Does laundry/bagging really make a difference? « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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Does laundry/bagging really make a difference?

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newbite
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Posted 4 years ago
Mon Nov 24 2008 22:49:20
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Hi there,

I'm the guy on these boards whose girlfriend has an active infestation in her apartment, and since I'm a research freak I've been doing all I can to learn about bb's and to make sure she doesn't contaminate my place. I just got a bite the other day for the first time -- I'm praying it wasn't from a bed bug.

Now that I'm facing a potential infestation in my own apartment, I'm wondering about laundering all items and bagging them until a PCO gives my place a clean bill of health. Does all this isolating really help, or is it just a neurotic thing to keep a person busy so they *feel* like they're being useful when, in fact, the PCO is doing all the real work by spraying poisons.

The reason I bring it up is that it would be expensive and time-consuming to wash everything that's clean (suits, dress shirts, etc.) and it seems a bit silly. I mean, am I supposed to wash and clean the rug in my living room? What about the throw pillows on my sofa? What about the carpet in my bedroom? You see where I'm going -- you could never clean enough unless you spent thousands of dollars and weeks of effort, and I'm not sure that it would stop a bed bug that's probably living in baseboards or behind the furnace.

Any thoughts on this? I've read these forums a great deal and it seems that the majority of people bag, but that there are some people who think it doesn't help and can accidentally save bed bugs from PCO treatment.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 4:45:56
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(Note: My comments ONLY apply to bagging clean, dried laundry, in clean sealed bags. They don't apply to bagging in general, bagging everything you own, etc.)

Depends.

Your PCO may require it if your home's being treated.

If you have bed bugs they may or may not be hanging out everywhere (every case is different). You may or may not have them in X location or have X amount of them.

Many PCOs err on the side of caution. Some aren't cautious enough.

There's no way anyone here can tell you if laundering and bagging clean dry laundry is definitely going to be essential to or speed up your treatment.

Some would say don't bother. Others would say, why not do all you can? Most important, IMO, is what your PCO says. If nothing else, not complying with their plan can probably void any guarantees or agreements you have.
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newbite
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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 13:23:51
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I think my question is this: do bedbugs really live in your clothing? I would want to do all I can to stop an infestation so I'd definitely follow a PCO's advice if he told me to clean and bag everything in quarantine, but part of these forums is about education and sharing lessons.

What do people think? Is the laundry/bagging protocol unnecessarily onerous and just to make us feel that we're doing something, or is vital to killing bedbugs hiding out in sweaters or t-shirts?

Thanks...
Marixpress

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 13:51:03
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Laundering won't solve your problem but its an important step in fighting bbs. To answer your question simply, yes they can. I was wondering the same thing once upon a time when this started until I found a bed bug in a folded t-shirt I hadn't worn in years. It was in the bottom of my drawer untouched for literally a couple of years. It wasn't until I was getting my clothes together to launder that I found it.

I am not convinced bagging helps because what if one gets into the bag somehow. I feel you're only protecting them by keeping clothes in bags. That is just my opinion, not fact.
MyWorstFear

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 16:47:24
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I think the hardest part of bed bugs is that while you are trying to calm down over the fact that you have them, is that then you're presented with instructions that you have to wash/dry clean virtually everything and bag everything else as well. It's like "moving" except you're not. Everyone knows how stressful packing to move is.
spideyjg

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 16:51:43
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Washing, drying, and bagging only helps if your dryer/washer or whatever actually kills the bugs.

Temps of 120F+ are required or you are not accomplishing jack as far a bug killing goes.

Jim
Itchy-Scratchy

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 17:32:42
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MyWorstFear - 42 minutes ago »
I think the hardest part of bed bugs is that while you are trying to calm down over the fact that you have them, is that then you're presented with instructions that you have to wash/dry clean virtually everything and bag everything else as well. It's like "moving" except you're not. Everyone knows how stressful packing to move is.

That's exactly what it feels like. A move that just keeps going and going. I cannot get a definitive answer from my PCO or landlord about when I get to unpack. And I have to be careful because they are very quick to accuse people of not "cooperating".

I hope to God the laundring wasn't just a "make-work" project because I have now spent well over $1,000 with all the laundry over the past 5 months.
SleeplessinMadison

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 17:59:24
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I only wash and bag clothes that I chose to wear regularly at the start of all of this (people are probably beginning to think that I have no clothes!). I just can't bring myself to wash all of my clothes again (I already did 20+ loads when we were originally told that we had a bad case of fleas and put them back in my closet/dresser before we identified the culprit as bedbugs). Plus, I'm afraid that the water or dryer won't get hot enough to kill the darn things, and that I'll just be sealing them in bags just to release them later. Our PCO has a "no bags" philosophy that I tend to agree with.

So basically...I just wash and dry what I will be wearing to school and to other people's homes. Why wash summer clothes that I won't be wearing for another 7 months?
Marixpress

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 18:11:30
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ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!

That is all.
bugbasher

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 22:38:53
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I think it's neccessary in part.We all know that bb's can be found in clothing,but even more important is they can be found in where we keep our clothes,ie. dresser,closets,trunks,ect.How can you effectively treat these areas if your clothes are in them? You can't. I don't know about anyone else, but I treated all bedroom furniture,period.There are too many nice areas to hide till it's safe.I took out drawers,treating the inside and outside of furniture.I did the furniture with bedlam,it's easier to apply and not as harsh as other things.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 22:40:33
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Marixpress - 8 hours ago »
Laundering won't solve your problem but its an important step in fighting bbs. To answer your question simply, yes they can. I was wondering the same thing once upon a time when this started until I found a bed bug in a folded t-shirt I hadn't worn in years. It was in the bottom of my drawer untouched for literally a couple of years. It wasn't until I was getting my clothes together to launder that I found it.
I am not convinced bagging helps because what if one gets into the bag somehow. I feel you're only protecting them by keeping clothes in bags. That is just my opinion, not fact.

I understand that, but if you are going to the trouble of laundering things to kill potential bed bugs, then why would you wash and dry your clothing and put it in a drawer?

You found a bed bug in clothing in a drawer, and it seems like this supports the idea of washing and bagging.

I used to think bed bugs were only in clothing accidentally (either hitching a ride on you temporarily, or because the clothing was next to a harborage, for example.

Then I saw some people claiming bed bugs were on their clothing, unnecessarily-- I mean, when there were no people in them, to be feasted on. For example, Maciej's story:

Maciej (the guy who started the Bed Bug Registry) has a bed bug loose in his hotel room (that's a long story you should read the rest to learn). He finally tracks it down: hidden inside a hanging shirt.

I took down a dress shirt hanging from the rack next to the armoire, and as I began to put it on the bedbug dropped out of the rolled-up cuff. Twenty more minutes of hard staring at the carpet and I had found him, on his back again, waving his legs in frustration.

Now,

Why would a bed bug hide in clothing? Who knows.

Here's another point: when people bring bed bugs to work accidentally, they have to be carrying them somehow: is it in their purses or bags, or in their clothing (rolled up cuffs, hats, shoes, pockets, etc)? Any of these is possible.

Similarly, people who get bed bugs in hotels. At some point, the bed bug probably crawled into your suitcase. (Could be on your person too).

If bed bugs did not sometimes wind up in peoples' clothing, there would be a lot fewer bed bugs traveling around.

I don't think I have all the answers on this one. I still think it is possible that for some people, it wouldn't make a big difference.

I believe KillerQueen does not believe in washing, drying and bagging clothing. Which may be fine if your PCO searches as carefully as he claims he does. Most don't.

And maybe it's also ok if your PCO does not tell you to wash, dry and bag clothing. Most seem to. Going against their prep instructions seems unwise on a number of levels.

And maybe it's also ok if you have a very small infestation. But most of us (and even a lot of PCOS) probably really have no idea how big our infestations are, or where the bed bugs are harboring. Many think they know, but few really know.

So why not do something that is a nuisance and costly, but may make your bed bugs go away faster (and, if you pay for treatment, this translates into saving money)?
JWhiteBBCTV

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 23:36:37
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This is a great thread and one I haven't seen on here very often. It's a really interesting topic that I think you'll get a lot of differing opinions on.

First, yes bed bugs can be on clothes and any PCO who has done a fair amount of jobs will have stories of finding them on collars of hanging shirts, folded in clothes, etc... So the most important thing is yes, they can live on clothes.

As for what does and doesn't need to be laundered, in my opinion, it's really going by feel and level of infestation.

In low level infestations, I think the "biological vacuum" theory really applies. Bed bug infestations a lot of time work a lot like cockroach infestations in regards to this theory. Cockroaches will commonly infest the cabinets around the sink in the kitchen first and radiate out from there as the infestation grows. This is one of the best places for them to be as it is closest to food and water. If a PCO went in to a bad infestation of cockroaches that had spread throughout the house and waved a magic wand that killed every roach under the sink, all the roaches in the surrounding area around the house would move into the area under the sink because it is now void of roaches and is the optimal place for them to be.

Now in regards to bed bugs, obviously sleeping areas, and most commonly beds, are the most optimal places for bed bugs to be. Bugs, as they begin an infestation, work there way to the bed and usually infest these areas first (as we are all aware). This isn't to say that bugs can't be found in lower level infestations in other places, but most (95% or more) will be found near the bed (unless they haven't worked there way off the suitcase they were brought in on, etc...). Therefore, a lot of times in low level infestations I'll recommend that people launder items in close association with the bed (i.e. comforters, sheets, close strewn on the bed, close on the floor by the bed, a dresser that was next to the bed, etc...). To launder items in a closet that was 20 feet from the bed and has no reason to have bed bugs, although possible, seems overkill based on the theories and observations I mentioned before.

As for high level infestations, all bets are off. Anything you can launder and store after laundered, do so. Once populations get out of control the bugs can be anywhere and the more you do, the faster you can get rid of things.

So, my opinion is that in low level infestations, you should probably launder as much as you can but items in close association with the bed are all that I see necessary. As the population grows, that launder "radius" increase until you have a bad infestation, then anything and everything is suspect.
sereneseek

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 25 2008 23:38:38
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I understand that it can be exhausting and, at times, impractical. I mean, one can only do so much before having a complete mental and physical collapse (like me!). However, I have on a couple of occasions stood in my bathtub, taken my clothes that I was wearing off and shaking them out; 3-4 very small bugs fell out onto the bathtub floor. I also shook out some other clothing I had in a bag and same thing. This is what happened: a PCO instructed all of us to take EVERYTHING out and put it in black garbage bags and place outside in the sun. I knew it was not hot enough on those days to kill any bugs, but I wanted to "cooperate." They had us bring everything back in before Vikaning the complex. I believe some bugs were transferred onto my clothes when I brought everything back in, and I neglected to take extra precautions. I think I was so happy to potentially have this be over that I became a little cavalier.

Now, I take off my clothes and shake them out every time I come in from my car. I do admit I'm not as diligent as I was in the beginning, b/c I believe the infestation is lighter and...I'm pooped!
Marixpress

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Nov 26 2008 10:04:51
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Nobugsonme - 11 hours ago »

I understand that, but if you are going to the trouble of laundering things to kill potential bed bugs, then why would you wash and dry your clothing and put it in a drawer?
You found a bed bug in clothing in a drawer, and it seems like this supports the idea of washing and bagging.
I used to think bed bugs were only in clothing accidentally (either hitching a ride on you temporarily, or because the clothing was next to a harborage, for example.
Then I saw some people claiming bed bugs were on their clothing, unnecessarily-- I mean, when there were no people in them, to be feasted on. For example, Maciej's story:
Maciej (the guy who started the Bed Bug Registry) has a bed bug loose in his hotel room (that's a long story you should read the rest to learn). He finally tracks it down: hidden inside a hanging shirt.

After washing them, I put them in 30 gallon rubbermaid containers stored in a non-infested room instead of the dresser in my bedroom.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Nov 26 2008 21:12:51
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sereneseek - 21 hours ago »
... They had us bring everything back in before Vikaning the complex. I believe some bugs were transferred onto my clothes when I brought everything back in, and I neglected to take extra precautions.
...
Now, I take off my clothes and shake them out every time I come in from my car. I do admit I'm not as diligent as I was in the beginning, b/c I believe the infestation is lighter and...I'm pooped!

sereneseek,

You have your building gassed with Vikane and you still have bed bugs? (I don't want to hijack this thread, but I am very curious.)
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Posted 4 years ago
Mon Dec 1 2008 16:28:16
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Hey there,

I'm the guy who started this thread. It seems like JWhiteBBCTV has it right. Low level infestations don't require the same amount of massive washing as higher level infestations. The trick, of course, is that it's hard to tell just how bad an infestation is.

Like most people I have a bureau in my bedroom where I keep folded clothing. The closet where I keep my hanging clothing and linens is in a separate room, so I think if I had an infestation I'd clean everything in my bedroom, but probably leave the hall closet alone, or just dust the bottom with DE.

The more I learn about bbs, the more thermal radiation appeals to me since it will also heat up the hanging items in a closet.
djames1921

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 2:02:37
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A thread above mentions a pco instructing everything to be put outside in black plastic bags in the sun. black is not optimal, clear plastic will heat up things inside more.
terry glasson

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 2:47:13
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Don't get carried away with plastic bags in the sun, it don't work!
JWhiteBBCTV

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 10:16:07
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Plastic bags in the sun is a bad idea. The heat doesn't penetrate the clothes very well and cold spots are likely. Anybody who's recommending this doesn't work with heat.
djames1921

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 13:03:33
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Could be a new bed bug tv episode, showing thermometer readings from black vs clear bags in the sun and revealing the problems with both.
eatingmealive

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 15:34:13
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Sort of related to this, could you potentially infest your own washer and or dryer? If you wash your clothes there and they don't get hot enough, wouldn't there be the potential for that?
vampiremenionprey

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Dec 2 2008 15:36:05
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i would think they would drown...i mean they can't swim...Can they?
JWhiteBBCTV

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Dec 3 2008 11:20:07
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The bugs would have a hard,if not impossible time, climbing out of the washer/dryer. Could you infest it? I couldn't rule out the possibility but I've never seen it before.

They can't really swim but they can float on the top of the water.
JWhiteBBCTV

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Dec 3 2008 11:22:14
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As for the BBC TV episode, I will definitely write that one down but we're having a hard enough time finding the time to film a few episodes we want to put up ASAP.

Look for a Packtite episode in the near future.
dagodess99

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Dec 3 2008 13:22:46
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this is an interesting topic. the third bedroom in my apartment is infested which i do not sleep in or hardly go into; yet i'm getting bit up like crazy in my master bedroom. I can't find anything in my mattress but the room is small and my closet is less than 3 feet from my bed so i'm convinced that they are in my closet and that's how i'm getting bit. I keep checking my clothes and shaking them but haven't found anything attached to my clothes as of yet. But at this point my skin is so irritated from the lil suckers that I'm going to wash every stitch of clothing in my closet; i'm a massive clothes freak so i can only imagine how much this is going to cost me but i don't know what else to do. I think i'll be storing in those clear plastic bins as well. What are people's thoughts on the mattress/furniture infestations can your furniture be saved or do you have to get rid of it? The PCO advised us to get rid of the infested mastresses in the 3rd room which we've done; yet we've still got the bb's. I purchased 2 new mattress sets for the kids that we've yet to set up because I'm afraid they'll get into the new sets. They are still in plastic and those vinyl mattress covers at this point.
hkbugs

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Dec 3 2008 19:21:22
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I recommend the following:

1. Buy a packtite
2. do a spring cleaning and throw out anything you don't want or need.
3. ziploc ALL of your clothing and anything else that you think might harbor bugs or their eggs.
4. cook your ziplocs and their contents in the packtite (you can unlock the bags once inside the packtite) and keep them sealed in their ziplocs after cooking.
5. only unzip the bags to remove items of immediate necessity - such as clothing that you will only put on right before (or after) you walk out your front door.
6. leave your stuff ziplocked until you have had a PCO treat your dwelling 2 - 4 times and you are satisfied that the bugs and their eggs are gone.

This process of living out of ziplocs could easily last a couple of months or more. It is pure hell, but the bites are worse. I'm not planning on putting my belongings away again until a couple of weeks after my PCO completes the third or fourth (if I feel I need it) treatment. I just had my second one yesterday, so I have at least 4-6 more weeks of living like a vagabond in my own apartment.

Washing and drying your clothes is only effective if the dryer is 120 degrees or more and you dry for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it also ruins your clothes.
djames1921

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Dec 3 2008 19:36:22
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I just found my new favorite blogger! Great advice especially number 1 on your list :). But seriously, when we came up with this idea for packtite our first thought was we wanted a preventative product that would treat luggage safely and keep people from bringing bed bugs home with them. It wasn't until we started going public with it that we realized many of our customers wanted it for "debugging" purposes.
fightorflight

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Dec 3 2008 19:47:09
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> I think my question is this: do bedbugs really live in your clothing?

Yes, in fact this is where I first noticed mine - in a stack of folded pants on a wooden bookcase near the foot of my bed. This shelf was at the 4-5' level. I'm also pretty sure that in my clothes is how I spread bugs to a friend. I mean, I wasn't really carrying anything else. So at very least wash/dry/bag the clothes you wear in and out of the house.
sereneseek

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Posted 4 years ago
Wed Dec 3 2008 21:07:42
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In response to Nobugs, yes our complex was Vikaned and two or three of us were being bitten about the 3rd night we were back. I assumed that we had probably transferred them to our cars and brought them back in. The few things I took with me after the necessary laundering, etc., were clothing and toiletries. These were in my hotel room and I was not bitten while there. We have a particularly stubborn infestation apparently (my apartment alone was sprayed 3 times before being Vikaned).

My next-door neighbor who lives in a single-family home said that there were huge gaps in the tent so much so that she was concerned the gas would escape into her home. I did a little reading, and I guess some gaps are to be expected but the professionals doing the Vikane would know how much gas to use to compensate for the gas that might escape through any gaps. Who really knows for certain if they used enough gas.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Dec 4 2008 0:29:16
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sereneseek - 3 hours ago »
In response to Nobugs, yes our complex was Vikaned and two or three of us were being bitten about the 3rd night we were back. I assumed that we had probably transferred them to our cars and brought them back in.

Hi sereneseek,

How awful!

One bedbugger forum writer had bed bugs after treatment and required a retreatment. As I understand most companies guarantee this work because it is possible for treatment to fail (something about the wind and the weather). Did your management look into that?

It is also possible you reinfested yourself via the car (and some people have had their cars gassed too.)
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Dec 4 2008 0:32:48
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djames1921 - 4 hours ago »
It wasn't until we started going public with it that we realized many of our customers wanted it for "debugging" purposes.

David, can you say anything about hk's recommendation about cooking filled XL ziplocs in the packtite? Can we assume that will work to kill anything inside AND not melt the bag?
djames1921

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Dec 4 2008 9:50:46
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We have never had a plastic bag melt in our tests. The packtite unit has a metal shelf inside and in numerous tests we have tied plastic bags directly to the shelf and placed them directly over the heater unit- in none of these tests did the plastic bags melt. My bigger concern would be insuring the things placed inside the ziploc bags is getting hot enough - this can be done by simply using the provided digital thermometer- place the sensor in the center of the stuff in the bag and make sure you get to 120 F. The time it takes to get to this temp will vary depending on how much is in the ziploc and what is in the ziploc - a big reason we started including thermometers with the unit.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Dec 4 2008 14:12:17
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Thanks, David
Formerly Bugged

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Posted 4 years ago
Fri Dec 5 2008 3:05:41
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Laundry and bagging absolutely makes a difference!

When we were battling our problem, frying our bedding in the dryer was the only way to stop getting bit every night. We did it daily before bed (it's kinda nice sleeping under a warm blanket on a cold winter night!).

When we were inspecting everything, some areas of the closet had remnants, and our bedside tables/dressers had evidence in the lower drawers. We washed everything in one huge binge and bagged everything right away after drying. If we hadn't done so, we wouldn't have been able to see some of them that were finding places to hide. We prevented re-contamination.

We also worked out a system for laundry. Instead of our laundry baskets on the floor, we stripped immediately upon coming home and put everything into a solid plastic bin lined with a garbage bag, then secured the lid. It sat in the bathroom not near any other linens. When the laundry was done we put things in baggies, threw out the contaminated bags and transported in clean/new bags.

We lived out of ziplocs for a couple of months to be safe, and didn't do away with them until well after we'd moved. We were able to overcome the infestation in about a week. 2 weeks later we had bites from hatched eggs, and then a week after that we were in the clear with no further problems.

If we hadn't bagged everything after washing, I think it would have taken a lot longer. We also left a lot of stuff bagged, and had about a week's worth of clothes we just rotated every day. Wearing the same stuff week after week wasn't fun, but it cut down on the work. And we had a system - after laundry we'd bag up the clothes by day - so 1 pair of socks, undies, jeans, t-shirt etc. in an X-L ziploc for one day... it cut down on the number of smaller bags. We also looked at is as a way to make it easier if we were reinfested - instead of having to rewash everything or inspect it all, we knew that the sealed bags were safe.

For possessions, we also bagged and sealed a lot of stuff after inspecting or treating it. It didn't spread to our books/DVDs, but we bagged what wasn't in use, treated the bookshelves etc. and kept a close eye on the bags. We didn't open anything that had any evidence of a bug, and we didn't lose anything.

We were vigilent and we were clear. 6 months later we moved. 1 month after we moved, our roommate moved to her new place - in that month she let things slide (without me nagging at her she didn't care!), and we're pretty sure she moved bugs with her after getting reinfested in that last month. She complained about getting to her new apartment and having to do all her laundry and bagging over again - this time without me helping her in the laundry room for 8 hours!
hkbugs

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Posted 4 years ago
Fri Dec 5 2008 12:18:29
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Hi everyone - as I sit here, I'm cooking more clothes inside gigantic ziplocs. As David says, put the thermometer inside a garment where you think the last place to get heat will be. The air around the outside of the things you put into the packtite will obviously heat up to 120 long before the contents themselves, but your concern is with the contents. David recommends an extra 30 minutes of heat once your thermometer hits the 120 mark. Sometimes I let it go even longer (like the time that I knew for a fact that there was a live bug in one of my ziplocs - I wanted him DEAD) and on a few occasions the thermometer went up to the 140s. Nothing was damaged, nothing melted, and I continue to reuse the ziplocs. They are fairly sturdy. If you suspect a hole, just fill it up with air and press on it. If no air comes out, it still has good integrity.

My only issue is with the locker room smell that it creates, so I'm considering putting a car air freshener inside. I'd appreciate feedback on that...
hkbugs

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Posted 4 years ago
Fri Dec 5 2008 12:24:08
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Hi everyone - as I sit here, I'm cooking more clothes inside gigantic ziplocs. As David says, put the thermometer inside a garment where you think the last place to get heat will be. The air around the outside of the things you put into the packtite will obviously heat up to 120 long before the contents themselves, but your concern is with the contents. David recommends an extra 30 minutes of heat once your thermometer hits the 120 mark. Sometimes I let it go even longer (like the time that I knew for a fact that there was a live bug in one of my ziplocs - I wanted him DEAD) and on a few occasions the thermometer went up to the 140s. Nothing was damaged, nothing melted, and I continue to reuse the ziplocs. They are fairly sturdy. If you suspect a hole, just fill it up with air and press on it. If no air comes out, it still has good integrity.

My only issue is with the locker room smell that it creates, so I'm considering putting a car air freshener inside. I'd appreciate feedback on that...
kkay

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Posted 4 years ago
Fri Feb 20 2009 2:42:19
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OK, We we've been self treating and we washed bedding and stuff at first. Then business as usual as far as the laundry goes. I've read most of the posts on this thread and I could have missed someone posting about this so sorry in advance if it's been asked and answered.

If we are treating with DE and we are the bait then why does it matter to wash every little thing and then live out of zip locks? Even if they are living in the closet or dressers they have to come out to eat right? And that's when they'll crawl through the DE.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and comments about this.
KK
bugonthebrain

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 11:36:31
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I took everything out of my drawers and put them into double lined clear plastic garbage bags and then thing was washed and dried on hot, folded and then put into plastic bags. Unfortunately for me I have a sensitivity to the detergent used and everything I put on made me slightly itchy. I bought new black bags and put the newly washed bag clothes into new bags I just bought from the grocery store, to be safe, and transported them to the laundry mat where I used the commercial washers on hot and dried about 40min on hot.I then bagged them in clean fresh bags and transported them to my new place. Was this enough precautions to make sure my clothes were clear and safe to put out in my new room?
(I never was bit because I wasn't living at home for four months during which the infestation started and never found any evidence of them on my bed)
DeathToAllBBs

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 15:11:06
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I've been throwing my clothes in the dryer when I get home on high for 40 minutes. I might go to 60. I'm sure it gets to at least 120 degrees because if I get the stuff out at the end of the cycle I practically burn my fingers. It's wildly hot.

Now I was thinking that it might be easier if you just threw them in the dryer before heading out assuming they're already clean. What's the point of washing them when it's really the dryer heat that kills them? And the wetness could actually keep them safe from the dryer heat, I would think. This is of course with the presumption that the clothes are clean so they don't need to be washed and that you know your dryer gets hot enough. Could this be an easier solution?
bugonthebrain

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 1 2009 15:25:01
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It would be but the detergent used for washing the first time makes my skin itchy, I have really sensitive skin so I had to rewash everything with new soap anyway so it was already clean stuff I just washed and dried. Double hot wash enough? I dropped the clothes at my new place in fresh bags I just bought from the store. Should the clothes be okay?
ej16p

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Posted 3 years ago
Wed Sep 23 2009 12:20:44
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Hi-

I am confused as to why we would have to steam rubber flip flops? I can see the entire shoe and can see if there are any bugs on them. I have an infestation, but I wear flip flops and hard heels to work and I just examine them before leaving the apartment. Is this not good enough?

I also examine my belts and scarves, I don't wash them or keep them in plastic because I feel taht I would be able to see any hitchikers.

Let me know if you think this is dangerous, shoes like sneakers I've been keeping in garbage bags, it is only shoes like black high heels and sandals and flip flops that I have been a little looser in the care of because I don't know where they could possibly hide on there.

Any suggestions/advice?
nycbedbug

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Sep 24 2009 21:09:27
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I haven't worn a belt in 2 months...
bbfiend

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Posted 3 years ago
Fri Sep 25 2009 0:29:26
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my PCO told me that they were at a bb job, an extreme case of infestation and when they left the building/apt, his partner had a bb on his clothes. FREAKED HIM OUT...

when we first realised what was biting me, and started hunting them down, we found them on our laundry bag, in our laundry closet, just sitting on the ikea nylon laundry bag. we also found a couple of them on the same material little containers where we kept our socks and underwear, this time, in our walk in closet. that day, we caught 5 bbs, all from our clothes as we were bagging them up, prepping for treatment.

at least for us, we've seen first hand that the bbs could be on our clothes and fabric, not necessarily just in furnitures/walls/floors.
Suffering in NJ

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 29 2009 0:53:09
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I've read that bed bugs simply like "soft surfaces" which unfortunately includes clothing. I too found one just hanging out in a folded cotton t-shirt. I had sent the clothing out to be professional washed. I was unpacking the clothing when I unfolded the shirt and low and behold - there it was! I don't know if he crawled in there from my apartment or if the laundry-business was infested. I never returned to that establishment and decided to wash my own clothes from then on.

I keep all of my clothing in ziplock bags and periodically wash them again just to make sure that a bug hasn't slipped in there. I've spent THOUSANDS on laundry and dry cleaning as I've been battling this problem since September. I still have clothing in garbage bags awaiting to be dry cleaned as I just don't have any more $$$ to wash them now.

I am in the process of moving and am looking for a cheap service or method to clean all of my clothing before I move out. I have some very expensive pieces that I really don't want to part with. If you know of a service in the NY/NJ area please let me know.
bait

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 29 2009 1:10:12
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I didn't read this whole thread so forgive me if I'm repetitive.

One of the most important aspects of this ordeal is to not infest others (work, school, church) or spread your infestation (car). We know they get in clothes, bags, shoes, coats - it's been reported on this site many times. Maybe they are attracted to the clothes, perhaps because the products used to launder them is an attractant. We don't know everything about BB behavior. So live out of bags; it's a pain, but you'll get used to it.
hoo2677

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 29 2009 2:19:04
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This is a great thread! Here's my two cents.

First, after no biting since June, although there was a scare back in October. I'm taking my stuff out of the ZipLocks this week. A little at a time. I can still be kinda freaky about too much stuff out too quick.

Putting the XL and XXL ZipLocks full of stuff in the PackTite is the best. As the previous poster described, just unzip it, put the thermometer down in the middle of the stuff in the bag and cook it. I've put the thermometer in the middle of a pretty thick book.

Bed bugs were everywhere in my place (it's a tiny studio) and there were many fecal traces on folded fabric in the closet.

Washing and drying: I did put a bed bug in the toilet once and the critter floated for the longest time, for a while convincing me these bugs were triathletes in their creepy way. I sprayed one with 70% alcohol once, I thought killing it. It sat out all night on a paper towel. Then next day it sprung back to life when I went to toss it. 90% - that kills!

I did see a bed bug crawl out of the front of the dryer lint catcher. I believe that was from infested bedding (not mine) being stuffed in and one falling in front of the filter and not getting cooked. It's entirely feasible you or an innocent doing their laundry could take that one back home with you in your clothes. There are a lot of ways things can go wrong.

For me washing and bagging was not an option. Even if my infestation were small I would wash and bag everything to err on the side of caution. It would be pretty disappointing to pay for treatment and then reintroduce them from your own stuff, which I'm sure happens, unfortunately.

Portland, OR
Bugbitten Meg

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 29 2009 10:06:32
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Suffering in NJ - 9 hours ago »
I am in the process of moving and am looking for a cheap service or method to clean all of my clothing before I move out. I have some very expensive pieces that I really don't want to part with. If you know of a service in the NY/NJ area please let me know.

Unfortunately, "cheap" and "detail oriented enough to ensure bud bugs don't get back into your stuff" are not necessarily compatible... but people have mentioned several companies in the NY/NJ area that specialize in help with laundry and prep work. Try:

http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/professional-laundryprep-in-ny
and
http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bed-bug-prep-services-in-nyc

for previous posts on the topic.