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BBs at my work! How do I avoid bringing them home?
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DeathToAllBBs
junior member
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 55
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 0:55:51
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Where I work has had a definite infestation months ago. Then I was bitten around three weeks ago as was another coworker. They followed with another treatment. Last week I found more of them after a resident showed me his bite marks and told me his sheets were covered in blood. UGH! The did another treatment the next day. Now they'll have them back weekly I believe. Meanwhile, I'm concerned about how to not bring them home.
As of now, I don't have any signs that I have, but now I'm being extra cautious by changing before I leave work into clean clothes, putting them in a pillow case that I put in a knapsack. They I empty the contents in my dryers which is in my basement (knapsack and clothes I just changed into included) and put the dryer on for 40 minutes on high. Then I shower. This way I don't bring them into my car, and everything gets killed in the heat of my dryer.
A few people at work think I'm being paranoid since nobody has gotten an infestation in their home, but the original infestation was in one bedroom. Then I was bit three weeks ago in the living room. And last week they were in two other residents' bedrooms. Back at the time of the first infestation, I didn't think much of it and didn't know anything about BBs. After I got bit and after hearing other workers saw them in our office, I realized it was much worse than I thought.
Is there anything else I can do to avoid taking these gross things home? Honestly, if the economy weren't so bad, I'd just quit, but that's not really an option right now.
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DrFrank
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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 122
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 1:22:32
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Sounds like a pretty good protocol, to me. You might want to keep your work shoes in a plastic bag.
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junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 40
Posted 2 months ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 22:35:01
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I don't think you are paranoid at all. As a PCO in the tri-state area, I have seen a sharp increase in "office Environment" bed bug issues. While i'm assuming your in the senior care or healthcare in general realm, there is little info out there about how to Not bring 'em home. Be mindful of non clothing objects like bags, purses, etc. Be mindful where you sit. I too have a similar protocol when i'm inspecting a rather heavy infestation.
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DeathToAllBBs
junior member
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 55
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 0:22:24
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ActionK9 - 1 hour ago »
I don't think you are paranoid at all. As a PCO in the tri-state area, I have seen a sharp increase in "office Environment" bed bug issues. While i'm assuming your in the senior care or healthcare in general realm, there is little info out there about how to Not bring 'em home. Be mindful of non clothing objects like bags, purses, etc. Be mindful where you sit. I too have a similar protocol when i'm inspecting a rather heavy infestation.Thanks for your reply.
I don't sit anywhere but in the dining room at dinner with them and in the office now. I used to sit on the couches but never again. I am no longer bringing in purses or wallets. And I go out to the car to get my change of clothing near the end of the shift and change at the very end which is literally before I walk out the door.
I have to get ziplock bags of some sort to put clean and needs to go into the dryer clothes as well as ones for my shoes.
The only time I actually saw bugs so far was when I caught them in the tape because people were reporting them but the PCO wasn't finding them and acts like we don't have them but the resident had blood on his sheets and an obvious rash.
Are there any other protocols I should follow? I just wish I had done this sooner but maybe I didn't bring anything home with me if I wasn't in areas where they were active and only got bit that one time (which is the time I'm kicking myself for).
I do live in a fairly large enough house that I'm hoping if I brought home a straggler whether it's an adult or nymph or eggs, they wouldn't find their way to me from my bathroom or where the laundry basket is before dying or even if they did that if it wasn't a female then they wouldn't be able to continue if they didn't have a mate and now that I'm being proactive, I've hopefully reduced those odds drastically.
It's just so stressful that I'm trying not to think about it and when I do I remind myself that I take precautions.
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buggedoutinNJ
newbite
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 10
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 0:58:28
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I would take your clothes to and from work in a plastic bag, rather than a pillowcase and knapsack, just in case they enjoy it too much in there and decide to create a nice little place to live.
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DeathToAllBBs
junior member
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 55
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 7:59:45
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buggedoutinNJ - 6 hours ago »
I would take your clothes to and from work in a plastic bag, rather than a pillowcase and knapsack, just in case they enjoy it too much in there and decide to create a nice little place to live.I'm going to pick up large ziplock bags today for clothes and shoes to and from work.
This is such a pain in the butt, but at least I know I'm trying to avoid home infestation. Most of my coworkers aren't even concerned. They think I'm over doing it or being paranoid. But I'd rather seem obsessive compulsive at Monk levels than end up with these things in my home.
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parakeets
oldtimer
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 866
Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 8:26:49
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I asked someone to ask an employee of a cleaning service that prepares apartments and homes for bedbug treatments how they prevented getting bedbugs. After all, these employees go into infested homes every day, before the homes have been treated, and go through people's possessions. I was told that as soon as the employees go home, they immediately change their clothes, shower, and put the clothes in the washer and dryer. I was reassured to hear that this protocol has worked for them and no one had gotten infested even though they work in bedbug environments daily.
As mentioned here, the only suggestions I can add are to seal your clothes in a ziplock bag rather than a pillowcase and to keep your work shoes in ziplock bags when you are not at work. I would think that any of your coats, jackets and bags that are sitting still at work might be at higher risk than your moving body
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