Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Treatment
MY PLAN! I need feedback.
(7 posts)-
I live in an apartment complex. When I moved in, the complex was safe and clean, then we got a new property manager and things went downhill. Anyway. I spotted three adult bedbugs in my apartment within the last two weeks. I could not find any nests. My guess is that they come from another apartment through cracks in the wall. My landlord is not really concerned, and offered to get my apartment sprayed, but they will not treat the whole complex. So it will most likely be a band-aid solution.
I am moving in three months (lease running out). My plan:
1. I'm gonna throw out all my furniture and linens/clothing/books. My stuff is all from Ikea anyway, cheap and easily replaceable. I have already discarded my bed and sleep on an air mattress. Paperbacks are cheap and I can replace them.
2. Box my DVDs in clear plastic bins that will be sealed with some food-grade Diatomaceous Earth inside. These will be in storage for two months. Same for my important papers (tax info...). In addition these boxes will be elevated (off the floor) and the storage unit will be sprinkled with DE.
3. I will keep a stuffed animal that will be washed and dried at a high temperature for at least an hour.
4. My laptop will be taken apart and air dried by a professional who has experience with that type of situation.
5. When I move out my cats will go to the Petshotel for a night and get groomed there and given a bath.
6. I will spray my workplace and car with Steri-Fab.
7. After leaving my current apartment and before going into the new one, I'll stop somewhere (gym or hotel), discard my old clothes/shoes, take a shower and put on new clothes.
After all of this, what are the chances of taking the bugs with me?
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lieutenantdan
oldtimer
Joined: Apr '07
Posts: 1,162
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jul 18 2008 13:04:31
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Sounds like a good plan. Some may think it a little extreme but the plan greatly reduces your risk. This is an example of the plus side of having cheap furniture, you can throw it away and start fresh. I'd say that you got it covered.
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2-- IF there are bed bugs in the stored items, and they did not walk through the DE, they might not die in 2 months. There may be other ways to decontaminate those items and carefully inspect them.
3--If bed bugs are in a stuffed animal (comforter, pillow, other thick item) I have less confidence about the washing and drying for one hour solution. We really are not sure how long a bed bug can survive in a thick item like that. It certainly seems possible for them to live much longer than in a thin item. You might want to rethink this esp. if item was kept on the bed
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lieutenantdan: thank you!
Nobugsonme: Do you have any suggestions for the DVDs? I'm not sure how to decontaminate them, outside of storing them for 18 months. Is there another product that I can leave in the boxes?
Regarding the stuffed animal, it was on a high shelf, not the bed or floor. I'll increase dryer time to two hours. Would that take care of it? The stuffed animal is not really big.
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For the DVDs. How about I clean each one by removing the jacket and disk, then rubbing the case with alcohol? Or just getting a new case for each DVD. That would kill any eggs I'd think. Any other ideas?
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parakeets
oldtimer
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 913
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jul 18 2008 15:12:28
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Sounds like a plan. Don't forget to mark your furniture or destroy it when you toss it or it will be taken back in to other apartments. Be sure to carefully check things like your wallet, purse (if that applies), cell phone and Ipod. I admire your ability to be able to toss things. You show admirable detachment.
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I would wash DVDs in warm water with a bit of dish soap and dry with a gentle cloth. (The netflix guidelines tell you to do this if you get a skipping DVD, so I assume it is safe.) I'd probably go for new cases. If you MUST save the old cases, I'd buy new, house the clean ones there, and store the originals in a sealed XL ziploc for 18 months. :-)
Paper can be carefully inspected under black light.
Oh and I would probably JUST dry the stuffed animal. The washing process seems to make the drying take longer.
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