Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums Topic: What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried

cilecto on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

cilecto — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:31:48 +0000

If an item is clean, you can skip the wash and just run it through the dryer. If your items are delicate, gauge your dryer's temp with an instant read infrared or cooking thermometer aimed at a "test batch" of things that have been run through. Better a little cooler and longer than fast and hot (for protecting the fabrics). BB die between ~115-125F, as long as you get every bit of the item up to temp (ie any possible BB hiding place). Items can also be treated using DDVP strips or mothballs, with proper precautions. A more fundamental question is…Does a particular item need to be treated at all. PCOs and experts disagree on this. Some want you drying and treating items in order to kill bugs in these items (in case they are infested) and bagging to prevent bugs from escaping to those objects (or to quarantine infested or suspect items until you can treat them or the bed bugs die). (Some, I suspect, to create a protocol impossible to follow perfectly, failure which can be justified as voiding the warranty.) Others want you to do less, for various reasons: The objects are less likely to be infested, if necessary, they can be treated in a subsequent round. The bugs will emerge from the objects to feed and cross poison on the way. Here's expert Jeff White on the subject. His videos are generally excellent. <a href="http://tv.bedbugcentral.com/index.php/2010/07/bed-bug-preparations/" rel="nofollow">http://tv.bedbugcentral.com/index.php/2010/07/bed-bug-preparations/</a> If you trust your PCO, please ask about the cats, or search the forum on "cats". I'm going to guess that you will probably want to keep them crated for at least a few hours, but I hope you do not need to go away for long. Dealing with BB can be overwhelming. I hope this helps.

Jenn28 on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

Jenn28 — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:02:13 +0000

They keep talking about the bb on the news here in Calgary and last night was the most recent. They talked about how bb are popping up in more places than just your bed and they used the movie theater in NYC times square as an example. Yes I know it's bad there, but are you kidding me? They talk about it but have nothing to report on locally! We get the point. Anyone that's been lurking around this site for a while knows!! People who have never had them will never get it. What about the problem developing here? Ugh, I should become a reporter

Eve on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

Eve — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:29:57 +0000

I'm wondering (and I'm also in Edmonton) if instead of putting the clothes in bags to freeze outside, if you hung them out that would eliminate the insulation factor and improve the mortality rate. There's a thread here: <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/can-you-drown-a-bed-bug" rel="nofollow">http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/can-you-drown-a-bed-bug</a> that discusses drowning the wretched things. You can't drown the eggs but if you ensure total immersion (and use a few drops of a detergent as a surfactant) you can drown the other life stages. Damn, we need more research! I see you've got an exterminator coming. Ask him about whether he's establishing a residual barrier (an area that the bugs have to cross to get to you but which is poisonous for them). In that case, if you're staying put in your current apartment, it might be enough that there be bait for them (I nominate your husband) to aspire to. If all your stuff is outside the "ring of death" the bugs will eventually leave on their kamikaze journey. Discuss this with your exterminator if he will talk to you. Eve <will welcome real life narratives of Edmonton PCOs>

buggyinsocal on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

buggyinsocal — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:15:12 +0000

It's the heat that kills the bed bugs most reliably more so than the washing and drying cycle. Anything that's already clean can be put dry into the dryer. You need to run the dryer long enough for all the items in it to each 120 degrees F (sorry, I'm pretty USian in my inability to convert to C) for at least 20 minutes. Dry items should reach that temperature sooner than items that go into the dryer wet. That may be less hard on some items than others. Some bugs may drown during a cycle in the wash; however, it's not as reliable a method as heat. For what it's worth, it may make sense to select a sub set of items that you're going to wear during the infestation and wear only those items in the home. (I bought some cheap polo shirts, basketball shorts, and sports bras at Target since almost all of my clothes aren't supposed to be washed or dried on hot. Those items weren't necessarily meant to be treated that way either, but I didn't care if they got ruined in the process.) My good, work clothes would be washed and dried in cooler temps and then bagged up at the laundromat. Then, I would take them out of the bags immediately before I put them on and then I would immediately leave the house. I didn't sit them or myself on anything once I had them on. When I got home at the end of the day, I put those items into bags that contained only other "outside the house" clothes. This made it a bit easier to deal with. (I was also lucky. I'm faculty at a local university, and my infestation happened during the summer. While I had plenty of work to do during the summer, I wasn't teaching classes, so I have very little call to be in my office in front of students during that time, so mostly, I could wear shorts and t shirts and sandals to work). Cold is a much less reliable killer of bed bugs than heat. If you're going to try to freeze them out, look for sound science on exactly how cold for exactly how long. Hang in there.

Jenn28 on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

Jenn28 — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:46:37 +0000

CatRunner, Get your clothing that can't be washed or hot dryed, dry cleaned and keep it in a clean bag when you're done using them and keep them seperate from your other clothes. I am from Calgary and I have some stuff bagged on my balcony that will stay there for the 18 months it takes to be on the safe side. I am actually hoping for a very cold winter this year for that very reason! Living with the place upside down and in a bit of caos for a little while is a big pain but the end result is worth it. Good Luck!

CatRunner on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

CatRunner — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:13:54 +0000

<blockquote><cite>Richard56 - 1 minute ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/what-to-do-with-stuff-that-cant-be-washed-on-hot-or-dried#post-81971"> » </a></cite> Yes, you can just use the dryer on the hot setting. Twenty minutes or so should do it. That's what I do with similar hand washables. First wash hand wash per directions, then air dry. Then after completely dry into the dryer on hot. No problems. Another alternative, and perhaps somewhat gentler on clothes is the PackTite device. Very handy. You can use it instead of dryer for same delicate washables as well as books, papers and pretty much anything that can withstand a temperature of 120 degrees for one hour and that will fit in.</blockquote> Thanks very much. :) Sadly the packtite is not available in Canada. Otherwise I would be insisting on one right now!

Richard56 on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

Richard56 — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:11:24 +0000

Yes, you can just use the dryer on the hot setting. Twenty minutes or so should do it. That's what I do with similar hand washables. First wash hand wash per directions, then air dry. Then after completely dry into the dryer on hot. No problems. Another alternative, and perhaps somewhat gentler on clothes is the PackTite device. Very handy. You can use it instead of dryer for same delicate washables as well as books, papers and pretty much anything that can withstand a temperature of 120 degrees for one hour and that will fit in.

CatRunner on "What to do with stuff that can't be washed on hot or dried"

CatRunner — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:06:05 +0000

My husband and I just moved into a new apartment, and unfortunately, it seems we've picked up bedbugs somewhere. I'm being eaten alive (I have welts everywhere that are so itchy and painful) whereas they leave my husband alone. I have a lot of very nice clothes and workout wear - many of my items cannot be washed on hot or put in the dryer because it will ruin them. Am I stuck with having to throw these items out? Will either just washing these items (on cold delicate cycle), or just putting them in the dryer (ie. not washing them, just putting them in the dryer) do the trick? I'm also tempted to just bag up some of my stuff and leave it outside on the balcony until winter (we are in Edmonton, where -20C for weeks at a time is not unusual). What about books and other items? Do these need to be either disposed of or somehow "de-bed-bugged"? I have SO much stuff in my bedroom, that I'm totally at a loss with what to do. Not to mention that each load of laundry costs us $2, as does each dryer cycle (we don't have our own washer and dryer in our suite and no place to hook them up). I admit I'm feeling totally overwhelmed. All of my clothes is in the bedroom, so I don't even know what I can wear tomorrow when the exterminator comes and we have to leave our suite! We also have two cats, so have to find a place for them and us tomorrow while the exterminator is here. I don't want to go back to a hotel, since I'm scared that's where we picked them up in the first place during our move. Thanks for any help and suggestions.