Can I donate clothes post-treatment? « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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Can I donate clothes post-treatment?

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Started 3 years ago by nervousaboutbedbugs
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nervousaboutbedbugs

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Posted 3 years ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 22:46:09
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We had 2 thermal treatments about two months ago. Never saw a bug, but had other signs including blood on the sheets. Our house was cleared by dogs a week after the treatment, but we continue to see comet-like stains on the sheets. Have tried to write them off as bleeding scabs, marks left by the dogs or cat, etc. , but suspect there may still be a problem.

In the meantime, we had a baby boy. Our older kids are girls so we have BINS AND BINS of beautiful baby girl clothes we don't need any more.

What can I do with these in good conscience? If dried and bagged, would it be safe to donate them, or should they be thrown away?
BBCOUKonTour

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Posted 3 years ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 23:00:07
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Hi,

Re clothes if you follow the decon details in the FAQ you can donate them.

With regards if you had bed bugs the only confirming signs are:
- Live samples
- Cast skins
- Faecal traces
If you did not see any of these then the signs are not confirming and it may be that you have been treated for bed bugs when you did not have them which is why the dog would have given you the all clear.

I would ask your thermal provider what confirming signs they found in order to justify treatment, if they say:
- Bites
- Blood spots on the sheets
Then its a expensive home cooking exercise and unlikely to have been bed bugs.

David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited
Bugbitten Meg

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Posted 3 years ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 23:43:14
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While I was cleaning Every Blessed Shred of Washable Cloth in the House I tried to pre-sort loads of laundry so that they could go directly into different bags on exit from the dryer. I put all clothing 'to go' into clear plastic bags with zip ties. The clear plastic makes it easier to see what is inside, which can be useful later, especially if your house is beginning to be awash in bags; the disadvantage is that the clear bags are usually a bit less sturdy than the black ones. I used slightly larger ones than I needed because I wanted the extra thickness-- I didn't want a failure if I grabbed one wrong. Then I put them in the back of the car so they'd be somewhat out of the way until I got rid of them.
I can't blame people who haven't got the energy to clean stuff they know they're not keeping, when there are tons of other things to do, but if you've got the ability to do the extra work, and you're following FAQ guidelines, it's totally safe even if you are sure you have an infestation.
bait

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Posted 3 years ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 23:57:26
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In New York City, I've noticed the on-street clothing donation bins have disappeared. I also noticed a sign up at a Salvation Army stating that it no longer accepts clothing donations.
bait

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Posted 3 years ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 0:01:02
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I forgot to add, I threw all my old clothes away.

I would be quite nervous about giving clothing away for fear that if a recipient then gets them, they may point the finger at you.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 3 years ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 0:28:02
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If you live in NYC, I would assume anything you throw away will go to someone's home. There are trash pickers who salvage just about anything. You see them in the small hours with carts, opening up people's garbage and taking anything usable out. The ones in my neighborhood are not homeless and I dread the thought of being their neighbor, because if anyone is likely to be exposed to bed bugs, it's these folks.

I suspect they keep things, give them away, or sell them to or via secondhand shops. And I have seen this in tony neighborhoods, middle class ones, and poorer ones (inasmuch as you can distinguish the three in NYC, where everyone is jumbled together).

IMO, if you want to be sure your neighbor -- most likely someone in your building -- does not take your bed bug refuse home and use it, do not simply throw it away. Destroy it beyond recognition, decontaminate and donate it (or decontaminate and toss it), or make sure it gets to the dump. It's self-preservation as much as anything else.
fantastapotamus

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Posted 3 years ago
Wed Nov 18 2009 17:45:58
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In my case I've made the decision to throw out almost everything I've been hanging on to for far too long.

Even without the fear of passing along contaminated items, a lot of it is the stuff I've decided to let go simply isn't good enough to be donated. clothes with holes in them (for painting I tell myself), pillows that need to be doubled or tripled in a pillowcase to be useful, socks almost worn through (but good for doubling up in winter).

I never really considered myself a packrat or a hoarder, but I do use stuff until it is worn out... maybe I need to adjust my definition of worn out or think of donating a little sooner before they get too bad
Bugbitten Meg

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Nov 19 2009 7:37:30
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fantastapotamus - 13 hours ago »

Even without the fear of passing along contaminated items, a lot of it is the stuff I've decided to let go simply isn't good enough to be donated. clothes with holes in them (for painting I tell myself), pillows that need to be doubled or tripled in a pillowcase to be useful, socks almost worn through (but good for doubling up in winter).

At least one place near me will take 'rag grade' as well -- I try to give them separate bags of that, when I have it, and the comments about 'do you have time for the extra work' go double when you know it's probably going to end up in high-end stationery, but as long as it's clearly separated out, they're still happy to have it. If you're not sure about your local drop-offs, call them before you bother processing it.
Aris

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Nov 19 2009 11:07:54
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I'm not a expert on bedbugs, but I have been donating my used clothes for years; and I recall once or twice that my mother bought used clothes from a thrift store that I wore as a kid.

Personally, I think it is unethical to donate clothes after an infestation, unless there have been no signs of ongoing infestation for several months (like 4 months or more), with the clothes being kept very near your bed during those months post treatment.
If you live in an apartment building or townhouse, or wash your clothes in a laundry shared with other people, I'd be even more uncomfortable with donating your clothes.

(On the other hand, these days if you take any used clothing home, you should recognize that it's possible you could be bringing new friends home along with the clothes.)
nervousaboutbedbugs

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Nov 19 2009 13:56:00
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Thanks all for your comments.

I live in a single family home in CT and still am not whether I had/have an infestation or not (no 'real' evidence). Regardless, we did the thermal treatments (my thermal company considers the dogs the gold standard and did not require finding an actual bug/casing). In the meantime, a good friend just found out she's expecting and wants the clothes. She is completely aware of my situation, but thinks that as long as I follow the decontamination procedures it isn't a problem.

Given that she's aware, I guess it's her call. I think I'll have her check out this site and get an idea of the havoc bedbugs cause before she decides for sure. In the meantime, I am washing, super-drying, and immediately zip-loc bagging all of the clothes. I used a thermometer in my dryer and it gets up to 180. I'm drying the clothes on high for 60 minutes after dry. I feel pretty confident that there won't be any problems with the clothes, but of course anything can happen.
toledo

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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Oct 9 2010 8:52:46
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Bumping! Getting ready to do a major purge. Should I wash, dry and donate or throw in the trash? I don't know if people pick through the trash here. The guys that do my weekly pick-up already know about my "problem", but I don't know where my things will end up. Plus I'm usually a big recycler, so it's hard for me to throw anything away. What is the ethical thing to do?
Beth

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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Oct 9 2010 11:54:21
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I wouldn't give them to her. Yes, scientific wisdom says you can decontaminate most clothing quite easily, but I just.don't.trust science all the time, especially with bedbugs. I don't know if they've actually tested clothing a few weeks after decontaminating to ensure none of those little eggs you know like in the lining of a jacket, say (real world vs. staged experiment) hatched.

That said, I am considering scorched earth again (esp. in regards to clothing) as I move, but am disheartened by the fact that major retailers are infested. These days, I don't know if anyone is safe from bringing the buggers home so we all must learn decontamination. If this woman wants to take the risk, then by all means. But explain to her what an infestation means.

I guess my plan is to decontaminate my clothing twice and vikane all of it before moving. If that doesn's kill them, I give up, and am going naked.

Amy
nycyn

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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Oct 9 2010 19:01:30
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I have been wondering how thrift shops are managing. I am sorry to hear that even the Salvation Army, my favorite charity, isn't accepting clothing. People rely on such places to clothe their families. And then Haiti and Pakistan flood victims and the next disaster. It hurts me to see so much going to landfills. It seems there should be an extra emphasis on education. After all, can not people just toss the stuff into clothes driers before bringing them in? So the poor get hit even harder? I doubt Victoria's Secret and even higher end stores aren't refusing their goods from overseas.

A friend has gone completely mad over bed bugs. I mentioned her here before. To date there has been no evidence of them. She has practically disappeared (for going on 3 weeks) since having everybody and anybody with a bed bug treatment placard through her apartment. She had everything steamed a few times then even with that chose to dispose of her carpets and all of her clothing. I'm getting to this point: A bed bug "prep" company carted her 2X post-steamed clothing from her unverified 'infested' apartment. I hope they benefited, or benefited others, from the bounty.

Sigh.
cilecto

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 10 2010 0:13:29
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>A friend has gone completely mad over bed bugs. I mentioned her here before. To date there has been no evidence of them.

I've wondered when we'll see the bed bug equivalent of the Simpsons episode where Miss Krabapple leaves work because she has "Lyme Disease". I'm guessing that's happening a lot.

I would go with the store's published guidelines, if they have them. In absence of that, before/during treatment, I'd donate things that have gone through the dryer/packtite and promptly sealed up. I would not donate things that are just hanging in the house during the course of treatment, 'til I feel confident that I'm "clear" (e.g., the 60 day rule). And I would not donate stuff that's not gone through the dryer before treatment.

That said, we need to reassess what we do to protect the thrift store or to protect our neighbors. Consider the big stores that just got well-publicized treatments. Are they waiting 60 days before selling stuff? Are they offering to packtite your shopping bag? No. Your neighbors who you're trying to protect from picking up your possibly infested stuff?
- The ones who still dumpster dive, whether or not you provide the goods?
- The ones who hang out in cafes with cushy couches?
- The ones who set off foggers?
- The ones who don't compy with prep instructions?
- The ones who just dumped a boatload of "special" stuff they bought from some shady guy?
- The ones who dragged the box spring through the halls last night?
- The ones using kerosene?
- The ones who will go through your stuff even if it says "bed bugs"?

If you have the capacity, do destroy your stuff, working over a tarp, BTW. And mark your stuff as infested. But if you're under the gun, just take them outside. When you're struggling with BB, your #1 concern should be your immediate well-being. If your neighbors are gonna be stupid anyway, don't kill yourself trying to "help" them.
iluvdedbugs

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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Oct 13 2010 21:17:38
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As I posted elsewhere, yes you can donate your used clothing. Preferably to the uncooperative landlord who refused to take action early on. (I am REALLY angry with mine about this!)

I suggest wrapping them up as gifts for Christmas...

But seriously, I hear from a neighbor in a nearby apartment (who also has the BBs) that the Landlord got HER apartment treated, but won't help the tenants unless we pay $250. It won't help anyway.

I discovered that there are lots of huge wide-open gaps in the walls, like behind a built-in dresser/wardrobe. I can see clear to the bottom side of the bathtub in the next room. I don't have money, nor would I spend my own money, to perform physical improvements to someone else's property. I've already spent $80 on bug sprays, etc., and I'm about to buy a ton of plastic bags and crap to deal with this.

Then they will demand rent ... what gives?