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No Packtites and storage question
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ClutterFree
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jun 23 2010 14:52:25
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(This turned out way longer than intended. Skip to the end for the synopsis.)
So I basically resolved myself to getting a Packtite (and felt better after 5hrs20mins of sleep than I had after the previous night's 6-7hrs, which included a midnight-ish run to the 24hr laundry, but that's another story) only to find THERE ARE NO MORE! At least at the moment. They're on back-order. I had to put my name on a we'll-email-you-when-they-get-here list thingy. What do I do? I just climbed off this paranoid, exhaust/anxious cliff, and I'd rather not go back up there, thank you very much. I saw one site that had them for 309, but somehow that extra 20 just made it a huge turn-off. Stupid, right? Gah, once again I'm itchy.
But, seriously, I just started boxing/bagging Mom's books yesterday. She has 2 full bookshelves of books, papers, professional journals, etc, plus 2 full-ish file cabinets of paper, paper, paper. I'm not even sure I'm doing a good job of manually checking things. Near the very end, just before I decided I wasn't really conscious anymore, I realized that the cute mini-books I and family friends had bought her had open spines--which I had not been checking. And I just couldn't do it. I shone my flashlight through it, ignored the ones I didn't check, tied up the bag, sealed the box, and went on
to my next adventure of the night, but I didn't know that yetto shower and bed.So what was I saying? Packtite. Right. I need one, I can't get one, I am probably not checking things as well as I should. Advise me please.
Also, what're ppl using for storage? Things I'm not planning to touch any time soon are in large trashbags, knotted like I'm not going to touch them again any time soon. Everyday stuff are in small 2-gallon ziplocks and those are in garbage bags that are more loosely knotted. My books and cd's are in garbage bags, tied like I'm not touching them again any time soon, placed into packing boxes, and then every exposed corrugated edge is taped. I am having some freak-out though regarding my storage "tools." They're all living in my room b/c my mom, quite in contrast to her daughter, is anti-clutter, hard-core. So the boxes, the garbage bags, the ziplocks....it's all in my room, including my bagged stuff. Mind, I haven't been bit except for one time on the day I was inspected, but I've woken up bite-free every day since.......last Friday/Saturday? Still, I don't trust it.
TL;DR - I can't find a packtite, what do I do now? (wonder if my LL has ideas.....) Also, what should I use for packing away things/storing my stuff, and should those things be in my room which is the site of the infestation, minor though it may be?
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Bed Bug Epidemic
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jun 23 2010 15:13:47
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i just clicked that little thing on the right about packtites, it said on back order til july 7th. that's not so bad, right? Or did you want one like NOW?
I want one also, but for some reason not freaking out over getting one right this second. i guess i should be but i have a dryer and have been roasting everything in there.
Everything that i do not need now, winter clothes etc, is packed up in the XXL zip loc bags.
every day clothes are in the XL ziplocs.
Then i have like 10 black contractor sized garbage bags filled with "things" i don't want to throw away, in my back yard just laying there now for over two weeks.
I really need to organize things bc i have stuff i don't need mixed in with every day things. i want to organize but dare NOT open the bags and organize int eh house. i'll have to take it out of the house and do it like....i dont' even know where. the bed of my husband's truck?
someone somewhere on here said that staples had a really good air tight bin, expensive but good. have yet to see it.
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ClutterFree
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jun 23 2010 15:27:27
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Now. Yesterday even. The PCO's coming next Wednesday and I have to go through all of Mom's paperwork and books. I'll still want the packtite, if only because I very belatedly realized how poorly I checked my cd's/books/etc.
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Bed Bug Epidemic
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jun 23 2010 15:35:55
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spend the extra 20 bucks.
ClutterFree - 8 minutes ago »
Now. Yesterday even. The PCO's coming next Wednesday and I have to go through all of Mom's paperwork and books. I'll still want the packtite, if only because I very belatedly realized how poorly I checked my cd's/books/etc. -
cctie
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jun 23 2010 15:46:10
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hi clutterfree,
i agree with bb epidemic, july 7th isn't too far away, as long as you're containing and bagging your items now. when you receive it a few weeks later, you can start using the packtite on your bagged items.
i'm in your same situation, i committed to buying one and they called me to let me know it was on backorder. a lot of stuff that i can bear to be away with for 18 months (worst case scenario) i am likewise bagging up. a shipment of xxl ziploc bags are arriving today, which i think would be a better alternative than trash bags which i feel like tear easily and aren't as airtight. so i will be moving a lot of my items into those once they arrive. ill be using these ziplocs to store them in my unattached garage, and also to live out of for a few select outfits ill be rotating out of in the meantime.
one thing you can consider putting into your SEALED bags or containers are ddvp strips, such as nuvan prostrips or hot shot no-pest strips... but you should really read up on this as they emit pesticide and can be toxic if wrongly handled or applied. you shouldn't use these strips anywhere in your house or where you may breathe it. there might be a FAQ on ddvp on this forum? try searching "ddvp"
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cctie
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jun 23 2010 16:02:23
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oops, replied late. what bb epidemic said... if you need it that soon, $20 doesn't seem that much compared with the greater risk that you'll be bagging up live bbs.
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ClutterFree
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Jun 23 2010 16:07:39
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bedbugsupply.com has 5 left. The price went up since this morning (and the guy was very nonchalant about it). To get it here by Fri would cost me another....120. Can I do my brief-inspect now and then packtite after the PCO comes and everything's clear, or am I living dangerously and should just bite this very expensive bullet? I still think the bb's are contained to my room, but affirming and reaffirming that just seems to be asking for trouble (thanks, Joss Whedon).
I don't think I can convince myself to do it. What about mothballs? Who cares if the papers are stinky...
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Jun 24 2010 3:57:00
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@Clutterfree,
I may not have read the messages above carefully enough, but is the case that you have not had treatment yet, and want to use Packtite to kill bed bugs and eggs in your stuff during the same period in which your home is treated? If so, what's the rush? You can get treatment, and you can treat stuff when you have the Packtite.
In the meantime, stuff which is not sealed in bags will allow bed bugs to come out, cross poison and die.
Once you have the machine, you can Packtite, seal things, and go on with treatment.
(If you are planning to move or there's some other urgency to this, ignore this!)
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cilecto
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Jun 24 2010 11:31:02
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@NoBugs. Looks like Twitter conventions have officially infiltrated the forum
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ClutterFree
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Jun 24 2010 14:42:19
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Nobugsonme - 10 hours ago »
@Clutterfree,
I may not have read the messages above carefully enough, but is the case that you have not had treatment yet, and want to use Packtite to kill bed bugs and eggs in your stuff during the same period in which your home is treated? If so, what's the rush? You can get treatment, and you can treat stuff when you have the Packtite.
In the meantime, stuff which is not sealed in bags will allow bed bugs to come out, cross poison and die.
Once you have the machine, you can Packtite, seal things, and go on with treatment.
(If you are planning to move or there's some other urgency to this, ignore this!)Exactly what I wanted to know! I guess I'm just scared the bb's will pop out while things are being unpacked and Packtited? I admit to being a little crazy. But, good God in Heaven, if I can just <i>pack</i> right now and not have to worry about checking 800 page mini-histories on Judaism page by page I think I could actually be done before my PCO comes on Wednesday. Oh, I could hug you!
@cilecto Do you know how long it took me to figure out the @replying thing was a Twitterism? I started seeing them on Facebook
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bugnut
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Jun 24 2010 16:40:51
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Bed Bug Epidemic -
here is the link to the watertite storage boxes. Staples only has this size online, but in the stores there is a bit more selection.
http://www.staples.com/Iris-Ultimate-Weathertight-Tote/product_759401?cmArea=SEARCHhttp:
I am guessing these came to be after all of the bad storms in the NE and Katrina as folks lost all of their important papers. These are designed for files, but work well for this purpose. I have not tried to submerge them, but can't slide a piece of paper under the lid. There is a cove with a foam band that snaps against the lid when closed. SO far it has worked for me and I thought I would share.
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bushbugg
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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Jun 24 2010 21:59:53
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@bugnut, hah, It might keep out weather, but bed bugs? I scoff!
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Jun 25 2010 2:14:52
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cilecto - 14 hours ago »
@NoBugs. Looks like Twitter conventions have officially infiltrated the forum
I promise there won't ever be a 140 character limit on Bedbugger posts. (Though I note you came in with characters to spare, ci!)
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Jun 25 2010 2:45:47
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ClutterFree - 11 hours ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic
Exactly what I wanted to know! I guess I'm just scared the bb's will pop out while things are being unpacked and Packtited? I admit to being a little crazy. But, good God in Heaven, if I can just <i>pack</i> right now and not have to worry about checking 800 page mini-histories on Judaism page by page I think I could actually be done before my PCO comes on Wednesday. Oh, I could hug you!
Some PCOs tell customers to bag everything -- not just washed/dried clothing-- before treatment. And then to unbag it sometime after treatment starts. I have always been skeptical about this idea, but one PCO has told me it helps make treating the home easier in terms of getting access for spraying. Some PCOs seem to tell people to unbag fairly rapidly. (I note some never tell you when to unbag it.)
But other PCOs never tell clients to bag items besides (washed/)heat dried clothing.
Is bagging everything what your pro told you to do? If not, why are you bagging this possibly bed bug-infested stuff at all? You could leave it out until the Packtite comes. Some bed bugs may come out and be killed during the initial period before you have the Packtite. (If this conflicts with your PCO's plan, of course, I defer to that.)
Keep in mind, either way -- with or without a Packtite -- you have to remove such items from bags while you are in active treatment for bed bugs.
You are 100% correct that they may crawl out of the items. You should have someone standing by with a contact killer spray in case this happens in a visible way, but it certainly may happen, and it's important that the treatment you're getting is not over at that point, since you may have reintroduced some bed bugs.
If you are bagging the stuff and can do this transfer from bags to the Packtite in a way that does not involve completely unpacking items one by one, it would probably be good, but I don't have any great ideas. Except maybe something like small wooden boxes which are filled with books in a garbage bag (pre-Packtite) and then you're lifing the box out and placing it in the Packtite and sealing the garbage bag in an airtight manner for disposal.
Someone mentioned putting items in Ziploc XL bags through the Packtite -- I think the Ziplocs were unzipped (David James could probably confirm that), so that may be an option: putting a bag of stuff in, and popping the probe in the center of the book pile inside.
It would seem important to minimize exposure also by carrying the sealed items right up to the Packtite before moving them into it. If you go wandering around your house with piles of possibly infested books, this is increasing the possibility of exposure.
If items are NOT sealed (as I note above, I would prefer this), then you could maybe use the Packtite in the room the items came from, to minimize "moving" your problem around the home. In this case, I would decon the Packtite itself (per manufacturer's instructions) in order to make sure you do not move bed bugs around when you move it to the next room.
Those are just my ideas, I am not a pro, and I would welcome pest control pros' input on this one.
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ClutterFree
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Jun 25 2010 10:05:24
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Nobugs: I am to wash/dry all the clothes and clothes-type things in all the rooms, remove curtains/blinds, remove anything from the walls, and bag all the stuff, and of course bag the clean clothes. And I just got off the phone with my PCO's office to confirm that all the stuff--books, knickknacks, etc.--get bagged. (How the heck do I treat vinyl blinds, by the way??) I think it's to give them access. I don't remember the sheet mentioning when I can unbag.
My plan is to take the bagged books/cd's out of the corrugated boxes and put them directly into the packtite. I don't know what I'll do with the boxes. The edges are sealed against bb exit/entry, but only while no one's getting into them. I figured the garbage bags would be "treated" post-packtite so they'd be safe to toss as usual.
I plan to do the packtiting in the originally contaminated room itself. And this has to be happening while I'm in treatment? Forgive me, my brain is a lot fuzzy this morning so even though that sounds like it should make perfect sense, it doesn't.
If I'm going about this wrong, or not stringently enough, do tell. I'm so tired and stressed lately that I don't quite trust myself to be doing any of this correctly. I'm only glad we don't have a worse infestation.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Jun 25 2010 12:56:26
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Clutterfree,
It's kind of a tricky situation and I can't tell you how to do this without exposure, since opening the bags will certainly cause that.
I would recommend two things:
1) Read this FAQ, which goes into the issues around bagging contaminated stuff.
2) As the FAQ says, call your PCO and ask them when they intend you to unbag the stuff you bagged. (I assume they don't expect everything to be put through a Packtite before bagging.) They ought to have a good answer -- this is their protocol.
The reason I say you must unbag during treatment is that this "bag everything" protocol is setting you up to "store" live bed bugs in those bags. (If you wait until treatment is over, then open the bags, bed bugs will likely reinfest your home. If treatment is ongoing, they may be killed.)
So the PCO knows that and should have a plan.
Your plan -- to Packtite the stuff -- is probably going to help things along. But there will likely be bed bugs in those bags.
If your PCO is giving you any kind of guarantee (will return up to 60 days, or whatever) it is probably dependent on you following their protocol. So make sure you know what they've got in mind.
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sickofbugs
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Jun 25 2010 13:25:49
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"Your plan -- to Packtite the stuff -- is probably going to help things along. But there will likely be bed bugs in those bags."
If you Packtite your stuff, then there shouldn't be any live bedbugs/eggs in your stuff, right? I thought the whole purpose of using a Packtite was to get rid of bed bugs/eggs in your stuff. Otherwise, why use Packtite?
sickofbugs
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ClutterFree
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Jun 25 2010 13:41:47
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Okay, just got off the phone with the office and I'm starting to wonder about my PCO. They suggested unbagging after the 2nd treatment, and I believe there are only going to be 2. I asked about infested stuff and she said I'm to inspect/clean everything beforehand. Which is probably what's on the instruction sheet (which is at home) and probably why I had a total I-need-a-Packtite-NOW freakout earlier in the week.
So I'm kinda screwed, is what it's starting to sound like. The PCO is coming on Weds. Unless I had taken this entire week off, I wouldn't have been able to check every page of every book and every spine and loose sheet, etc. And I couldn't have afforded to take this week off. My check for last week is piddly enough with 2.5 days off.
I'm going to read the FAQ again. Maybe print it so I can read it several times.
sickofbugs: I think Nobugs' point is that bb's could be on/in the stuff my things are packed in, and that the process of moving the boxes around and unpacking could release them before I can get my stuff into the packtite--let alone the bb's that are hitching rides on the boxes.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Jun 25 2010 14:16:24
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sickofbugs - 48 minutes ago »
"Your plan -- to Packtite the stuff -- is probably going to help things along. But there will likely be bed bugs in those bags."
If you Packtite your stuff, then there shouldn't be any live bedbugs/eggs in your stuff, right? I thought the whole purpose of using a Packtite was to get rid of bed bugs/eggs in your stuff. Otherwise, why use Packtite?sickofbugs,
My post only made sense if you read the entire thread. Clutterfree is planning to bag infested items, and decon them with a Packtite later. At the point when the bags are unpacked, the items will NOT have been through the Packtite.
Yes, running items through a Packtite should make the items bed bug-free. But if there is a moment when you unpack the bags and move the items to the Packtite, then living bed bugs and eggs may reinfest your home.
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bbh
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Jun 28 2010 15:39:16
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I think I've read this carefully, but I too am sleep deprived.
Nobugsonme: it sounds like the idea is to packtite (and high-heat dry for clothing) BEFORE treatment, storing clean stuff in ziplocs.
Is that correct?For stuff that can't be gotten to before the treatment, is the idea that it's best to leave it out during initial treatment and not clean until 2 weeks later, just before the 2nd treatment?
I've been trying to bag with regular plastic bags and twist seal (by my own hands) lots of stuff that I assume might be infected, figuring that at least the bugs aren't still crawling and feeding. Is this wrong? Just sort of trying to get it out of the way. This is way confusing for a girl who has trouble sequencing at the best of times!
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Jun 28 2010 17:01:17
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bbh,
I strongly suggest you find out what your PCO has in mind first. The advice above is based on what ClutterFree was told to do by a PCO -- that's what I am working with.
I responded to your other query here, but keep in mind, there is no one protocol. And your plan has to fit with the PCO's plan first and foremost.
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