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Spidey goes furniture shopping.......
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spideyjg
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Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 3 months ago
Sat Aug 8 2009 23:57:03
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If you have followed along I did many things to reduce the potential for BBs to take up residence in my new furniture.
We always refer to Captains beds as being nightmares. So today I went "shopping" to see if I could find a real bad piece of furniture when it comes to BBs.
I hate OSB or oriented strand board however in all fairness it seems coated with some finish and doesn't seem as bad as raw OSB. However not something I would trust. Couple the OSB and the stapled bracing and you have good harborage.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs001.jpg
This also has the plywood drawers.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs002.jpg
Around that brace is prime BB real estate...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs003.jpg
Innocuous day bed frame right...............
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs005.jpg
Check up close at all the gaps on the junction where the slat is and look above there andsee the 2 pairs of "strips" coming down and there are more gaps at the top and bottoms of the bed where these "strips", which are actually routed into the wood, join. Not to mention the bolt holes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs006.jpg
On the side a long gap and notice the better view of the voids due to the routed decor....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs006.jpg
More OSB in captains beds..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs011.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs010.jpgThe top of the same bed and the shelving is primo BB material..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs012.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs013.jpgThe winner of the most nightmarish if infested thing I found was this bunk bed with stairs/drawers on the side. While the little kid in me would have loved this as a youth the drawers we not removable and all the gaps were large and BB friendly. If this were infested I'd toss it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs014.jpg
Close up...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs015.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/spideyjg/BBs/BBs016.jpgBBs are difficult to eradicate and one of the reasons is our furniture has many gaps where they can reside. It is imperative that the PCO or the self treater consider where the bugs are and goes as deep as needed to address all the harborage. This is one of the reasons so much prep can be needed because if for example a dresser has signs of infestation it will need to be emptied and all of it examined and dealt with.
Jim
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Thanks, Jim.
I can remember a time when I would have thought the bunk bed with drawers was so cute and clever. Ahh, innocence!
What is a wonder to me now, post-bed bugs, is how this kind of furniture (captain's beds, fussy bunkbeds, bookshelves attached to beds!) was developed and popularized when bed bugs were commonplace. These are not new designs.
You'd think that pre-WW II designers would have stuck to the simple clean lines, solid metal legs, solid iron frames, and so on.
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paulaw0919
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Joined: Jul '07
Posts: 997
Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 9 2009 7:48:23
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Just thought I would share for the sake of sharing...
My twins were getting too big for thier cribs/toddler bed. So this made us have to change some rooms around etc and purchase new furniture for them recently.
Either I have come a long way since our infestation or I am foolish. But because of the size of the rooms that two children are in, two twin beds just don't fit like two cribs did. I had to purchase bunk beds (OMG!! right?) After going through about a month of hesitation I purchased them
So, they get delivered like 4th person in a small van. There was no other funiture in it. I was scared to death. But that day I took the pieces out of the boxes, inspected the best I could and put them in the garage. Then when hubby was home I spent the whole day caulking every non moveable crack/crevice possible. Hubby said nothing, but I'm sure he tought I was nuts.
When I unpacked the mattress support boards (OMG....just that thought alone..) I found that they were RAW WOOD attached to thick nylon straps similar to what they make childrens seat belts from. I brought them outside, took out my semi gloss white paint and painted them. I left all screws alone until assembly. When we brought everything in to assemble, all screws and holes that were not used to assemble the unit (and there were A LOT of totally needless ones for some reason) I caulked. This took like one whole day for caulking and one day to assemble. But being that type of furnture, I feel a bit more comfortable with my kids in it.Are there still some cracks/crevices, yes. Still a scarey piece of furniture to me. (especially the top bunk and those slats) But I had no choice due to room space. It's white, most all deep hiding spots are not there anymore because they are caulked, and if we get infested I think I may be able to find evidence much easier at least.
I must say, I thought of you often Jim when putting this piece together!! :-)
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spideyjg
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Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 9 2009 14:24:29
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paulaw0919 - 6 hours ago »
Are there still some cracks/crevices, yes. Still a scarey piece of furniture to me. (especially the top bunk and those slats) But I had no choice due to room space. It's white, most all deep hiding spots are not there anymore because they are caulked, and if we get infested I think I may be able to find evidence much easier at least.
I must say, I thought of you often Jim when putting this piece together!! :-)Good move on the white furniture. Between sealing and easy to inspect you got a winner. I wasn't keen on the slats like you described but all beds had that.
Jim
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momto2boys
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Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 29
Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 9 2009 19:57:44
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I got this for my boys (baby is still in a crib, but for when he gets older)
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Sunrise-White-Twin-Twin-Bunk-Bed/3992656/product.html
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I stayed in a renovated hotel room that had a five layer lace duster cover around the base of the bed... Intricate multiple layer wood & glass headboards with concealed voids... Plush furniture, multiple layer lace curtains & a carpet baseboard... Intricate woodwork & carved wood framing on original art work
Absolutely beautiful room that provided an incredible amount of viable harborage area for bed bugs.
I predict that minimalist room design will become a pragmatic trend.
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spideyjg
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Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 3 months ago
Mon Aug 10 2009 8:33:31
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DougSummersMS - 3 minutes ago »
I stayed in a renovated hotel room that had a five layer lace duster cover around the base of the bed... Intricate multiple layer wood & glass headboards with concealed voids... Plush furniture, multiple layer lace curtains & a carpet baseboard... Intricate woodwork & carved wood framing on original art work
Absolutely beautiful room that provided an incredible amount of viable harborage area for bed bugs.
I predict that minimalist room design will become a pragmatic trend.How long did it take you to inspect something like that or did you have your K9 with you?
I go through a standard hotel room for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes before I feel safe. Cant imagine how long for a fancy pants room like that.
Jim
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