just verified infestation - some questions « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Reader questions (do not fit into other categories)

just verified infestation - some questions

(7 posts)

Tags:

brooklynbite

newbite
Joined: Jan '09
Posts: 26
offline

Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jan 22 2009 12:55:31
#

Login to Send PM

Hello there. I have suspected an infestation for about two months, but just verified it yesterday (found my first actual bug - dead, and dermatologist is certain my spots are bites). I felt my first bite in late November, but just regularly started seeing spots on my body (tiny pinpricks, not itchy, sometimes in rows of two or three) about 2.5 weeks ago.

I had an extermination (paid for by my landlord) two weeks ago tomorrow. After the treatment, they said they found "no evidence" of bed bugs. Being naive and hopeful as I am, I asked if they thought I could put my sealed up, clean belongings back into my closet/dresser, and they said yes. That was completed about one week ago. I still have yet to find any evidence on my bed, linens, bedframe, etc. There are lots of cracks in my floorboards, though, and my building (I rent) is not kept clean in the common areas. At the time of my first treatment, I asked my landlord if I should tell my neighbors and he said, "No, it's usually just an isolated case." I absolutely know this not to be true in terms of how the problem spreads.

Now that I have physical confirmation, I am staying at my boyfriend's apartment. This, of course, may be futile until we determine whether or not he has them, too. I have taken minimal stuff over there, save for toiletries and a couple pairs of shoes and minimal clothing, which I am keeping in tied off clear plastic bags.

I am going to take everyhing in my apartment that is NOT clothing, such as books, and store it, sealed, for 18 months in a storage unit. I have decided to break my lease and move into my bf's apartment, since we are engaged anyway, and not take/keep any of my furniture or my mattress. If it is determined that he has the problem, too, we will get all new stuff when we sell his place and buy a new one in the next few months (which we had already planned to do).

My questions are:
- How to deal with my landlord? What should I say to him? I realize I will likely lose a month of rent and my security deposit when I break my lease, but what should I do about informing my neighbors, etc. getting him to pay for follow up treatments if he resists?
- What about items that can't be dry cleaned, such as shoes and purses? Does Murphy's Oil Soap truly kill on contact? Would this be an option?
- I am having a dog service come tomorrow to investigate my apartment and find the spots that are infested. My bf is hesitant to use this kind of service because of a lack of available proof/research that they are more effective than human inspection. Does anyone have some feedback here? My logic is: the exterminators who first treated my place did not find bed bugs. My bf needs to take action in his apartment ASAP, but is very deliberate about things.
- How to I keeo from bringing them to work and check my workplace to make sure they are not already here? (I work in a HUGE office building - 37 stories).

Thanks so much. I am sleep deprived, and any help you can provide will be appreciated!
Metermaid

newbite
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 24
offline

Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jan 22 2009 18:14:27
#

Login to Send PM

Hi Brooklynbite,

I'm in Brooklyn too - Bay Ridge to be exact. Your story is similar to mine. I started suspecting bedbugs in November when my 5 year old son starting getting what I thought were hives on his body. I finally saw a live bedbug the weekend of Thanksgiving. Since then, I've moved out to my parents' home while the building treats the apartment. I got my bedbugs from the apt next door. The landlord had a PCO treat that apartment and they even put chemicals in between the walls, but the bugs still came over to my place.

I don't think you should worry about breaking your lease. Bedbugs are notoriously hard to kill and I think the fact that you had them breaches the warranty of habitability. It is the building's responsibility to get rid of them. Why should you take the risk of moving back in and serving as bug bait to see if the landlord's treatment worked? Also, you can tell him that it's common knowledge that one treatment is not enough. Two are needed (at least) to kill any bedbugs that hatch after the first treatment. You and the exterminator may not see any signs right away, but that doesn't mean that newly hatched bedbugs aren't going to grow up and bite you! He should also be treating all the neighboring apartments. My landlord ended up giving me a free month's rent and letting me move to a different apt in the building. I felt he owed me since they didn't take care of the problem in the neighboring apartment and never even notified me that there was a problem or came to inspect my apt. After my infestation, they checked and treated all the other apts on the floor. Do you know where your bugs came from? Do you think you brought them in? I wonder if you got them from a neighbor too, but the landlord or neighbor doesn't want to say?

Regarding shoes and murphy's oil soap, I dont' have any answers. I wonder if murphy's kills them too since I've heard that ammonia doesn't kill them and that seems stronger and more toxic that murphys. I ended up throwing away alot of my bags and shoes. I "inspected" the shoes that I'm keeping and didn't see any signs of bugs in them.

It's hard to know how paranoid to get. My handbags were not in the room where the bugs were found and bugs seemed limited to my boxspring, so common sense tells me my bags are probably okay. But, I'm not sure.

I ended up throwing away all my bedroom furniture, the rugs, the couch and most papers. I looked through my books really carefully and didn't see any bugs in them, so I'm going to keep the ones that I really like. I heard they hide in electronics so I also opened up my computer and vacuumed the inside. I sprayed all the picture frames in my bedroom with alcohol too.

I also work in an office building and I don't think I brought them there but I guess there's no way to tell. I got nervous when I heard that bedbugs were found in my son's school, but they were found in a classroom he never goes to, so I don't think he brought them or got them there.

There was an editorial in the NYTimes last week about bedbugs. It's a big problem in the city. Another building across the street from me has them too and these are supposed to be luxury buildings!

Good luck!

Your fellow Brooklynite.
brooklynite

newbite
Joined: Jan '09
Posts: 2
offline

Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jan 22 2009 20:30:15
#

Login to Send PM

Metermaid - 2 hours ago »
Hi Brooklynbite,
I'm in Brooklyn too
<snip>

Thanks so much, Metermaid. Even kind words of understanding from someone who has been though it mean so much right now. I am glad that you are in a bb free apt., now.

It is hard to say where the buggers came form for sure, but my bf and I had a bed bug infested hotel room in October in Ireland. We were fortunate enough to spot the infestation BEFORE going to bed, but at that point, our luggage had been in the room for a few hours. We were both SO careful when we came home. We took our clothing our of our suitcases and straight to the laundry NOT in our apts., and we threw away our luggage. However, I did not isolate some souvenirs that I brought back for others, which was stupid.

I am so anxious all the time now, and I am having trouble sleeping, of course. I guess I will see what the dog finds tomorrow upon his/her inspection, to see how bad the problem is. Part of me thinks it can't be *too* bad, since I have seen no evidence other than one dead bug and bites on me. What's killing me right now is not knowing if they are in my bf's apt., too...
MyWorstFear

senior member
Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 610
offline

Posted 4 years ago
Thu Jan 22 2009 22:15:02
#

Login to Send PM

Brooklyn bite, I don't mean to freak you out more than you already are, but where will you be storing your stuff for 18 months? At least one member here got bed bugs from a storage facility.
I am so sorry to hear you are going thru this especially since you took precautions and never even slept in that hotel room. Of course, it's also possible that you got them from someone in your building.
I hope you get good news from the dogs tomorrow. Please post back and let us know how it goes.
Nobugsonme

your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 13,707
offline

Posted 4 years ago
Fri Jan 23 2009 2:55:25
#

Login to Send PM

I think you need to seek legal advice -- or expert advice, on the breaking of a lease. Met Council on Housing in NYC is an excellent free resource and a good place to start. There's a link in our LINKS page under "For Landlords and Tenants".
brooklynbite

newbite
Joined: Jan '09
Posts: 26
offline

Posted 4 years ago
Fri Jan 23 2009 14:01:04
#

Login to Send PM

MyWorstFear - 15 hours ago »
Brooklyn bite, I don't mean to freak you out more than you already are, but where will you be storing your stuff for 18 months? At least one member here got bed bugs from a storage facility.
I am so sorry to hear you are going thru this especially since you took precautions and never even slept in that hotel room. Of course, it's also possible that you got them from someone in your building.
I hope you get good news from the dogs tomorrow. Please post back and let us know how it goes.

Hi MyWorstFear. Well, I just got back to the office after having the dog inspection, and the dog sniffed them out on my bed and nightstand, three times. I am a little worried, b/c on the first pass, he also seemed interested in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I hadn't planned on keeping any of my furniture, but it makes me sad to think they are in my clothes. Oh, well; I knew I'd have to thoroughly wash/dry everything, anyway.

I had planned on storing my stuff at a place like Manhattan Mini Storage. It will just be things like books and miscellaneous room stuff (which I don't have a lot of). I was planning on just making sure everything is super airtight, and leaving it for 18 months.

I'll read the FAQ and posts for storage tips, but as long as the stuff is airtight, I should be OK, right?
brooklynbite

newbite
Joined: Jan '09
Posts: 26
offline

Posted 4 years ago
Mon Jan 26 2009 14:09:30
#

Login to Send PM

brooklynbite - 2 days ago »

MyWorstFear - 15 hours ago »
Just an update. AWFUL weekend. We could not sleep at my bf's apartment Friday night because we were so freaked out, so we stayed up all night to catch a 6:00 a.m. train to his parents' house on Long Island. We had appoinments to look at wedding venues Saturday, but cancelled them b/c of lack of sleep and being freaked out. We are staying at a hotel (bb free - we did a THOROUGH inspection and were comfortable there last night; staying until Thursday).

He had his apartment inspected today by a well regarded PCO, and felt very comfortable with their level of knowledge and treatment plan. Castings and fecal matter were found on the box spring, and fecal matter on a travel wallet in his nightstand, but they feel the infestation is small, and does not require a "blowout" treatment. The treatment will not be cheap, but inlcludes a 3-month guarantee/follow ups. The PCO feels that we probably brought them both back to our respective apartments after a trip, rather than one of us infesting the other, since our signs started occurring at roughly the same time.

So, my bf is not as adamant as I seem to be about replacing his box spring (which is old and has rips in the fabric). The PCO will encase it (and the matress) as part of the treatment, but it still skeeves me out. Same with the bed frame. They will take it apart and treat it, but he is not adamant about getting a new one. I told him I will pay for a temporary cheap metal frame and a new box spring. Am I being ridiculous?

Shoes: I am afraid that I have contaminated my entire closet after keeping my vaccuum cleaner in there. I am not worried about my clothes, as I know how to treat those. However, what about shoes you cannot wash? Has anyone successfully tumbled dry leather high heels and the like? One thing this whole experience has taught me is that clothing can survive a hell of a lot more rough treatment than we typically expect.

Bathroom: My bathroom is next to my closet. Without heat or a food source, or carpet, chances are my bathroom is safe, yes? I don't want to throw out all of my perfume, cosmetics, etc. Ideas?

Kitchen: My kitchen is between my sleeping area and my closet (I have a studio apartment). I have a new (expensive) mixer and blender on top of my fridge. Not to sound like an idiot, but these should be OK, barring signs of bugs, right? I can't imagine why they'd like kitchens. The dog (Radar) did not alert to anything in my kitchen on Friday, but wasn't really in working mode in that room, just in my sleeping area.

Thanks in advance for any advice.