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Questions about experience with Pack Tite...
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billyburgbugs
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 7
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jun 11 2009 22:33:31
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I know there is a lengthy post talking about what people have put into their Pack Tite, but I am wondering about other items. The guy from the company, David, I think, seems to hold back from asserting definitively what works in the machine and what doesn't, and I understand for liability reasons why he would do that. But I would like to hear from other sufferers if they had success roasting books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl in this thing. My roommate and I have one arriving this weekend. KillerQueen comes on Wednesday! It's like getting ready for the biggest date of my life.
I know that people have put emphasis on making sure the "core" temperature is properly above 120 degrees and obviously I plan on that, but is it like the dryer, in that you shouldn't over stuff the thing? I am not too suspect of a lot of my books to begin with (naive, I know, don't worry though, I am sufficiently freaked to err on the side of caution). I want to be able to seal up books in an XL ziplock (ya know, a fair amount, 10 or 15 at a time, stacked in rows I guess 3 to 4 high), turn on the machine, place the ziplock in and keep it in for 4 hours as is recommended. Open the ziplock before sealing up the Pack Tite? Forego my stacking idea and seriously do ONE book at a time, upside down and fanned out? CDs and vinyl...can I put stacks in there or are you all rolling your eyes like, "The heat won't get between the CDs!"
Just asking every neurotic question I can at this point.
I also want to say that this forum is like an oasis in Hell. So much comfort drawn from it. At the same time, so many scary stories! Yet, it still feels good not to be alone. I am even thinking about YouTubing my whole experience, just to put a face to this horror show for other sufferers. I feel no shame. This was an accident of fate.
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,736
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jun 11 2009 23:12:15
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Some of the threads labeled Packtite do talk about using it for books. At least one is linked to from the Packtite FAQ.
Some of those threads also include comments from Sean Rollo and David James about usage. I do think the issue of not packing things too tightly is addressed.
I am not sure about cds, dvds, but especially vinyl, since vinyl records are heat sensitive.
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Traumabugged
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 103
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jun 11 2009 23:14:47
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I put three rows of books into packtite, each row with like three or four 500 page books. Baked four hours each group...
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,736
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jun 11 2009 23:17:45
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But I don't think anyone can assure you that the core temps of 120 F were reached and maintained for an hour... you kind of have to test the temperature, right?
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billyburgbugs
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 7
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jun 11 2009 23:41:03
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Traumabugged,
When did you do this and what were the results? I mean, it feels insane that I would have to look through everyone one of my books. Lamentation is totally the new black on this site.A little about my story...my roommie had BBs last may. I ignored the situation because I didn't mentally want to deal. Our landlord handed him a bottle of spray and said, "Let me know how it works." It worked real well. No bed bugs for a whole year (to his credit, the kid went to town). I never got bit once. Everything was on his side of the apartment. Of course, this makes it seem like there was possibly a re-introduction vs. reinfestation this time around, but, we'll never know. This time around we are better educated and know our rights. The landlord was grossly negligent.
So, I'm not entirely cavalier (in fact, I have already broken down a couple times), but seriously? Look through every book and then still risk re-introduction? Whoever figures a quick fix to bed bugs is going to become the world's richest person.
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Traumabugged
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 103
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jun 11 2009 23:45:16
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Last week. I now put them all in ziplocks and sealed. So really cannot comment on if it works...
The temperature does go to like 140 for some hours, though...Maybe sometime I could microwave some of the books...
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billyburgbugs
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 7
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jun 11 2009 23:52:46
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Ok, so now I'm just replying for camaraderie's sake since we both won't know. Are you going to "release" the books after the PCO's second treatment? First treatment? Did you bake them only to then store them for an extended period time?
Did someone tell you you can microwave books?
What's your sign?
b
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Traumabugged
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 103
Posted 4 months ago
Fri Jun 12 2009 0:10:26
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Un-cooperative landlord, inexperienced PCO, three sprays, I'm moving. I plan to microwave some books I need next semester and I've dumped almost half of my properties.
Maybe I could calm down and read these books once I packtite them with 140 degree for four hours again then microwave them...
By the way, how many people have infestations around the university of Arkansas...?
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I do books and CD's all the time. Well I Packtite the book i'm about to bring into bed with me. I have a few XL Ziplock filled with books n stuff, some electronics like headphones, microphones, and I packtite the Ziplock UNZIPPED. I put the thermometer on the string (it's not glass like when you're sick) into the middle of a book in the middle of the stack inside the open Ziplock, so it's getting internal temps.
It goes up to 150 actually, (the more full the packtite the longer temps will take to rise) so I personally don't worry about it not killing anything in the box, but cook things that have not been ziplocked that I'm going to use, like my knitting needles (yay) and some are plastic and they do just fine. Books can get dry pages from all the cooking. Pretty much anything not liquid (creams, lip gloss), or melty (candles, pens) I've put in. Especially my shoes, belt and purse every day.
Honestly, that device has brought so much peace of mind during this because you know it works, it's not poison, and even after they're gone (and maybe they are??) since I ride the bus most of the time to work, I definitely want to cook my stuff..
I just did a bunch of CD's recently. If you have a dishwasher with a dry cycle you can wash all your candlesticks, and those type of ceramics and glass, but you have to decide on each item. I couldn't say just do one thing to something I've never seen.
Common sense, which may be in short supply must be used. Sleep helps with that. On that note I'll add that during the no sleep portion of all this, I used an herbal sleep aid that didn't really make you sleepy, but helped you sleep deeply, and for me it worked as well it could.
Hope all of the above helps and I'm sorry you're going through this.
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Traumabugged
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 103
Posted 4 months ago
Fri Jun 12 2009 0:35:27
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I want to cook myself, too. I've been feeling something in my ear for days...
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billyburgbugs
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 7
Posted 4 months ago
Fri Jun 12 2009 0:55:09
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hoo2677,
Wait, so you have been treated, are not experiencing bites, are sort of in the wait and see period, yet you continue to regularly run things through the pack tite? Is this for peace of mind? I can only assume you've already baked them once.I'm a little confused. The ziplocs you have were never treated? You just stored stuff in there and now you pack tite it each time you want to retrieve something?
Or I read your comment about doing CDs recently...do you just have stuff lying around post treatment that you are unsure about?
I'm not trying to be rude or sarcastic with my questions. Just not sure what your process was. But I think you are saying that the thermometer for the thing is flat, and you put it inside a book in the middle of your stack, and the temp still goes to 150. Correct? And after all this, you are still bed bug free. For how long?
Have plastic covers ever melted?
I'm still so curious about vinyl. I have a huge collection of classic rock albums. Would be a damn shame to have to toss them. I have read that so far on the internet that 150 is a good temp to make a bowl out of a record, so I imagine even 120 would somehow ruin the records.
Sad face.
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bedbugsbad
junior member
Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 69
Posted 4 months ago
Fri Jun 12 2009 1:19:42
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Billy,
Don't pitch the records. You may have at least two other options. Where do you live? You may be in An area where vikane gas is available. Or a simple low tech method is to seal up the records for 18 months. Either way you save your collection.
BBBad
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buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,160
Posted 4 months ago
Fri Jun 12 2009 1:23:10
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I do not have a Packtite.
I did have my apartment treated with thermal.
The thermal PCO who came out specifically told me to remove DVDs, CDs, and meltable things (make up, candles) from the house before treatment.
He also unofficially told me that realistically, many CDs and DVDs come through heat treatment just fine, but for liability reasons they have to tell people to remove them.
However, I wouldn't feel comfortable putting DVDs and CDs in a Packtite myself.
As for vinyl albums, no way would I put those in a Packtite. Unless you actually use the records regularly, it would seem like the best way to treat those would be to put them into storage sealed up nice and air tight for 18 months. As long as they're sealed up air tight, no bugs in the storage facility could get in and any bugs trapped inside the seal would die.
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hoo2677 - 1 hour ago »
I do books and CD's all the time. Well I Packtite the book i'm about to bring into bed with me. I have a few XL Ziplock filled with books n stuff, some electronics like headphones, microphones, and I packtite the Ziplock UNZIPPED. I put the thermometer on the string (it's not glass like when you're sick) into the middle of a book in the middle of the stack inside the open Ziplock, so it's getting internal temps.That's what I am talking about. Thanks for that, hoo2677!
I would not microwave books after Packtiting. I would just make sure the Packtite was getting hot enough at the core.
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I would NOT PUT VINYL ALBUMS IN A PACKTITE. I don't do vinyl, and if I did, I probably wouldn't own albums anymore considering the amount of CD's i got rid of.
Yes, I have been bite free (after chemical treatments, some furniture and computer vikaned, de around the baseboards, now caulked) for about 4 weeks.
I am in the precautions phase, so yes i packtite to be extra sure. Clothes/shoes and most possessions still in bags, so things out of bags, but not much. I am doing it for two months no bites so another month to go and i'm so traumatized by what i went through, maybe longer till i get the dog in here and the neighbors, to confirm. I keep my shoes in two gallon freezer ziplocks and i open that and into the packtite. Don't try to zip em up till they cool a little or they break.
My bed IS isolated in stainless steel dog bowls (cheap at the market and durable) filled with murphy's oil and probably will be for a LONG time. It's controversial, but i believe they will still come out cross over poison to see if they can get up there, if there are any. Then they'll go looking for me, so for me, I'm not willing to not sleep and i'm not sure the intercepters would keep them from crawling up bed. Sleep (and i'm not a big sleeper) is important to my physical and mental health. I need one place i can feel safe and relaxed...that's my bed....now.
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bunnybedbug
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 60
Posted 4 months ago
Fri Jun 12 2009 15:29:46
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Just read this whole thread on packtite. A few thoughts:
- I am thinking of getting one although I just counted up my BB expenses so far (past 6 weeks) and it = nearly 3 grand. But it seems that, if I am going to spend so much, I might as well do it right and do all my shoes, books, etc, right?
- I know some of you have been discussing microwaving books but doesn't that seem like a fire hazard??
- I am in the 'wait and see phase' as some of you are also. No bites for only a week after 4 PCO treatments; I have them coming back next week with the dog since I'm under warrantee anyway. Here's the question:
- those of you who have been bite free for a while and are still using packtite religiously, are you doing this to avoid getting bites? To avoid reinfestation by things which were previously sealed with bugs? Out of the ethical principle that you don't want to give the guy next to you on the bus BB??Please help clarify as I am trying to decide whether to borrow the money to get a packtite.
thanks
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Traumabugged
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 103
Posted 4 months ago
Sat Jun 13 2009 16:31:06
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I've got another question: I've got a huge luggage of winter clothes. I put them in the closet when I moved in and have not opened it yet. Would it be a good idea to ziplock them into groups then packtite like 4 hours or would it be better to throw them into drier and dry on extra hot for one hour?
Thanks.
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buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,160
Posted 4 months ago
Sat Jun 13 2009 16:50:43
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bunnybedbug,
If it helps, I do hope to be able to afford a Packtite in the fall. Since I teach, summers are always a tough time for me financially.
I want a Packtite because I travel a lot, and I would like to be able to just toss my suitcases into a Packtite on a return from a trip and have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that any hitch hikers that I might have encountered and missed could be baked before they had a chance to set up shop.
I think many people who go through bed bugs, esp. those of us like me who had no idea they even existed, get a little anxious afterwards. I mean, esp. because it's often so hard to trace down where they came from in the first place--it can be kind of crazy making to realize that they're always out there somewhere., you know?
For me, Packtite, along with regular inspection of both my bedroom and any hotel I stay in, is a way to reduce the chances of a future reinfestation. I was lucky that one of the PCOs who came out to treat, the chemical one, took a long time to walk me through the process of inspecting my suitcase, so I feel pretty confident in my ability to do a thorough inspection. (So confident that at the last hotel I stayed at, the fact that the sheets had some stains that looked distinctly like possible fecal stains but nothing else did was enough for me to hang back and wait a few days to see if bites emerged, which they didn't The thing is, I'm sure hotels have a lot of sheets with mascara blobs, ink stains, and/or fecal stains. If I freaked out at every single one, I'd never sleep. I checked the mattress, the box spring, the bed skirt, the luggage stand, the headboard, the curtains, and everything else I could think of, and I saw no evidence at all. I didn't get bites, nor did my roommies, and I was able to give the one who was leaving for Europe for 6 weeks and in person lesson on how to inspect.)
But I do still worry a little about my bag being in airports next to all those other bags or in the hold of the plane. Not enough to go through full on isolation protocols every time I fly (given that I fly at least 25,000 miles in most years, that would be at least bimonthly I'd have to put bags in isolation and go over them with a magnifying glass, you know? And I could still miss something.)
Packtite, for me, would give me that little extra bit of assurance that my bags came home safe.
So, if I get one, that's what I plan on using it for.
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,736
Posted 4 months ago
Sat Jun 13 2009 19:46:18
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bunnybedbug - 1 day ago »
- I know some of you have been discussing microwaving books but doesn't that seem like a fire hazard??
It most certainly is. I don't think it's a good idea at all.
It can also damage books, we've been told. -
OutOutDarnBugs
member
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 164
Posted 4 months ago
Sun Jun 14 2009 22:56:21
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I'm about to go on a trip, and I've packtited my backpack. Once before it was packed, and then again after it was packed. I was just looking at it, though, and realized it's a pretty padded backpack (it's not a hiking one, just a regular school one), which was nice for my back, but I realized that it could just harbor bugs.
The first time there was nothing in it, but I can't get internal temperatures on a backpack padded strap. I left it in there for 4 hours each time, and it got up to 150 when it was empty and 140 when I put it inside a glasses case in the bottom of the bag.
What do you guys think? Should I just toss it (or wait to have it vikaned next month) and get a less padded one for this trip? If it works on packed bags, presumably full with lots of padded things, then I guess it would work on my backpack?
(I'm leaving for the trip on Tuesday morning. Nothing like leaving this to the last minute...)
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billyburgbugs
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 7
Posted 4 months ago
Mon Jun 15 2009 14:21:35
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With regard to CDs and DVDs, you just leave them in the cases?
I want to just toss my DVDs in their cases into a ziploc and fire them up.
I guess i will just put a bunch of cds loose into a freezer bag.
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cincybug
newbite
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 19
Posted 4 months ago
Mon Jun 15 2009 21:01:58
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I second billy's question - will CD and/or DVD cases melt in a packtite?
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versatil
newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 12
Posted 4 months ago
Mon Jun 29 2009 14:54:11
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i third the question. not just jewel cases but like console games and stuff =\ though i guess it's implied?
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surrounded
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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 83
Posted 4 months ago
Thu Jul 2 2009 18:14:32
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I am getting a packtite and I have a lot of vinyl records. I was thinking of taking the vinyl out of the sleeve, and washing with record cleaner and putting in a ziploc. Then I would take all the sleeves and put them in the packtite and bake them. Then put the clean vinyl back in sleeve, and viola, put in a ziploc for moving.
Its not likely a bug could cling to the vinyl itself, and I can wash the surface with record cleaner which is i think rubbing alchohol anyway, a contact killer. I am not very suspicious of my vinyl as it is a long way from the bedroom, but everything is getting treated.
For the CD's, I am just tossing all the jewel cases and getting a CD book. I'll probably do the same thing where I wash the CD itself, then Packtite the artwork sleeves. Or maybe just Packtite the whole CD book? -
Aris
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Joined: Apr '08
Posts: 61
Posted 3 months ago
Wed Jul 15 2009 12:17:39
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I did an experiment with CDs (commercially-recorded music CDs and software CDs) and home-recorded DVD-R's (Fujifilm brand) in the PackTite. Reached 115ºF within 30 minutes. Got up to a maximum temperature of 157º F, then turned the heat off and allowed the temperature to cool down to about 95ºF over one hour. Total time in PackTite about 3 hours. (Note that I am using a different digital thermometer than the one that ships with the PackTite; the one I am using is an Acu-Rite brand.)
The CDs and DVD-Rs all came through with flying colors -- at least they were all readable by a laptop and a desktop disk drive, and the cases and title cards were intact without noticeable damage.
Note that I also put a laptop (battery removed and AC converter not included in the test) in the PackTite at the same time. It is an IBM (Lenovo) Thinkpad T60p, which I was planning to sell or discard anway. It was able to run through the treatment at those same temperatures without any grossly apparent damage. I have not run it through every possible CPU and GPU test; but it boots up completely normally, was able to connect to the internet, reads/plays music, data, and software CDs and the DVD-Rs just fine so far; and the LCD displays as well as prior to the treatment. (This was the second run of this same laptop through the PackTite; the prior run was at lower temperatures, maxing under 130ºF, with a total time in the PackTite during that run of about 4 hours.)
Note that I am not recommending that others use the PackTite for treating these kinds of objects. Just sharing my own observations.
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awhellno
newbite
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 1
Posted 2 months ago
Mon Aug 17 2009 14:52:48
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Hi Aris,
I was just wondering how you monitored the temp for your laptop. Did you just continually turn it on and off? Also, did you use any insulation to soften the impact of the heat on your laptop. Finally, how is the computer after a month? Is the screen okay? Thanks so much for your help.
I just have a couple of general questions as well. Does anybody know whether the lil bastards can chew through the plastic of the big zip loc bags? There were a couple of holes in a few bags of "suspect" items and I'm wondering if I accidentally did those or if the BB's are more evolved than I thought. Finally, is there any way I could fumigate the inside of my laptop? I'd rather not put it in the packtite especially since I'm not sure if there's any in there. Thanks so much everyone.P.S. What do the BB eggs actually look like. How small? Texture? Color? Shape? I've yet to see one (I think), but right now I inspect every speck of everything with intense scrutiny.
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jkim
newbite
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 14
Posted 2 months ago
Sat Aug 29 2009 13:35:08
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Can I leave clothes on the coathangers in my ziplock bags to bake in the Packtite? Or should I one by one take them off the hangers out of the ziplock bags before I bake them ?
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