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HELP with moving and no PCO

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Started 5 months ago by bugoff_1
Latest reply from buggyinsocal
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bugoff_1

junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 35

Posted 5 months ago
Sun Jun 14 2009 17:04:13
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Hi folks,

I know this is long but PLEASE bear with me...I really need ya!
I've been reading and reading here for the past few weeks, trying to make sense out of all this craziness. After 7 mo's my LL has still not hired a PCO becuz he thinks he can treat this thing himself w/o spending the money to hire a PCO. He's actually purchased and combined his own mix of 2 pesticides he claims the pro's use. (Archer & Suspend). It gets worse. He used this spray mix along with space heaters last week. I can't believe he didn't blow the place up! This was on top of 6 months of treatments using some 'organic' crap off the internet which also contained his misuse of piles of DE which has been improperly applied numerous times. (I have photos as proof) Yes I have been calling everyone I can think of to find out if this is even legal, not to mention the health risks, from the Health dept, to building inspectors and even a few attys. I cannot get anyone to help me find this info!

Meanwhile, he's not renewing my lease cuz "you brought in the bugs', which I just found out last week have actually been coming into my apt from the infestation my next door neighbor has had for over a year! ARGH! I let him know that I'd found the source and contacted the building inspector to let her know too. She has ordered him to reapply this mix he's concocted at least 2 more times before I move - July 31.

Ok, with all that said, I'm taking tons of notes from this site on how to prepare for a move. It 'appears' the infestation in my apt is small since I've not been able to find any fecal traces and in the past 2 months have only seen 2 bugs but I am taking no chances and am throwing out my couches, dresser, end tables, actually most of my belongings. Fortunately I have a sleep select mattress which i can unzip and and disassemble to treat the inside of. Since I don't have the 'luxury' of a PCO to give me advice PLEASE HELP if you can.

What I have done so far is to totally dismantle my mattress during the LL-spray-heat ordeal so that it was exposed to the heat and pesticide spray. I then vacuumed and sprayed it all with alcohol (inside and out) and put it in an encasement. Unfortunately the case my LL has given me is just a sheet of thin plastic that I had to duct tape together. I've been washing EVERYTHING and drying on high heat, then putting clothes into double sealed zip lock bags straight out of the dryer. What I wear during the day or nite is kept in seperate bags (usually the same thing since I'm trying to limit the clothing I wear).

I'm still lost as to what to do about electronics, pictures, food..etc. especially since I'm getting rid of all the cardboard and not using boxes to move. I was thinking of packing breakables in plastic tote bins doused with alcohol then sealed up with duct tape. (How do you keep anything from breaking, wrap it in sanitized cloth?) I read vacuuming books helps and wiping down everything I can with alcohol. I've also been seeing alot about using vikane with a moving van but I'm on disability and am dirt-poor-broke. We have 2 more sprays to go and I'm trying to get all the stuff I'm tossing away out of my apt b4 the treatments. This is so exhausting and my physical health is so limited that I'm in constant pain but I want to do this move with success. If anyone can suggest things I've missed or haven't found here yet, I would be SO grateful.

TryingToHangInThere,
~bugoff_01

one more thing..I have 2 cat trees (wood poles wrapped in carpet). Can those be cleaned or would you just toss them?
lil_bit_obsessed

senior member
Joined: Dec '07
Posts: 495

Posted 5 months ago
Mon Jun 15 2009 0:29:02
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i would toss the cat trees, for sure.

i also used plastic bins when i moved, only packing things as i cleaned them. i packed my breakables in towels fresh out of the dryer, nice and hot! :)

when i moved i baked my books. i had a whole wall of bookshelves, so it took me a LONG time. you can only do this if your oven has a very low setting - i baked mine at 120 degrees farenheit. put a pan of water in the oven (to keep them from drying out) and time it for three hours exactly. no longer, and no hotter, or you will singe the books and melt the bindings. i suggest staying in the kitchen or nearby while you do it, and putting them on a timer. as you do each ovenload of books, pack them into a bin and move them to your new place.

i'm sorry i don't have any advice for electronics, but maybe others on the site will have some ideas for that.

keep in mind that if you have any keepsake items that you cannot safely clean (or heat) without destroying, you can always seal them up and store them for 18 months. apparently bbs can live a considerable amount of time without a bloodmeal, but most experts have suggested that after 18 months the items that are sealed up should be free of any live bugs or eggs.

hope that helps!
cincybug

newbite
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 19

Posted 5 months ago
Mon Jun 15 2009 20:09:39
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Bugoff- I'm moving soon too, and while I (think I) am currently w/o an infestation, there is an apt. in my building that is infested, and one year ago, a few were found in my mattress by a PCO, so I know that I might have them and am behaving accordingly.

All I can tell you is that it's an obsessive and crazy process, trying to move and not take them. I am pitching all furniture and electronics. Luckily, it was time for a new computer anyways. I am packing in rubbermaid roughneck plastic bins anything that isn't clothing. The only items I plan to take are those that can survive the Packtite: dishes, pots and pans, a few books, clothing, and shoes.

I plan to buy new ziplock bags before I move. I'll take clean clothes from the old ziplocks, cook them in the Packtite (see the FAQ), and then put them in the new bags. CDs are going to get baked as well. I'm going to spray all the ziplocks with rubbing alcohol and use new papertowels to dry them off before putting it all in the car. I'm even planning to pitch plants. My mattress is going in the trash as well.

Hope this helps.
bugoff_1

junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 35

Posted 5 months ago
Tue Jun 16 2009 13:01:03
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My thanks to both lil_bit_obsessed and Cincybug for all your recommendations! Only 5 days after the heat-pesticide ordeal the LL did here and just last nite I found another bed bug. Grr! I was looking at new cat trees yesterday and will be tossing the 2 we have now along with most everything I own. My PC is brand new so I'm going to Try and save it, my stereo speakers too. How? I have NO idea.
What would you recommend as a good amount of time w/o seeing bugs or bites to get new furniture?

I've read several posts about baking books in the oven. Does that really work? I'd love to be able to get a Packtite but with moving costs, etc. I'm so broke. Cincybug, where did you order yours from and do you think they really work that well? (time to take out a loan maybe) Is there another way to save cd's? What about throwing away the case and rubbing down the cd itself with alcohol? Alcohol is another thing I've been using on everything, including spraying into the ziplock bag B4 I put stuff in them. I read here tho that alcohol only works on contact.

I'm just terrified to get through an entire move only to find these things came with me. After 7 months of this, I cannot believe there is such little help out there from building inspectors, the Health dept, LANDLORDS. Btw, for the next 2-3 treatments, I'll need to stay in a hotel (yea I've read that's a real good place to pick up more bugs too). Does anyone know if that expense can be charged to my LL? I may have to make yet another trip down to the Tenant Resource Center, only my 6th trip since this started).

Again, thank you So much and I wish you well on your move. May these bugs become an ugly memory for us all!

~bugoff_1
cincybug

newbite
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 19

Posted 5 months ago
Tue Jun 16 2009 19:37:56
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I don't know about the oven. I would worry that the bugs would be able to escape through vents?? (don't know crap about oven structure, but). The Packtite was one of those things where I had a drink before ordering it. Literally. I bought mine from North Shore Care supply, and got the whole deal for $297.24 including shipping. Based on what has been said - there was even an independent review - I think they really do work.

Throwing away the case and immersing CDs in pure rubbing alcohol would work. Careful w/alcohol as it is flammable. It is true that alcohol only works on contact.

Call your city's health dept to see what your landlord is responsible for paying for. Then, give your landlord their phone #. I did this (nicely) and it helped get my LL on the same page.

Another thing I'm going to try is sterilizing things in the packtite multiple times before leaving. Why not, if I can make the time? My concern is that there will be a lapse inbetween when I get stuff out of the packtite and into ziplocks and putting the bags into the car (after all, it will be all my clothes and dishes).

Electronics suck. I am lucky in having very little that didn't need replaced already, but if anyone comes up with a way to sterilize these items, please share! Good luck, bugoff, and please keep us updated. I'm no expert, as I say, and can use all the hints, tricks, and tips that are out there re: moving.
buggyinsocal

oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130

Posted 5 months ago
Tue Jun 16 2009 19:45:48
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Also be aware that 91% alcohol can damage the finish of some plastics. Ultimately I decided to put my CDs and DVDs (Which were not in my apartment during the thermal treatment) into plastic bins with DDVP strips and then seal the bins with duct tape for a week.

I then opened the bins *outside* (so as not to overexpose myself to the gas fumigant from the DDVP strips) and let them air out before bringing the CDs and DVDs inside again. DDVP strips seemed safe to use with CDs and DVDs because those are not items I come into a lot of contact with. I wouldn't use them for items I wear.

As far as moving goes, both thermal and Vikane treatment for your belongings in a truck between the old apartment and the new one can be expensive up front, but if done properly by the PCO Vikane and thermal are two options that generally take care of the bed bug problem in a single treatment without having to use yourself as bait. I don't know if those are in your affordability range or if they're available in your geographical area, but if you don't know about them, you might want to investigate them as a possibility.