Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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

Moving and need advice

1. 

   jandrix
   

   newbite
   Joined: Aug '09
   Posts: 1

   
   Posted 3 months ago
   Sun Aug 16 2009 11:50:25
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   I'm currently living in a house under treatment for bed bugs. We are moving soon and have arranged to have the local pest control company vikane gas treat everything that we take with us.

   My question is, in order to treat it, we have to load it in a moving truck, move it to their headquarters (about a 5 minute drive thankfully), unload everything into their fumigation chamber, then after its fumigated, reload it into the moving truck. They said there shouldn't be a problem as they've never had a problem with it in the past, but I worry about reinfestation from moving the infested items out of the moving truck and then after cleaned, back into the same truck that had them in it when they were infested.

   As a side note, we've thrown out the infested mattress from that room and am only taking about 5 boxes of items and a bunch of electrical equipment. All the items will only sit in the uhaul for a max of about 12 hours overnight. Should I be worried about being reinfested? (The house infestation is a light infestation)

2. 

   DrFrank
   

   junior member
   Joined: Jul '09
   Posts: 122

   
   Posted 3 months ago
   Sun Aug 16 2009 13:59:43
   #
   
   
   
   Login to Send PM
   

   I'd be worried, if I were you, but then again, I'm paranoid.

   Despite the dangers, and likely over my wife's sensible protests, I imagine that if I were in your position, I'd probably sterilize the inside of the truck with large amounts of rubbing alcohol.

   There are three dangers to such a plan, I think:
   

   1. Alcohol poisoning from the evaporating alcohol
   2. Damage to the truck due to the alcohol or the water it contains
   3. Potential for explosion and/or fire

   I'd first test a little bit of alcohol inside the truck to see if it would leave visible damage. If it did, I'd have to reevaluate the cost/benefit of this plan.

   I'd want a box fan or two blowing into the truck while I worked inside it to help quickly remove the evaporating alcohol. I'd also want my wife standing by outside, just in case.

   I'd never close the door while working inside, or until the truck was dry, inside. If necessary, I'd use a step ladder to clean an overhead door, rather than closing the door to clean the inside of it.

   I'd use 91% rubbing alcohol, to minimize the amount of water that I left inside the truck; alcohol evaporates much more rapidly than water, and I would want to minimize the amount of time that I had to leave the truck open to dry.

   I'd be sure there was no electric power or other sources of ignition operating in the back of the truck while I was working in there. Certainly that means making sure that the truck wasn't running. If, on the off chance the back had an air-conditioner, I'd make sure that wasn't powered. I'd disconnect the truck battery before starting.

   I'd work slowly so as to avoid building up large concentrations of fumes.

   I'd use squirt bottles on the "stream" setting (not mist!) for crevices, dousing them.

   I'd wear disposable, impermeable gloves and goggles (not just glasses) while working with so much highly concentrated alcohol.

   Again, I'm paranoid, and this would probably be overkill. But I imagine myself doing it anyway.

RSS feed for this topic