Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Reader questions (do not fit into other categories)
MEN.......
(23 posts)-
okay MEN I am not here to bash you I just found out my husband did A NONO and would like some advice from the experts.... or any other thoughts will be appreciated... HE SPRAYED one of the beds with the Ortho home defense Max..OMG but there is good news HE put the vinyl cover back on it and taped the zipper with duck tape... NO one has slept in the bed Because my PCO has told me to isolate the room..
SO the question is Should I get rid of the Mattress all together and get another one or would It be safe for A KID (7)to sleep in as is.... Could I shampoo it then steam clean it.... then shampoo it again.... if so how long should I wait.... any help would be appreciated...men....... -
buggyinsocal
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Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 10:02:15
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I'm pretty sure that men don't have a corner on the market of doing things when it comes to bed bugs that are possibly dangerous and/or definitely ill advised. I think we've seen plenty of examples both on the boards and in the news of people of any gender whose desperation motivates them to go on to do things that we think are hasty or desperate and possibly dangerous.
I can't tell you what to do with the mattress, but I can tell you this. There is only one pesticide labeled for use on mattresses. Since I didn't really have chemical treatment, and I just woke up, I can't remember for 100% sure if I'm recalling which one is it correctly.
However, it's not the one your husband used.
Personally, given that grown ups can spend one third of their lives in contact with a mattress (if you think about it, after all, 8 hours a day is one third of each day), and given that children probably spend slightly more than that (I slept more hours each day as a kid, even before you factor in naps), I personally wouldn't be comfortable allowing my child (if I had one) to sleep on a mattress that had been treated with a chemical not labeled for that use.
As for trying to remove the chemical from the mattress, well, I wouldn't personally feel comfortable doing it. I wouldn't trust shampoo since, knowing how mattresses are constructed, you'd only be getting the chemical off the surface, not the mattress's innards. Steam can break down some chemicals; it's one of the reasons it is important to ask PCOs when and where you can and can't clean (and with what) post treatment in order to support treatment and make it as effective as possible.
I can't tell you whether steam works on this particular chemical. I can tell you, however, that personally I feel like I don't know enough about chemistry to feel confident that I could undertake removing the chemicals from a mattress safely--both in terms of making sure I got rid of them all and in terms of making sure I didn't inhale a lot of them while I was using steam to do it.
Perhaps one of the PCOs who knows more about the chemicals than I do will weigh in and tell you if Ortho is a good candidate for steam, and whether or not using steam on it would be safe to you with or without respiratory protection like an N95 respirator mask and/or a respirator that would protect you from organic stuff. (My understanding is that N95 is a particulate filter; it filters out tiny little particles of stuff. Organic respirators filter out different stuff.)
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Great insite buggy... I am going to talk to the PCO about it tomorrow... but wanted to get more opinions before I made the rash decision to cut it up throw it in the back of my husbands truck and take it to the nearest land fill....so that nobody would try to reuse it... I would Mark all over it BB INFESTED with spray paint...I do not plan on touching it till I know for sure the I can do any thing safely...I don't plan to treat any more beds with any thing I will how ever keep using the vinyl encasement and I am not going to take them off I will just put new ones over the old ones....In my case that will be the best for the kids... Looks like I get to go shopping.. maybe a new bed room suit for both of the kids rooms.....after we are clear of BB of course.. I would love to take A BB sniffing dog in the store and have him sniff it before I brought it home tho....
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Adele
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Posts: 556
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 16:20:21
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i think Steri-fab may be labeled for mattresses - but I am not certain. I know that is what they sprayed on mine when it was being treated
however, best thing to do is not to spray any chemicals and wait for a PCO
if you want to treat your mattress or encasement without a PCO - the most effective way is to steam it with a good dry steamer. that worked for me
if you are working with a pco - check with them first as steaming may ruin the chemical treatments
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Joined: May '07
Posts: 436
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 18:17:46
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See thats what happens when men get in touch with their feminine side, they do silly things.
I would contact the manufacturer for an answer and as you are on hold waiting to talk to someone, you might want to look into mattress sellers in your area, who deliver on short notice.
Just kidding some of my best friends are women. -
Its odd, men make up some of the best PCO's and the worst self treaters.
I think we have to add RTFL (label) to RTFM (manual).
Speak to the manufacturer for advice but I am also a little concern that your PCO told you to isolate the room and not sleep in there, as others will testify its not exactly a recommended step in treatment as any bugs away from the bed and sleeping area may seek food in other rooms.
David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited -
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Posts: 436
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 18:30:45
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See David thats what I keep saying RTF , label, manual, blog, whatever.
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Hilarious..... now I get it *the light bulb went off on top of my head*
Read the fu**** manual
Read the fu**** label... -
buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 20:28:02
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I keep joking that I want a t shirt that says RTFS. S here standing for syllabus. If I had a dollar for every time a student asked me a question that was answered in my syllabus. . .
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This is my fav RTFM related item:
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/03/19/tshirt-chairman-mao-.html
David
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buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 20:38:37
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I prefer the simpler version:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/frustrations/3239/
(Although I also like this one:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/frustrations/388b/
Since I spent several hours last weekend troubleshooting printer installation for a neighbor that I was glad to do so for, I still sometimes feel like I need that t shirt. This is made all the more ironic by the fact that I'm an English major. After all, I'm not supposed to be computer savvy enough to have this problem.)
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cilecto
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Posts: 517
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 20:45:47
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Watkins. Who introduced you to use of OHDM for BB? Perhaps you should consult with "Jason1".
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That's not fair. Any product can be misused. Jason1 never advocated spraying a mattress; I think he may have warned not to.
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Bait,
You may not think its fair but he also did not advocate reading the label and following sound advice.
It may seem harsh but having been around this site for a long time now you can substitute Jason1 for numerous other numpties over the years.
With one born every minute its only a matter of time before they get bed bugs.
David
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spideyjg
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Posts: 1,405
Posted 3 weeks ago
Thu Oct 29 2009 21:35:33
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Do you think the mattress was a infestation spot? I would toss it rather than try to decontaminate it if there is a possibility of bugs in the encasement.
From the Accidental Release section of the MSDS of Talstar that is primarily Bifenthrin....
To clean and neutralize contaminated area, scrub area with a solution of detergent (e.g. commercial product
such as SuperSoap™, Tide®, Spic and Span®, or other high pH detergent) and water. Let solution sit for 5
minutes. Use a stiff brush to scrub affected area. Repeat if necessary to remove visible staining.
Additional decontamination can be made by applying bleach (Clorox® or equivalent) to affected area.http://msds.fmc.com/msds/100000014552-MSDS_US-E.pdf
Granted the decontamination section is in regards to a spill of highly concentrated Bifenthrin but the MSDS sheet of anything is what you need to consult first.
Jim
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okay.. now...now... Jason did in fact say quite A few times NOT to use it on the beds.. I remember reading it somewhere..... I.. now.. I... emphasize I.. only sprayed where the label told me too..and always was safe and took precautions with it...I..E.. KIDS It never crossed my mind to Tell my husband not to spray the bed..I should of told him RTFL like I did before I sprayed... we only used the ORTHO 4 or 5 times in a matter of two weeks... Then I got the hint.. But IT worked I have only seen 3 since spraying it... I have not sprayed in two weeks and Still have not found a bite on me or the kids...MY husband is amune..When I Talked to my PCO I Fully disclosed this to him HE said it was ok as long as I did not go HOG wild with the stuff spraying everyday..and also said... I was well on my to eradicating the BB myself....I really am tired of the fight Exhausting work those BB are worse then the kids... **I DO NOT Suggest SELF TREATMENT** I did my home work and took all the precautions..THEY may still be in my walls... MY PCO *ORKIN*is coming out tomorrow morning 9 am SHARP... I will still will keep the ortho I have left half of a gallon in the gallon jug for EMERGENCY use... But the PCO will handle it from here I am very confident in him..I am really tired of the BB... I will keep you up dated on the progress.. I will not be able to get on in the next few days... I know I will miss alot...
ooh yea at school to night one of my class mates told me to use fabreez on the mattress cause it has a chemical it it that kills bb and that BB are invisible...lolololo I dropped everything and gave her a crash course... Teacher didn't like it cause we were 5 min late for class... it will be okay tho... -
It IS TOSSED TOMORROW encasement an all.. ...Thanks Spidy.... I see trip to land fill and spray paint in my future....
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watkinsnewan - 1 hour ago »
okay.. now...now... Jason did in fact say quite A few times NOT to use it on the beds.. I remember reading it somewhere..... I.. now.. I... emphasize I.. only sprayed where the label told me tooJust to be clear, since the Ortho Home Defense product is apparently NOT labeled for bed bugs, then you can't exactly claim to have followed the label's instructions.
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I know that this is a touchy subject so I will try to be a respectful as I can....... When I read the label I did not find anywhere where it said NOT to spray multiple times......I figured if the government allowed it to be redaily available to the common person and the label did not specifically say DANGER do not re apply for 12 months ...I read the directions twice.. If the product had said this I would NOT have.....this is what I I saw on the topic... .... *For long lasting residual control leave spray undisturbed. The product will keep killing for up to 12 months.*.... I took at this as I can clean and re apply which is what I did.... I know that this product is not labeled for bed bugs.. with that being said I also used Murphys oil soap on my floors and this is not labeled for bed bugs...I did not use the 91% alcohol cause I could not find it... which is not labeled for bed bugs....ALL three of these I know now ARE very dangerous an toxic ...among A LOT of others....... and should only be use under the supervision of A Professional Which is what I suggest to EVERYONE.......the statement says I ***sprayed *** it where the label told me too...And when I was under an enormous amount of BB, sleep deprived, uneducated, ignorant, paranoia... ALL I saw was the fact that these BB were out for blood...NOT good in my eyes It scared the crap out of me... another good reason to get more people out there to Educate and everyone who is reading this needs to print up some cards and pass them out... ...ALL I keep seeing is how bad these thing are and I needed to get rid of them NOW (SILVER BULLET)all I saw was My family under attack and I wanted to fight back..... I did not know that bombs were A nono this is what I have always done when I had a pest problem...
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spideyjg
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Posts: 1,405
Posted 3 weeks ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 8:45:12
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Using a product on insects not listed on the label is wrong in that it can be a violation of law and is putting what may be a wholly ineffective product on that pest you saw.
Applying in places and methods not listed on the label is far far worse of an error potentially putting health at risk.
Good lord don't let my wife see a spider and go for spray!
Don't fret Watkins, you made some errors, (well not as bad as your husband) are working to rectify those errors, and handle the problem better.
Jim
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Adele
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Joined: May '08
Posts: 556
Posted 3 weeks ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 18:51:00
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So everyone has been gracious not to mention my posting on this thread so ok - I retract my comments!!!!!!!!!!
just sharing what worked for me but I don't want to provide wrong advice.......
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Adele
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Joined: May '08
Posts: 556
Posted 3 weeks ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 18:51:56
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Hey this is my 666 posting right before Halloween!!! is that a good sign?!! not sure on that one.....
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just a quick up date The treatment Went very well it has been the best nights sleep I have all had in a long time.... I got frustrated cause the PCO was 3 hours and 15 min late BUT he had a very good reason.... aaaauggg..But was happy when they showed up in FORCE TWO trucks 3 guys But that aside... The man did A 2 and a half hour treatment... Made me turn the central heat up to 90..... My gas bill is going to sky rocket But is Very OK with me.... we were out of the house for almost 9 hours and when we returned very late at night None of us could even smell That he has sprayed... He Forced me to take the encasement cover off of all beds(MY sons it at the Land fill with a bunch of spray paint on it all ripped up.....) I throw all vinyl encasement's except mine in the trash I do plan to wash dry and pack away for a little while later when he says I can place it back on....... I Hate this but he is the Professional not me...He soaked all the beds And told me very stern.. Wash and dry before placing back on...There in plastic bags in the back of my husbands truck ready to go to the laundromat this morning ...I have 3 sets of sheet and blankets for all beds... I am glad I did the whole wash dry for 2 hours at the laundromat vacuum seal 80 percent of my stuff.. He did not do one thing I ask him Please leave a list of exact chemicals you used...There is a list on the back the the paperwork but I really don't think he used all of them.. there is over 100...He also told me I had done a good job with cleaning the and to STOP cleaning the way I am cause of the chemicals.. He put dust in all the plugs things... He sprayed Every thing...mattress included..(not the toddler bed of my lil one... )I got to go kids need breakfast but just thought you guys would like to hear how it went... I am very satisfied with him..ang going with the whole professional thing instead of doing it my self... Now I can relax a LITTLE... will start A new thread soon wit my success Story...YEA....Total cost so far 800 dollars... that I can think of right now...he also told me 30 guarantee for BB treatment he will come back if i need him... I sure hope I wont... But also know I may...
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