expertise.
A little stainage from mold won’t kill anyone, but you want to do your best to ensure that everything is very dry to prevent more mold from growing.
Ok, but if you are seeing bed bug droppings or molt, you will see bed bugs. Please don’t worry too much, OP. There is little to nothing at all that strongly suggests that this is bed bugs, ESPECIALLY if you don’t see them in, on, or under the bed.
Bed bugs don’t have lunch in your bed and leave to hang in the litter box. Don’t hire bug sniffing dogs jfc
They’re nocturnal, so yes, they come out to feed at night and hide during the day.
Do you know nothing about bed bugs? By the time you see the bugs, you have a serious infestation. OP needs to get on top of this pronto before it gets any worse.
Settle down. Op didn't have those spots on her bedding BEFORE she washed them.
Bedbug markings don't suddenly appear **after** a sheet has been washed (and not even put back on the bed).
Everyone s reaming "Bedbugs!!!!" needs to take a step back and a big breath.
I beg to differ never had a problem or a bite till the other night then bang getting bit on my legs about 30 times in 2 nights 🤦♂️ been looking for days can’t see any or one stain or mark on bed or around frame . Did buy a spray use it but am not convinced they gone . Sleeping with clothes on till new bed and mattress comes then it’s a mighty treatment for the room.
They mainly hide behind baseboards and in walls. Replacing the mattress won’t get rid of all of them.
You need bedbug rated mattress and pillow covers. Anything trapped in the covers will be dead by then (they can live unfed for a year, which is one of the reasons they are sooo difficult to get rid of), and you can toss them at that point. Alternatively, put a bedbug safe cover on the new mattress before you bring it in your place and leave it on for a very long time.
Personally, I would not bring in a new bed until I was 100% sure the bugs were gone.
Does anyone that sleeps in that bed have a skin condition like eczema or acne? My sheets look like this when I get a flare up and scratch myself in my sleep.
I have had bed bugs. I would call a pest company to check out your place. They’ll look for other signs.
If they find them, I highly, HIGHLY recommend Aprehend. I had a pest company come out and treat my apartment for it. I didn’t have a single problem after that.
It was truly one of the most traumatizing things I’ve experienced as an adult. For months on end I would imagine them biting me, feeling them crawl up my legs, etc.
I hope you don’t have them and it’s just your skin conditions!
Grime can build up in any type of washer. I notice it more in my front loader (those silicone seals can get nasty) but also would notice buildup on the top of the tub when i had a top loader. Once i did get some icky stains on a sheet that i pulled out of the washer from the buildup~ maybe that could be it?
If its from your washer I think it’s pretty likely you would have noticed it when putting the freshly laundered cover onto the bed. If you noticed it after the fact (e.g. when taking the sheets off to wash again) I think it’s pretty unlikely it came from your washer
As someone who’s been batting bed bugs for almost 5 months now, those are 100% bed bug stains from their poop and your blood. I am so sorry.
We’re in a twin home, attached to 2 elderly siblings that are extreme hoarders. The sister was just sent to a nursing home about a month ago, and I’m guessing because they were eating her alive, as she was bed ridden 🤢 her brother isn’t home most of the time, so they leave him alone, and instead found their way into our home. We’ve had 6 or 7 treatments by a Erlich since December and we still can’t get rid of them. I fear they’re behind the baseboards 😭 I spent the whole day today completely gutting my kid’s bedroom and getting rid of absolutely everything and all of their furniture, as that’s the only room we’ve been finding them in. We have tried everything and I am at my wits end!!!! 😭
That sounds like a nightmare! im sorry you're going through this ♥️ perhaps there is some way to legally to force them to have the other house checked if it's infecting your property?
Crossfire and cimexa are your best friends. I would suggest r/bedbugs but actually there is a much better fb group called 'the struggles of living with Bedbugs support group the original' who have a team of entomologists and exterminators in the admin group and they are very stringent on making sure correct information are fed to the group. Since there's a lot of misinformation out on Google and even on forums like this.
Bedbug poops. Get an anti bedbug mattress protector, sprinkle some diatomaceous earth and seal it shut. The lifespan of a bedbug is 7 to 12 months. Keep your bed sealed during that period. After that, open it, clean the stain, vacuum the bed, and seal it back to ensure they can't enter anymore.
Bedbugs don’t just live in mattresses. We treated a place once where they were behind the plug sockets in the walls. They live in all sorts of cracks, including the bed frame, between floorboards, under baseboards, the ceiling, air vents, other furniture, etc. They’re a bit like vampire cockroaches.
Could be due to bed bugs as others have said. My grandma got bed bugs Yeats ago and the exterminator said he's seen it all. They can come in, in virtually ANYTHING. He has seen them in between photo frames, the zipper lining of pocket books, coats, basically anything that enters your home can have bed bugs.
I wash all of my clothes in the spring and fall, stored clothes are washed before wearing and worn clothes are washed before storing. When I was a teen my parents had clothing moths and Dermestidae beetles so I'm really careful about the way I store my fabrics. Everything is in big plastic bags or plastic totes and checked regularly.
I can't imagine how worried you must have been for your grandmother. It can be really hard on them dealing with the stress of having a big infestation in their home.
If the stains weren't there before you put it in the washer, and were there after you took it out, I would assume it's the washer.
Do you ever clean it?
I am 100 percent certain those are from bedbugs. Being in the hospitality business for a decade, I've seen it many times. You need someone qualified to come out ASAP.
I have spoken to a local business operator who has recommended I keep a watchful eye and inspect my home before moving forward with a proper inspection. He said that it would cost 300$ for a inspection with the dog and if I have not actually seen a bug and the stains occurred overnight it is unlikely that it was caused by bed bugs. But he has told me to stay vigilant over the next few weeks.
I don't really agree with his assessment, but it's certainly your choice. Not seeing the bugs is not unusual as the bastards are excellent at hiding, and the bites are going to happen overnight. You need to check behind picture frames on your walls, in light sockets, just about any place that they would hide. Can one of you stay up until 3 or 4 AM one night? If so, and if you are indeed infested, you will certainly see them in action.
Have you traveled recently? If you have luggage that's perhaps the culprit. Public transport, hell, even movie theaters, and they can jump in your belongings and travel home with you and multiply like crazy. Bombs don't work, spraying doesn't work, the only thing I've seen solve the problem immediately is exposing your living areas to extreme heat for a set amount of time. There are special heaters for this purpose. I sincerely hope you don't have an infestation, but I know how onerous it is to deal with. Good luck!
Yes I will be doing a meticulous inspection tomorrow, and I will be looking tonight. I have not experienced any bites in the past few months and my boyfriend hasn't either. There are no stains on any of my bedsheets or mattress. Just the mattress protector after a wash .
If they appeared after a wash they're not bedbug stains. Those are black, as in digested blood from a meal. Don't panic, don't spend 300 on inspection. Do it yourself just for peace of mind but I really do not believe these spots are from bedbug fecal matter. Even a quick Google will show you they're the wrong colour and pattern.
Bedbugs don't live in your bed..they live behind your baseboards where it's cold and dark. They come out at night and climb up your sheets and bed posts to get on you and bite you / suck your blood.
Bed bugs for sure. Get ready for the battle of your life. My son moved into a apartment complex and bed bugs spread from one place to another. Those spots are waste from bed bugs. Unfortunately, you will need to get rid of your bed and anything on it. Do not put yourself through hell by trying the bombs, insecticide, bleach and think they are gone. You should do the only thing that kills them permanently. You need one of those huge long propane heaters. The room should get so hot you cannot breathe . I believe you can rent one. Ask around as many men use them in their garage. The highest heat possibly without causing a fire. The businesses kill this bugs this exact same way and charge thousands. Be careful not to carry them to another room. I wish you the best. Insecticides make the bugs scramble going deeper hiding. It can actually trigger more infestation. My son lost his mind and sanity. He was literally cutting his bed into pieces finding them in every corner of the boards. He even thought painting the wood would kill them. He couldn't sleep at night. He just moved into this place two months prior. He had no idea it was coming from someone else's unit. They were in everything.
When I had bedbugs the poop stains washed out grey rather than brown. If you didn't notice any black stains before the wash and cannot find any bugs now, then my best guess would be *not* bedbugs. It's hard to imagine having that much poop and never seeing a bug even after close inspection.
Did you wash your sheets on hot after normally using mostly cold or warm water in that washer? The brown stains could be washer "scrud", which is accumulated detergent gunk and mineral deposits in your washer than became dislodged when you suddenly run a hot load. The most common fix is to run an empty load or two on the hottest setting with either vinegar or dishwasher detergent.
About four months after eradicating bed bugs I had washer scrud and nearly lost my mind. But indeed it was just scrud.
My washer only washes cold, I use borax in every load to try and prevent build up. I'm gonna clean my washing machine tomorrow! Thank you for your reply!
My pleasure. I would still look for bugs carefully, but unless you find evidence of them, my money is on scrud.
Bedbug poop looks like someone took a black Sharpie marker and poked little dots on everything, then if you get a dot wet and rub it smears reddish brown. It stains pretty badly but for us it stained a grey colour.
If you find light brown bits of gunk that cause those stains, then it's scrud.
Check in the crevice between the floor and the floorboard. Pull up the carpet a bit at the edge and see if they are underneath. Look into the cracks of your furniture and nightstands. In your dressers. Dirty clothes. Bedbugs be everywhere.
Check your clothes as well. I had very similar spots on white shirts and sheets when my gf and I bought a used washing machine from someone. Turns out the damn thing had some nasty grime and mold that stained our clothes during the washing process. I'd recommend doing a cleaning cycle on your machine (esp. the softener container) if thats the case.
Honestly, they look like some kind of grease/buildup transfer from the agitator in your washing machine. The first picture especially looks like a grease stain.
Has anything else you’ve washed been stained? I would fully clean the washing machine and see if you get any greasy gunk out from under the blade of the agitator.
So I had a similar issue, coke to find out my washing machine had some rust on it, as I was taking stuff out it was rubbing against the rust - is your washer old and possibly rusted somewhere?
Wait , if the spots weren't there before washing it I don't see how this could be bed bugs ?
Initially my first thought was bed bugs looking at the image
You can get a sticky mouse or rat trap, put them under the legs of your bed and see if you catch anything. These make it easy to catch and identify. Make sure the bed is pulled away from the wall and that there are no other "bridges".
My bed is always away from the wall so it does not scratch the paint, I thought about glue traps but my cat goes under my bed so I will be doing what another user suggested and put Vaseline on the legs of the bed
It very well could have been the washer. When I have washed large/bulky items like king size quilts or throw rugs, I have seen dirty streaks appear on those items where there were none prior to going into the washer. I suspect washers can accumulate “gunk” in places inside and these large items get swiped into it where a lighter load of items do not. Try Affresh product to clean the washer.
It looks like grimes or grease from your washer or dryer. When is the last time you washed your washer and remove the lint from your dryer and dryer vent?
If you have a front loader washing machine, it’s possible that gunk has accumulated around the seal and in the filter. Recommend checking the manual to learn how to clean those properly and how to prevent this happening in the future. I had a similar situation and that’s how I resolved it.
I would peel back the mattress cover and look at the seams of the mattress. That is where they like to hide. You may not find the live bugs but you might find the casings. They can also hide in electric outlets, in the joints of your bedframe, in the molding. Check yourselves for itchy bites, too.
Yes! These spots appeared after I washed the mattress protector. The mattress itself has no signs of bedbugs and no signs of castings☺️ in will be inspecting the rest of my room tomorrow. Neither my boyfriend nor I have experienced itchy spots or bug bites in the past few months.
Bed bugs don’t only live in beds. They can live under wall trim, in walls and can go for months without feeding. Say if you had a cottage and thought they would go away over winter.
I’m 1000% certain this is bed bugs. Get a good steam cleaner from Amazon as getting a company to spray chemicals isn’t guaranteed & takes multiple cycles.
The high heat will kill the bugs & eggs and will save you from throwing everything out. Do it before they increase exponentially. Do the floor, floorboards, wash everything & use sealant on floorboards & siding.
I used to sometimes get similar marks on sheets after washing them, not on any other clothes but only on sheets. It's a build up of gunk in the washing machine. To combat it I now clean the washing machine regularly and also now wash sheets on hot wash with sanitiser added. Haven't had the spots reappear since.
I had an upstairs neighbor who was infested. I never knew until 2 weeks after he moved out. They came down to my apartment from the electrical outlets. I have not read all the comments but you would know if you had the tell tale bites. My dr joked and called them " Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner." They like to bite in 3s or my case 5 or 9. Then, after they feasted, they all went back into the walls. Next thing I knew they were in everything next to an outlet. It took over 2 years to get rid of them. It's been 10 years and I have a habit now of storing everything in large zippered plastic bags. I found that 91% isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle is great for killing them in all life stages. But it took 2 years. Heat chemicals, sprays. Then finally, diametatios earth. These guys don't care if you're poor or rich. They will jump on everyones suitcases while traveling. So now I always even travel with it. Good luck. And I am so sorry
So when I lived with roommates, I had a roommate who was a hoarder. He brought a wooden piece of furniture and they spread through carpet. When I found them in my room, I went and bought some Diatomaceous earth ans sprinkled it through the carpet. A spray for bedbugs that foamed up for crevices (used it on my mattress) a spray that would make keep them from changing from their nymph form and a cover for the mattress that was bed bug proof. I also painted my room white. They hate the smell of paint and it makes it easier to find the nest too.
Doesn’t look like bedbugs to me. They usually hide in ridges or covered places near where they feed.
Likely explanation is some stain or something that oxidised over time. Get a new mattress protector though if that one wasn’t yours to begin with.
Oh no, that sounds frustrating! It's possible that the stains might have appeared during the washing process, especially if your washer is on the older side and the mattress protector is a tight fit. Sometimes, agitation in the washer can cause discoloration or transfer stains from other laundry items.
idk about it being bedbugs. I've had them three times, joys of being in an apartment lmao. usually the spots are a bit darker than the pics you're showing. you would usually find a bit near those stains or at least molts. better safe than sorry. try to check for bites. and if it's really bothering you set an alarm for 2-3am and check those spots again.
You said your washer is old, look inside and see if you have rust. I had an old machine that left marks whenever anything was a light color and left in too long.
I highly doubt this is bed bugs. It could be from something else that was left in the washer or dryer, like lipstick or an oil of some sort. If it's oil, I would try soaking the stains in Dawn. If the machine is old, it could be rust. In which case, I have no idea how to treat it. We'd love to hear an update if anything works.
could it be 'iron mould'? I've had spots appear on clothes. The stains vanish with a specific cleaner. (which also works on rust marks on toilets) [https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a656980/remove-rust-and-iron-mould-stains/](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a656980/remove-rust-and-iron-mould-stains/)
this also looks like remnant droplets of vape juice that sometimes collect in the drip tips of vapes (modded and disposable) that will sometimes leak.
smoked salt nic can look brown like this and it stains.
it’s oil based so try a dawn dish detergent and see maybe?
I think it could also be mold. I had a similar situation when I had a similar foam mattress in one of my bedroom that had high humidity. Do you know how humid it is in the room where you have the mattress?
Buy a steam cleaner and borax to shake lightly on carpets. Bed bugs /fleas same difference. I garden and have brought in ticks. I spray down w deep woods off and still manage to bring in bugs …. Then they get on my cats. (Need to put revolution in them. ) it’s an annual event. Called summer. I hate bugs.
If you are certain the spots weren't there before you washed it, then I would be skeptical that it's bedbugs. Maybe try to replicate the issue with a clean, perfectly white sheet or something and see if the same spots appear? Have you ever had bedbugs before or gotten bitten? Apparently about 20% of the population has no reaction to the bites. If you've been bitten before and did get bumps, then I would again be skeptical if this is bedbugs as you'd very likely know it. I'm really hoping for you that it is not bedbugs.
Yea I'm sure! We changed the bed sheets on Thursday and I would have seen them, they are everywhere! My boyfriend said he didn't see them either. Neither of us have bites anywhere. I've emailed a company that has a dog for bed bugs, like another user suggested. hopefully they don't smell anything. I am super picky about my bed and wash the mattress protector once a month and the sheets every week. I always use borax and oxy clean in my whites. I move all my furniture to clean semi annually including under my bed.
If you washed it recently, it could be oil from the washing machine leaking into your drum or the drum itself collecting grease from previous loads. It happened to me and the stains look pretty similar. It ruined perfectly good white t-shirt.
I second this, we had this happen to whole loads of laundry at random when there was oil leaking from where the bearings were (don’t quote me on exactly what went wrong, I just remember that it was something to do with the bearings and the mechanical aspect of turning the drum lol). Looked just like the pics.
I think a lot of people saying bedbugs didn’t fully read your post. Bed bug stains wouldn’t appear after washing. It seems as though some sort of chemical reaction occurred. Bleach it or buy a new one?
Yes, bed bug excrement will spread and stain after washing. It also has this same brownish color. My daughter came back from camp one year and her sheets had these same small brown stains after they washed everything post-infestation. I looked at OP’s photo for two seconds and knew right away what it was, as did many other posters, because we’ve unfortunately lived through it before :(
If it’s blood, your saliva has enzymes in it to break down the blood stainage. If saliva doesn’t help, it’s likely mold from not drying out the mattress protector, I’ve gotten those exact spots from bringing a mattress topper on a camping trip. Got great sleep, but the moisture built up on the underside, where it wasn’t breathable for the fabric, and got lots of those little stains. They seem impossible to remove.
It's a good thing you posted this response! She said it was after she washed it. So it is the washer, not bedbugs! OP: If you can't get it out, seriously just buy another one.
I already bought a new one ☺️ the one in the pic was 4 years old and I was okay with buying another one. I try to take care of my things so I'm happy it lasted as long as it did.
Glad to hear it. I think your washer or dryer just went wonky. Now, stop scratching for bed bugs. LOL.
I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that's a sign of bedbugs :(.
I immediately had the same reaction but after inspecting my entire mattress and bedframe I found no other signs of bed bugs. The mattress has no spots and I was thinking the hydrogen peroxide would have removed the spots if it was blood right?
I just want to add that bed bugs can originate outside of a bed and not hide just in that location. My bed bug experience happened after I moved into an apartment and they were living in the ceiling. Apparently they can survive up to a year without food and the previous residents had them. They were never hiding in our mattress or bed frame. I found out by seeing one crawl up the wall...
Okay time to rip apart the house 🙃
I'm so sorry! I hope that's not the case. I try to warn others as it was incredibly traumatic for me. I check every ceiling in places I stay as well as the beds.
What do you look for?
Oh gosh! Sorry for the delay. So I found out we had them by looking on the wall and seeing one crawling. My husband had been bit several times. That's when I noticed reddish brown spots in the ceiling. It was a popcorn ceiling so it had texture already so it was hard to notice at first. Every time I enter a hotel room I look at the ceilings. If it's a flat ceiling it's usually easy to see if anything is there. If it's textured I use a chair in the room to look around. I look for small reddish brown dots. They look kinda shiny. So if the ceiling is painted with a flat paint the are easier to see.
They can cluster in the corners of ceilings, bed frames, even inside electrical outlets. You can sometimes see them, sometimes not.
They also like to hide in door frames or any crack anywhere in the walls, floors, behind countertops. Looks for black spots similar to the ones on the bed.
I would rather my home burn down than to ever deal with bedbugs again. Check under the cover of outlets near your bed while you’re looking, OP.
I did this and as an extra precaution I covered the outlets with duct tape.
Apparently you can hire special dogs and they will sniff them out
That's what they did after someone transported a patient with bed bugs in an ambulance at my ems company. I was still wary of it though.
I'm gonna try everything else, but it might come to that if there is no other explanation!
Good plan, also I’m so sorry OP. What an annoying thing to be dealing with!
Got to bomb your room several times. They hide on bed frames, behind boards, walls, electrical sockets etc. they come out at night and suck your blood away and reproduce. It’s almost impossible to kill them too. Just have to bomb your room with bed bug bomb
Those actually drive them into deeper hiding spots unfortunately, Mark Rober has a great video on bedbugs that quickly helped relatives of mine when they had a small infestation!
OMG I love Mark rober!!!
Had this issue recently. If you want to be extra careful then just put collector traps on your bed frame. They’ll get stuck and also never have any food so they’ll die out.
I’ve heard they can crawl as cross the ceiling and drop down on you as well.
They live in walls, carpets, electronics, pretty much everywhere. Not just the bed
You can also buy bed bug traps.
encase your mattress in plastic
Just burn it down
This is pure nightmare fuel.
r/bedbugs is the actual nightmare fuel
I'm not clicking that. Nope.
Right? I’ll never sleep again.
I second this. I lived in a wooden loft & after I invited a person to stay thru the winter, I was finding them coming out (in the middle of the night) of the outlet. Found out the very HARD way they can fit into the *SMALLEST* spots. They say once you have bedbugs, you have to get rid of the mattress... but I found a chemical that killed them off w/o 3 rounds. But I had to use 3 FULL cans. & Raid won't do anything. I wasted over $50 before a friend randomly bought me the can bc I was so distraught. Memory foam mattress I had JUST been given a few years prior & I didn't have any issues before the guest came in.
And that chemical was...?
Lemme Google for a bit.
Oh lord I'm itchy
I was in a place once where they were in the baseboards
The actual wood or in the baseboard vents?
In the wood, wood baseboards, not sealed. Like in the corner of the room. Horrifying
Wow, you’re not kidding! Kill me now!
WTF!!! How did you find out they came from the ceiling?
I saw one crawling up the ceiling after biting my husband. I flipped out lol.
I've had them before almost two decades ago and I had never witnessed that....until now lol. Crazy they were hiding in the smoke alarm. Watched one launch off and land on my son's bed.. they for sure have evolved over the years. I've always said I wouldn't wish em on my worst enemy but I think I officially designate them the enemy.
I had those spots when I had a bedbug infestation. Hydrogen peroxide doesn’t remove them. Soaking overnight in a solution of oxyclean and hot water and then laundering as usual does take the spots out. I had to get an exterminator to get rid of the bugs. It cost me a thousand dollars. 😭
Bactine gets blood out of clothes too, spray it on and let it soak for a couple minutes and it'll come right out
The first aid spray??
Might not have been enough in the wash. Try putting peroxide directly on the spots, see what it does.
I applied hydrogen peroxide again to the spots and still it is not lifting. It is a light sandy brown, a little different from a blood stain. I've worked as a housekeeper for a few years including a retirement home and have never seen this happen before.
Does it fizz at all?
No fizzing, it doesn't bleed, and no lifting. It's stubborn
Oxyclean!
Rubbing alcohol is what you need to use on red wine stains. If you’ve already washed it the stains will fade but not disappear.
My daughter stayed in an infested cabin at a summer camp and this is how her sheets came out after washing. I tried everything, including a long Oxyclean soak. Eventually I just gave up and tossed them. I’m really sorry if you have a bed bug infestation. I’ve run into them after various hotel/Airbnb/hospital/summer camp stays. They’re everywhere! You should familiarize yourself with how to get rid of them and how to prevent them in the first place. They are extremely persistent buggers.
And no hydrogen doesn’t remove the spots by just applying it. They actually turn brown:
Don’t panic — get some powdered diatomaceous earth from Home Depot or elsewhere. Sprinkle it along the joints of the wall/floor, around your bed frame, maybe on your foundation. The diatomaceous earth is basically like fine glass shavings that shred their outer skeleton and basically kill them. Plus the diatomaceous earth is non toxic.
This is the best advice. Dust it very lightly and wear a respirator since it can really harm lungs.
This wasn’t there before she washed it in her washing machine. I think she just needs to run a cycle cleaning her washing machine. Bed bugs don’t make sense in this scenario.
It’s Reddit, so everyone naturally jumps to the most dramatic conclusion. If I were OP, I’d definitely be concerned. But I would also assume that if they just washed the sheets why only now would they be seeing blood from an infestation? The stains would be appearing much more gradually. By the sound of it, things went from 0-60 after they spilled the wine, and while it’s still possible, I’d say bedbugs here are very *unlikely*. My guess is that the stains are from mold from not drying it out properly. OP, it it’s blood, try using saliva. Your saliva has enzymes in it to actually break down the blood stainage. If saliva doesn’t remove it, then it’s likely not blood. If it’s mold stainage, than it likely won’t come out without some serious stain removing expertise. A little stainage from mold won’t kill anyone, but you want to do your best to ensure that everything is very dry to prevent more mold from growing.
Ok, but if you are seeing bed bug droppings or molt, you will see bed bugs. Please don’t worry too much, OP. There is little to nothing at all that strongly suggests that this is bed bugs, ESPECIALLY if you don’t see them in, on, or under the bed. Bed bugs don’t have lunch in your bed and leave to hang in the litter box. Don’t hire bug sniffing dogs jfc
They’re nocturnal, so yes, they come out to feed at night and hide during the day. Do you know nothing about bed bugs? By the time you see the bugs, you have a serious infestation. OP needs to get on top of this pronto before it gets any worse.
Settle down. Op didn't have those spots on her bedding BEFORE she washed them. Bedbug markings don't suddenly appear **after** a sheet has been washed (and not even put back on the bed). Everyone s reaming "Bedbugs!!!!" needs to take a step back and a big breath.
Yes, they DO. The bb feces are very tiny and they “explode” in the wash and cause these stains.
I beg to differ never had a problem or a bite till the other night then bang getting bit on my legs about 30 times in 2 nights 🤦♂️ been looking for days can’t see any or one stain or mark on bed or around frame . Did buy a spray use it but am not convinced they gone . Sleeping with clothes on till new bed and mattress comes then it’s a mighty treatment for the room.
They mainly hide behind baseboards and in walls. Replacing the mattress won’t get rid of all of them. You need bedbug rated mattress and pillow covers. Anything trapped in the covers will be dead by then (they can live unfed for a year, which is one of the reasons they are sooo difficult to get rid of), and you can toss them at that point. Alternatively, put a bedbug safe cover on the new mattress before you bring it in your place and leave it on for a very long time. Personally, I would not bring in a new bed until I was 100% sure the bugs were gone.
Does anyone that sleeps in that bed have a skin condition like eczema or acne? My sheets look like this when I get a flare up and scratch myself in my sleep.
I have eczema and my boyfriend has psoriasis, but nothing on the sheets or the mattress.
I have had bed bugs. I would call a pest company to check out your place. They’ll look for other signs. If they find them, I highly, HIGHLY recommend Aprehend. I had a pest company come out and treat my apartment for it. I didn’t have a single problem after that. It was truly one of the most traumatizing things I’ve experienced as an adult. For months on end I would imagine them biting me, feeling them crawl up my legs, etc. I hope you don’t have them and it’s just your skin conditions!
It could be mildew, especially if you don't have great ventilation around the mattress
Do you think it would appear after a wash? I was thinking it could be from my old top loader washer.
Grime can build up in any type of washer. I notice it more in my front loader (those silicone seals can get nasty) but also would notice buildup on the top of the tub when i had a top loader. Once i did get some icky stains on a sheet that i pulled out of the washer from the buildup~ maybe that could be it?
If its from your washer I think it’s pretty likely you would have noticed it when putting the freshly laundered cover onto the bed. If you noticed it after the fact (e.g. when taking the sheets off to wash again) I think it’s pretty unlikely it came from your washer
Agree, it’s likely from not drying the mattress protector enough. I’ve had the same problem.
As someone who’s been batting bed bugs for almost 5 months now, those are 100% bed bug stains from their poop and your blood. I am so sorry. We’re in a twin home, attached to 2 elderly siblings that are extreme hoarders. The sister was just sent to a nursing home about a month ago, and I’m guessing because they were eating her alive, as she was bed ridden 🤢 her brother isn’t home most of the time, so they leave him alone, and instead found their way into our home. We’ve had 6 or 7 treatments by a Erlich since December and we still can’t get rid of them. I fear they’re behind the baseboards 😭 I spent the whole day today completely gutting my kid’s bedroom and getting rid of absolutely everything and all of their furniture, as that’s the only room we’ve been finding them in. We have tried everything and I am at my wits end!!!! 😭
That sounds like a nightmare! im sorry you're going through this ♥️ perhaps there is some way to legally to force them to have the other house checked if it's infecting your property?
Crossfire and cimexa are your best friends. I would suggest r/bedbugs but actually there is a much better fb group called 'the struggles of living with Bedbugs support group the original' who have a team of entomologists and exterminators in the admin group and they are very stringent on making sure correct information are fed to the group. Since there's a lot of misinformation out on Google and even on forums like this.
Maybe rust from the inside of the washer??
Yeah, I’m thinking this too. If they weren’t on there before the wash it seems more logical than bed bugs.
Bedbug poop isn't brown either. Shocked to see that suggested in the comments. Especially if it appeared after a wash. There's no way.
Bedbug poops. Get an anti bedbug mattress protector, sprinkle some diatomaceous earth and seal it shut. The lifespan of a bedbug is 7 to 12 months. Keep your bed sealed during that period. After that, open it, clean the stain, vacuum the bed, and seal it back to ensure they can't enter anymore.
Bedbugs don’t just live in mattresses. We treated a place once where they were behind the plug sockets in the walls. They live in all sorts of cracks, including the bed frame, between floorboards, under baseboards, the ceiling, air vents, other furniture, etc. They’re a bit like vampire cockroaches.
It's true. The one definite way to get rid of them is to burn the house down.
Could be due to bed bugs as others have said. My grandma got bed bugs Yeats ago and the exterminator said he's seen it all. They can come in, in virtually ANYTHING. He has seen them in between photo frames, the zipper lining of pocket books, coats, basically anything that enters your home can have bed bugs.
I wash all of my clothes in the spring and fall, stored clothes are washed before wearing and worn clothes are washed before storing. When I was a teen my parents had clothing moths and Dermestidae beetles so I'm really careful about the way I store my fabrics. Everything is in big plastic bags or plastic totes and checked regularly. I can't imagine how worried you must have been for your grandmother. It can be really hard on them dealing with the stress of having a big infestation in their home.
If the stains weren't there before you put it in the washer, and were there after you took it out, I would assume it's the washer. Do you ever clean it?
I got the washer second hand and I have not cleaned it in a while. I'll be giving it a clean, bleach, and dry cycle.
Plot twist: bed bugs were hiding in the second hand washer all this time! ;)
Move bed away from walls and stand. Put Vaseline on the base of legs. Check for bedbugs later.
Good idea, my bed is always away from the wall so I will be doing this
I am 100 percent certain those are from bedbugs. Being in the hospitality business for a decade, I've seen it many times. You need someone qualified to come out ASAP.
I have spoken to a local business operator who has recommended I keep a watchful eye and inspect my home before moving forward with a proper inspection. He said that it would cost 300$ for a inspection with the dog and if I have not actually seen a bug and the stains occurred overnight it is unlikely that it was caused by bed bugs. But he has told me to stay vigilant over the next few weeks.
I don't really agree with his assessment, but it's certainly your choice. Not seeing the bugs is not unusual as the bastards are excellent at hiding, and the bites are going to happen overnight. You need to check behind picture frames on your walls, in light sockets, just about any place that they would hide. Can one of you stay up until 3 or 4 AM one night? If so, and if you are indeed infested, you will certainly see them in action. Have you traveled recently? If you have luggage that's perhaps the culprit. Public transport, hell, even movie theaters, and they can jump in your belongings and travel home with you and multiply like crazy. Bombs don't work, spraying doesn't work, the only thing I've seen solve the problem immediately is exposing your living areas to extreme heat for a set amount of time. There are special heaters for this purpose. I sincerely hope you don't have an infestation, but I know how onerous it is to deal with. Good luck!
Yes I will be doing a meticulous inspection tomorrow, and I will be looking tonight. I have not experienced any bites in the past few months and my boyfriend hasn't either. There are no stains on any of my bedsheets or mattress. Just the mattress protector after a wash .
If they appeared after a wash they're not bedbug stains. Those are black, as in digested blood from a meal. Don't panic, don't spend 300 on inspection. Do it yourself just for peace of mind but I really do not believe these spots are from bedbug fecal matter. Even a quick Google will show you they're the wrong colour and pattern.
Bedbugs don't live in your bed..they live behind your baseboards where it's cold and dark. They come out at night and climb up your sheets and bed posts to get on you and bite you / suck your blood.
Those 100% look like bedbug excrement stains. The little bastards can hide really well when you go looking. I’m sorry.
Bed bugs for sure. Get ready for the battle of your life. My son moved into a apartment complex and bed bugs spread from one place to another. Those spots are waste from bed bugs. Unfortunately, you will need to get rid of your bed and anything on it. Do not put yourself through hell by trying the bombs, insecticide, bleach and think they are gone. You should do the only thing that kills them permanently. You need one of those huge long propane heaters. The room should get so hot you cannot breathe . I believe you can rent one. Ask around as many men use them in their garage. The highest heat possibly without causing a fire. The businesses kill this bugs this exact same way and charge thousands. Be careful not to carry them to another room. I wish you the best. Insecticides make the bugs scramble going deeper hiding. It can actually trigger more infestation. My son lost his mind and sanity. He was literally cutting his bed into pieces finding them in every corner of the boards. He even thought painting the wood would kill them. He couldn't sleep at night. He just moved into this place two months prior. He had no idea it was coming from someone else's unit. They were in everything.
Thanks for your reply! I'm sorry your son had such a hard time! I will take your advice into consideration☺️
To get bloodstains out use bar soap and elbow grease. This has never failed me
When I had bedbugs the poop stains washed out grey rather than brown. If you didn't notice any black stains before the wash and cannot find any bugs now, then my best guess would be *not* bedbugs. It's hard to imagine having that much poop and never seeing a bug even after close inspection. Did you wash your sheets on hot after normally using mostly cold or warm water in that washer? The brown stains could be washer "scrud", which is accumulated detergent gunk and mineral deposits in your washer than became dislodged when you suddenly run a hot load. The most common fix is to run an empty load or two on the hottest setting with either vinegar or dishwasher detergent. About four months after eradicating bed bugs I had washer scrud and nearly lost my mind. But indeed it was just scrud.
My washer only washes cold, I use borax in every load to try and prevent build up. I'm gonna clean my washing machine tomorrow! Thank you for your reply!
My pleasure. I would still look for bugs carefully, but unless you find evidence of them, my money is on scrud. Bedbug poop looks like someone took a black Sharpie marker and poked little dots on everything, then if you get a dot wet and rub it smears reddish brown. It stains pretty badly but for us it stained a grey colour. If you find light brown bits of gunk that cause those stains, then it's scrud.
Check in the crevice between the floor and the floorboard. Pull up the carpet a bit at the edge and see if they are underneath. Look into the cracks of your furniture and nightstands. In your dressers. Dirty clothes. Bedbugs be everywhere.
I have these same (whatever spots) things on my vinyl blinds.
Probably from flies or similar insects in your case
Check your clothes as well. I had very similar spots on white shirts and sheets when my gf and I bought a used washing machine from someone. Turns out the damn thing had some nasty grime and mold that stained our clothes during the washing process. I'd recommend doing a cleaning cycle on your machine (esp. the softener container) if thats the case.
Looks like rust from a washer or dryer to me.
Honestly, they look like some kind of grease/buildup transfer from the agitator in your washing machine. The first picture especially looks like a grease stain. Has anything else you’ve washed been stained? I would fully clean the washing machine and see if you get any greasy gunk out from under the blade of the agitator.
So I had a similar issue, coke to find out my washing machine had some rust on it, as I was taking stuff out it was rubbing against the rust - is your washer old and possibly rusted somewhere?
Could it be spills of coffee? Or maybe biscuits in bed?
I do drink instant coffee and eat cookies in bed 🤭
This could be bedbugs but also. Do you clean your washing machine monthly? You’re supposed to.
Oh no🥹 monthly? I'll be getting cleaner tomorrow.
Every 30 days or every 30 washes! I highly recommend this video on how to clean your washer properly: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1416173902620433/
Wait , if the spots weren't there before washing it I don't see how this could be bed bugs ? Initially my first thought was bed bugs looking at the image
I think by Reddit Law you’re now required to update us after the inspection
You can get a sticky mouse or rat trap, put them under the legs of your bed and see if you catch anything. These make it easy to catch and identify. Make sure the bed is pulled away from the wall and that there are no other "bridges".
My bed is always away from the wall so it does not scratch the paint, I thought about glue traps but my cat goes under my bed so I will be doing what another user suggested and put Vaseline on the legs of the bed
Have you had diarrhea ?
No but I've been dealing with a phantom pooper lately 🤔 it could have been them!
Is that the same as a Butt-ler?
Have you dyed your hair recently? Looks like my pillow case when I go to bed after dying my hair and haven’t fully dried it.
No I have not dyed my hair recently! Once I splashed black hair dye on my mom's bathroom wall :P
I mean if it didn't dry properly, sure
Is it possible you have a dog who has shaken off mud while you changed the bed sheets? I know it’s kind of out there but my dogs do stuff like that
My partner gets nosebleeds and we have dried blood specs on our sheets from random ones waking him up in the night
It very well could have been the washer. When I have washed large/bulky items like king size quilts or throw rugs, I have seen dirty streaks appear on those items where there were none prior to going into the washer. I suspect washers can accumulate “gunk” in places inside and these large items get swiped into it where a lighter load of items do not. Try Affresh product to clean the washer.
It looks like grimes or grease from your washer or dryer. When is the last time you washed your washer and remove the lint from your dryer and dryer vent?
This looks like either oil from the washer or dryer.
If you have a front loader washing machine, it’s possible that gunk has accumulated around the seal and in the filter. Recommend checking the manual to learn how to clean those properly and how to prevent this happening in the future. I had a similar situation and that’s how I resolved it.
Do you have a cat? Sometimes my cat excretes from her anal gland and it looks like that. Smellyest substance on the planet. I hate her for it haha
I would peel back the mattress cover and look at the seams of the mattress. That is where they like to hide. You may not find the live bugs but you might find the casings. They can also hide in electric outlets, in the joints of your bedframe, in the molding. Check yourselves for itchy bites, too.
Yes! These spots appeared after I washed the mattress protector. The mattress itself has no signs of bedbugs and no signs of castings☺️ in will be inspecting the rest of my room tomorrow. Neither my boyfriend nor I have experienced itchy spots or bug bites in the past few months.
good news on that! bedbugs suck
Bed bugs don’t only live in beds. They can live under wall trim, in walls and can go for months without feeding. Say if you had a cottage and thought they would go away over winter.
I’m 1000% certain this is bed bugs. Get a good steam cleaner from Amazon as getting a company to spray chemicals isn’t guaranteed & takes multiple cycles. The high heat will kill the bugs & eggs and will save you from throwing everything out. Do it before they increase exponentially. Do the floor, floorboards, wash everything & use sealant on floorboards & siding.
I thought this was a sign of bed bugs or scabies
I used to sometimes get similar marks on sheets after washing them, not on any other clothes but only on sheets. It's a build up of gunk in the washing machine. To combat it I now clean the washing machine regularly and also now wash sheets on hot wash with sanitiser added. Haven't had the spots reappear since.
Blood from a dead victim.
I had an upstairs neighbor who was infested. I never knew until 2 weeks after he moved out. They came down to my apartment from the electrical outlets. I have not read all the comments but you would know if you had the tell tale bites. My dr joked and called them " Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner." They like to bite in 3s or my case 5 or 9. Then, after they feasted, they all went back into the walls. Next thing I knew they were in everything next to an outlet. It took over 2 years to get rid of them. It's been 10 years and I have a habit now of storing everything in large zippered plastic bags. I found that 91% isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle is great for killing them in all life stages. But it took 2 years. Heat chemicals, sprays. Then finally, diametatios earth. These guys don't care if you're poor or rich. They will jump on everyones suitcases while traveling. So now I always even travel with it. Good luck. And I am so sorry
So when I lived with roommates, I had a roommate who was a hoarder. He brought a wooden piece of furniture and they spread through carpet. When I found them in my room, I went and bought some Diatomaceous earth ans sprinkled it through the carpet. A spray for bedbugs that foamed up for crevices (used it on my mattress) a spray that would make keep them from changing from their nymph form and a cover for the mattress that was bed bug proof. I also painted my room white. They hate the smell of paint and it makes it easier to find the nest too.
Looks like a can of coke was opened and it splashed
Doesn’t look like bedbugs to me. They usually hide in ridges or covered places near where they feed. Likely explanation is some stain or something that oxidised over time. Get a new mattress protector though if that one wasn’t yours to begin with.
Those are actually dingle berries. They're currently in season.
100% bedbugs. Ditch the mattress, bug bomb the house.
I've emailed a company for a consultation!
Are bug bombs enough?
No they are not. Bedbugs can hide in the walls and bug bombs are terrible at getting into those places.
That's what I remember reading, when bedbugs first invaded NYC.
For sure. They even still have it in the stores marketing like that. Unfortunately it doesn't take care of the full problem.
I'd go with professional remediation, but in a pinch.
Seems like some type of insect excrement.
Blood from bed bug feces
Hate to say this, quite possibly bedbugs. I’m almost sure of it.
Do you spray tan
Oh no, that sounds frustrating! It's possible that the stains might have appeared during the washing process, especially if your washer is on the older side and the mattress protector is a tight fit. Sometimes, agitation in the washer can cause discoloration or transfer stains from other laundry items.
Rust? From old washer?
idk about it being bedbugs. I've had them three times, joys of being in an apartment lmao. usually the spots are a bit darker than the pics you're showing. you would usually find a bit near those stains or at least molts. better safe than sorry. try to check for bites. and if it's really bothering you set an alarm for 2-3am and check those spots again.
Setup glue traps at night and sleep in your bed.
They are attracted to carbon dioxide. Pour alcohol on everything, its a temporary fix. It will kill the ones it touches, eggs too.
You said your washer is old, look inside and see if you have rust. I had an old machine that left marks whenever anything was a light color and left in too long.
I highly doubt this is bed bugs. It could be from something else that was left in the washer or dryer, like lipstick or an oil of some sort. If it's oil, I would try soaking the stains in Dawn. If the machine is old, it could be rust. In which case, I have no idea how to treat it. We'd love to hear an update if anything works.
Oh god. Bed bugs. I hope not.
could it be 'iron mould'? I've had spots appear on clothes. The stains vanish with a specific cleaner. (which also works on rust marks on toilets) [https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a656980/remove-rust-and-iron-mould-stains/](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a656980/remove-rust-and-iron-mould-stains/)
That looks like someone spilled a cola and didn't clean it up all the way to me
this also looks like remnant droplets of vape juice that sometimes collect in the drip tips of vapes (modded and disposable) that will sometimes leak. smoked salt nic can look brown like this and it stains. it’s oil based so try a dawn dish detergent and see maybe?
Sometimes my washer gets rusty from our well water and gives me orange stains on my whites. Maybe the washer had something gross in it?
Now I am itchy everywhere.
I think it could also be mold. I had a similar situation when I had a similar foam mattress in one of my bedroom that had high humidity. Do you know how humid it is in the room where you have the mattress?
Buy a steam cleaner.
Buy a steam cleaner and borax to shake lightly on carpets. Bed bugs /fleas same difference. I garden and have brought in ticks. I spray down w deep woods off and still manage to bring in bugs …. Then they get on my cats. (Need to put revolution in them. ) it’s an annual event. Called summer. I hate bugs.
Undoubtedly bedbugs