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Changing Clothes Twice A Day - Exhaustion Setting In
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I have read that when I leave for work, I should take a clean outfit in a bag to my laundry room and when I get home from work, go straight from garage to laundry room and change into clean clothes in the laundry room before entering my apt and put work clothes into bag to wash next day. This is exhausting - is this overkill or necessary? (My weekend job is at a front desk at hotel).
My apt now consists of clothes in bags on floor - office attire for my mon-fri job on hangars in closet - should these also be encased in garbage bags? No bugs seen in closet. Working seven days a week - can't sleep, waking up constantly throughout the night. Seriously - should I just leave everything? Take my purse and the clothes on my back, find a place to stay and just start over?
Any thoughts or wisdom welcome. My eyes are crossing from reading FAQ's and lack of sleep. Thank you anyone in advance for help.
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busy with my kids
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Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 57
Posted 1 year ago
Sat Aug 30 2008 23:58:17
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You can do it. Just take it one step at a time. There are Space bags that you can hang in your closet that enclose clothes. Educate yourself so you can make sure the PCO is doing a good job. If you have a good PCO, try to keep making progress.
Just every time you can do something to fight like putting DE in crevices or steaming or getting rid of junk.
I understand things getting too much. I'm doing the clothes thing with 2 adults and 6 kids. Just take it one step at a time. If you move infested, maybe you'll take them with you.
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IMO, you can re-wear work clothing which has not been worn in the home, as long as you seal it up in a bag. (Tips on that in the FAQ on clothing.)
What you are trying to avoid is wearing clothes in the home, picking up bed bugs in the clothing or in a bag, and then getting in a car or going to work or visiting folks and taking bed bugs with you.
Also, you can re-wear home clothes. I would no go too many days, but why crack out a clean outfit two afternoons running, to be worn 1/2 a day?
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Thank you for your words and what you do keymaster. Here's the rub: I work mon-fri at normal office job, fri, sat sun nights I work at an old run-down used-to-be Holiday Inn now a dive owned by - let's say an International Family. So - if the hotel is the source - (I can't quit job right now - I need money, especially since I now have to buy bed encasements, vacuum cleaner (other one died) laundry detergent and garbage bags in bulk, etc... I am barely making it financially - I will sink if I quit the hotel job. The Mon-Fri is not enough money. I am going to apply at a nice clean gas station for fri,sat, sun night work as soon as I can, but I work 7 days a week, so - and the bug thing is just - well you know. I guess I am a little overwhelmed right now. Anyway, so when I leave in about an hour to do the 3-11 shift at the hotel, I will take a sealed bag with clean pj's down to the laundry room with me along with an empty bag. As soon as I get off tonight, I'll drive straight home, go straight to laundry rooma and very carefully srip down, put the hotel work clothes in the empty bag, seal it for washing tomorrow, leave that bag in laundry room. Change into clean clothes and enter my apt barefooted. I also am leaving my sandals in the laundry room. Could these be sprayed down with the rubbing alcohol making them safer to wear?
Anyway if you run this site, I can't thank you enough. And if you happen to know of any encasements cheaper than $100 or any other good advice, please let me know.
Thanks again.
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BugsInTO
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Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 212
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Aug 31 2008 19:07:42
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Hi - We "recycle" our gently worn clothing by running it through the dryer. If you have quick access to a dryer, then run worn dry clothing on high. We set it for 30 minutes.
This is a variation on decontaminating unwashables:
"Clothing, footwear, area rugs, toys, stuffed animals, backpacks and other non-launderable items can conveniently be de-infested by heating them for a period of time in a dryer at most settings. For reference, a typical clothes dryer run for five minutes at low, medium or high heat produced temperatures of about 140, 150 and 180°F, respectively, amongst a bundle of dry clothing– plenty hot to kill bed bugs."We do this to get multiple "uses" out of our clothing.
So if you have some "inside" clothing that you have only worn for an hour, and you really want to wear it "out", then running it through a hot dryer should decontaminate it.
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sleepingstandingup
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Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 35
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Aug 31 2008 21:25:15
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Just be sure you don't over load your dryer. the temp needs to be sustained for 30 minutes to kill the bugs and eggs. If there is too much in the dryer, all of the clothes won't get and stay that hot. You can also put DE on your chair and around your area at work, Try to do it when no one else is around. If you are getting them at work, If you put it heavier around your area, maybe they will sense it and go somewhere else! You could also actually spray your area if no one is around that would accuse you of being the one bringing them in there!
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terrifiedtosleep
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Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 86
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Aug 31 2008 21:52:12
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I would just change before leaving the house. Upon getting home, I'd just stay in the same clothes and shower again and put on clean pajamas.
In the morning for work I'd shower, put on a clean change of clothes and then run out of the house immediately.
I really don't see the point of changing your clothes upon entering the house unless you're scared of cross-contamination from somewhere else.
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Thank you guys so much for the responses. Just got it from hotel work - had to go to walmart bought a Bissell with allergen bags, duct tape, 91% rubbing alcohol (giant bottle), more Hefty bags, etc.... spent over $100 - ouch!. Will vacuum tomorrow again with old vacuum (doesn't use bags) will throw old vacuum out and start with the new. Yes - there is a real chance of cross-contamination as my weekend job as at a dive/hotel (see previous above explanation). I will be sure not to load washer and dryer to heavy.
Thank you again. I just went in and checked the bed again - nothing new yet. I'm definitely going to spray the DE stuff around the front desk next weekend - thank you to sleepingstandingup for that fantastic idea - do I buy that stuff at Lowe's or Home Depot? Back to laundry...
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FreakingOutInNKY - 5 minutes ago »
Thank you guys so much for the responses. Just got it from hotel work - had to go to walmart bought a Bissell with allergen bags, duct tape, 91% rubbing alcohol (giant bottle), more Hefty bags, etc.... spent over $100 - ouch!. Will vacuum tomorrow again with old vacuum (doesn't use bags) will throw old vacuum out and start with the new. Yes - there is a real chance of cross-contamination as my weekend job as at a dive/hotel (see previous above explanation). I will be sure not to load washer and dryer to heavy.
Thank you again. I just went in and checked the bed again - nothing new yet. I'm definitely going to spray the DE stuff around the front desk next weekend - thank you to sleepingstandingup for that fantastic idea - do I buy that stuff at Lowe's or Home Depot? Back to laundry... wonder if I include receipts in Oct rent if slumlord will deduct off rent - is that legal? can I do that? -
fightorflight
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Joined: Jan '08
Posts: 694
Posted 1 year ago
Tue Sep 2 2008 3:27:26
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Quick reply: the point of changing clothes when you get home, in my opinion, is to add that added bit of assurance that decontaminated clothing stays that way. I would continue to do that and follow the FAQ advice and others here about quarantining clean and dirty items, but perhaps not washing them so often, or just putting them in the dryer when you're too tired.
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sleepingstandingup - 1 day ago »
Just be sure you don't over load your dryer. the temp needs to be sustained for 30 minutes to kill the bugs and eggs.It's true that you must not overload the dryer. But it's not true that it takes 30 minutes. Entomologist Michael Potter dried a DRY sock for five minutes on hot, killing all bed bugs and eggs inside.
Most clothing isn't thicker than a sock (think about it: socks and jeans are probably the last thing to be dried). Five minutes is not long. Ten would be twice as long. I don't think people need to dry regular DRY clothing for 1/2 hour.
This is all covered in the FAQ on clothing, with links to sources.
http://bedbugger.com/2007/05/18/dryer/(Now, remember: pillows, stuffed animals, winter coats, comforters: all are likely to take MUCH longer than five minutes, and no one can tell you exactly how long. Remember, also, we are talking about already-dried clothing. Wet clothing will take longer than 30 minutes.)
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fightorflight - 8 hours ago »
Quick reply: the point of changing clothes when you get home, in my opinion, is to add that added bit of assurance that decontaminated clothing stays that way.I don't agree on that. The only reason for me to change washable clothing on coming home is if you want to wear it again.
The exception, perhaps, would be dry-clean only items: I don't entirely trust dry cleaning. We're told "green" dry cleaners may not kill bed bugs. I'd remove and bag those items just to be safe.
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