Comments on: inspectors find 600 unsanitized mattresses at Charlotte, N.C. used furniture store http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/ bed bug news, information, activism, and support Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:20:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Cody http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-9800 Cody Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:06:17 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-9800 I will sure be turning a blind eye to mother nature with the number of plastic bags *I* plan to be using during MY bed bug epidemic ;) I will sure be turning a blind eye to mother nature with the number of plastic bags *I* plan to be using during MY bed bug epidemic ;)

]]> By: nobugsonme http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-9799 nobugsonme Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:32:43 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-9799 Cody, I am all for helping the environment. If mattresses are indeed being heated to 230 F for hours, as Johnson in the article quoted claims, then this would certainly seem to render a mattress "sanitized." Unfortunately, here in NYC, there is no law about how mattresses should be treated before resale. NYC mattress resellers typically spritz mattresses with Steri-Fab, recover them, and sell them. This in no way ensures the mattress is bed-bug-free. It is not a good solution, hence my comments above about poor people in NYC not "needing" to save $50 on a refurb mattress. Here in NYC, and I'd assume a lot of other places, "refurbished" mattresses are potentially-- no, make that likely-- bedbugged mattresses. And I don't need to tell you how bad the spread of bed bugs is for the environment (all those extra plastic bags being used and tossed out, repeated pesticide applications, furniture and other items being thrown away needlessly). Cody,

I am all for helping the environment.

If mattresses are indeed being heated to 230 F for hours, as Johnson in the article quoted claims, then this would certainly seem to render a mattress “sanitized.”

Unfortunately, here in NYC, there is no law about how mattresses should be treated before resale. NYC mattress resellers typically spritz mattresses with Steri-Fab, recover them, and sell them.

This in no way ensures the mattress is bed-bug-free. It is not a good solution, hence my comments above about poor people in NYC not “needing” to save $50 on a refurb mattress.

Here in NYC, and I’d assume a lot of other places, “refurbished” mattresses are potentially– no, make that likely– bedbugged mattresses.

And I don’t need to tell you how bad the spread of bed bugs is for the environment (all those extra plastic bags being used and tossed out, repeated pesticide applications, furniture and other items being thrown away needlessly).

]]> By: Cody http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-9797 Cody Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:21:43 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-9797 Well one good thing to keep in mind over the reselling of matresses is it helps the environment by reducing waste and landfill. I don't see the problem if people want to buy them and they've been sanitised / heated properly. The problem here appears to be that a few dodgy businesses are cutting corners. Hopefully (and probably) the rest are more ethical than that. Well one good thing to keep in mind over the reselling of matresses is it helps the environment by reducing waste and landfill. I don’t see the problem if people want to buy them and they’ve been sanitised / heated properly. The problem here appears to be that a few dodgy businesses are cutting corners. Hopefully (and probably) the rest are more ethical than that.

]]> By: Bedbugged North Carolina: Bayer’s training grounds for bed bug detection and treatment | bedbugger http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-6598 Bedbugged North Carolina: Bayer’s training grounds for bed bug detection and treatment | bedbugger Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:01:02 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-6598 [...] a few of them can also be tied to the reselling of used, unsanitized mattresses in Charlotte, N.C. This woman claimed to purchase a heavily infested bedroom suite from another [...] [...] a few of them can also be tied to the reselling of used, unsanitized mattresses in Charlotte, N.C. This woman claimed to purchase a heavily infested bedroom suite from another [...]

]]> By: Stirring up anti-immigrant sentiment in Charlotte: let’s start the blame game | bedbugger http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-3785 Stirring up anti-immigrant sentiment in Charlotte: let’s start the blame game | bedbugger Thu, 14 Jun 2007 04:41:13 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-3785 [...] they want to know why bed bugs are spreading in Charlotte and elsewhere, they might consult this post we ran back in February, when a Charlotte used furniture warehouse was found to have 600 unsanitized mattresses in its [...] [...] they want to know why bed bugs are spreading in Charlotte and elsewhere, they might consult this post we ran back in February, when a Charlotte used furniture warehouse was found to have 600 unsanitized mattresses in its [...]

]]> By: hopelessnomo' http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1629 hopelessnomo' Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:50:01 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1629 At least NC has a sanitization law! Illinois doesn't have one either. Summary of secondhand laws here: (from something called the International Association of Bedding & Furniture Law Officials) http://www.abflo.org/photo.html At least NC has a sanitization law! Illinois doesn’t have one either.

Summary of secondhand laws here: (from something called the International Association of Bedding & Furniture Law Officials)
http://www.abflo.org/photo.html

]]> By: jessinchicago http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1628 jessinchicago Tue, 27 Feb 2007 02:10:12 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1628 Man, we really need some public education, don't we? If there were a couple billboards in every major city that read "Think you won't get bedbugs? Think again" and then had little pictures of the easiest ways to get them- a hotel room, a used furniture store, a person taking items off a street corner, maybe even a child carrying a backpack or a businessman carrying a briefcase off a plane... Well, maybe people would take notice, and the consumers would start to make decisions for these industries, instead of the other way around. Man, we really need some public education, don’t we? If there were a couple billboards in every major city that read “Think you won’t get bedbugs? Think again” and then had little pictures of the easiest ways to get them- a hotel room, a used furniture store, a person taking items off a street corner, maybe even a child carrying a backpack or a businessman carrying a briefcase off a plane… Well, maybe people would take notice, and the consumers would start to make decisions for these industries, instead of the other way around.

]]> By: hopelessnomo' http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1627 hopelessnomo' Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:32:49 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1627 All kinds of furniture, all kinds of goods. What is so disheartening about the NC story is that there will always be a market in used furnishings--virtually all retailers allow returns. What becomes of things that are returned? Macy's sells 30-day-comfort-trial rejects "as is" in its warehouses. Even National Allergy has a no questions asked return policy. Don't even want to think about what they do with returned mattress encasings! I bet they don't trash them, or do they? They might donate them to hospitals! Shudder. (Of course, I have no idea what they do, and it's unfair to speculate.) Thanks, nobugs, feels like home, where everyone understands where you're coming from. All kinds of furniture, all kinds of goods. What is so disheartening about the NC story is that there will always be a market in used furnishings–virtually all retailers allow returns. What becomes of things that are returned? Macy’s sells 30-day-comfort-trial rejects “as is” in its warehouses. Even National Allergy has a no questions asked return policy. Don’t even want to think about what they do with returned mattress encasings! I bet they don’t trash them, or do they? They might donate them to hospitals! Shudder. (Of course, I have no idea what they do, and it’s unfair to speculate.)

Thanks, nobugs, feels like home, where everyone understands where you’re coming from.

]]> By: nobugsonme http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1626 nobugsonme Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:47:23 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1626 Hey 'Nomo, we're really glad you're back. The consumer mattress business--and the "we take away your old mattress for you" alleged "perk" in particular--is a huge problem. It could not hurt for them to place another bag over this box, and seal it (though I am not sure that's what they meant), but if the delivery guy is dragging around bed bug-filled mattresses, it's not necessarily going to solve much. If the problem is that people can't take their mattress to the curb, it would be a slight help if the delivery guy took the mattresses to the curb and did not place it in the van to be taken away, which allows old and new mattresses a lot of time together. (And not just mattresses, but all kinds of furniture are sometimes delivered in the same vans). But this would still expose the delivery man to bed bugs. Hey ‘Nomo, we’re really glad you’re back.

The consumer mattress business–and the “we take away your old mattress for you” alleged “perk” in particular–is a huge problem.

It could not hurt for them to place another bag over this box, and seal it (though I am not sure that’s what they meant), but if the delivery guy is dragging around bed bug-filled mattresses, it’s not necessarily going to solve much.

If the problem is that people can’t take their mattress to the curb, it would be a slight help if the delivery guy took the mattresses to the curb and did not place it in the van to be taken away, which allows old and new mattresses a lot of time together. (And not just mattresses, but all kinds of furniture are sometimes delivered in the same vans). But this would still expose the delivery man to bed bugs.

]]> By: hopelessnomo' http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1625 hopelessnomo' Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:22:52 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/2007/02/26/inspectors-find-600-unsanitized-mattresses-at-charlotte-nc-used-furniture-store/#comment-1625 This sucks. The whole industry needs a wake-up call. This comment is about the consumer mattress business, not the hotel bedding business, but I'll put it here: some time ago I wrote to an organic mattress purveyor because their website touted the old-mattress pick-up thing as a perk. Organic mattresses are highly expensive and sought by people with allergies and other sensitivities, so I figured I'd have a receptive audience. In their reply they explained that not picking up used mattresses in the same truck was "probably never going to happen" as too many people are too old or not strong enough to carry large, heavy mattresses to the curb. It was a somewhat thoughtful response but I think they clearly think it's a "New York" problem. They said maybe if the mattresses (already covered in plastic and inside a box) were covered in plastic again (outside the box) it would help. It will be an incredible challenge to change such a widespread business practice like this, one that is moreover viewed as a convenience by consumers (judging from internet discussions on the subject of mattresses, I think there are consumers that are like bedbuggers in reverse and will NOT buy a mattress from a seller that will not also take away the old one). (Hi Jess and buggedinbrooklyn!! I've missed you too. Sorry for the delayed response, internet access is one of the sacrifices I'm making in order to live without bedbugs.) This sucks. The whole industry needs a wake-up call. This comment is about the consumer mattress business, not the hotel bedding business, but I’ll put it here: some time ago I wrote to an organic mattress purveyor because their website touted the old-mattress pick-up thing as a perk. Organic mattresses are highly expensive and sought by people with allergies and other sensitivities, so I figured I’d have a receptive audience. In their reply they explained that not picking up used mattresses in the same truck was “probably never going to happen” as too many people are too old or not strong enough to carry large, heavy mattresses to the curb. It was a somewhat thoughtful response but I think they clearly think it’s a “New York” problem. They said maybe if the mattresses (already covered in plastic and inside a box) were covered in plastic again (outside the box) it would help. It will be an incredible challenge to change such a widespread business practice like this, one that is moreover viewed as a convenience by consumers (judging from internet discussions on the subject of mattresses, I think there are consumers that are like bedbuggers in reverse and will NOT buy a mattress from a seller that will not also take away the old one).

(Hi Jess and buggedinbrooklyn!! I’ve missed you too. Sorry for the delayed response, internet access is one of the sacrifices I’m making in order to live without bedbugs.)

]]>