Successful, I think, but TERRIFIED to unpack! « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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Successful, I think, but TERRIFIED to unpack!

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StressedinNYC

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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Aug 21 2010 14:00:29
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After almost 4 months, 5 treatments and a canine inspection, I'm bite-free for ONE WEEK. I know it's not a lot of time, but I'm holding out hope.

The final treatment (one week ago) coincided with a canine inspection. Frankie the beagle identified one sealed bag of shoes, and one piece of luggage (which I promptly bagged and threw out.) Everything else, according to Frankie, was clean...even the bed. For the bag of shoes, the PCO opened it slightly, treated it with a "vapor," then re-sealed.

So, I have 3 questions:

1. Assuming I continue to see no signs of bites or bugs, how long should I wait before unpacking my clean, vacuum-sealed clothes?

2. How should I go about dealing with this bag of shoes?

3. Should Frankie the beagle come back in before I do anything??

Thanks so much everyone! What a nightmare! This site has been a huge help.
Intelligenery

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 23 2010 15:01:06
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Sure, here's some instructions on what you should do.

1. Make sure you do all of the following at a time and don't put your clothes anywhere where the infestation may reoccur.
2. Take out a bundle of clothing at a time and put them in the washing machine on high heat, then in the dryer. If you have a lot of clothes, take them out in sorted bunches and keep the bag closed/zipped.
3. With the shoes, either put them in the dryer, steam or wash them. If they can't be done this way, put them in a separate bag.
4. Put all the clean clothes in the bag again.
5. Have the beagle come over and once more check the clothing.
MyWorstFear

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 23 2010 15:28:29
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I don't think you need to treat the clothing that was previously cleaned and bagged, especially since the dog gave it the all clear. As for the shoes, what did the PCO say? Was it one of those DDVP strips that he put in? If not, I guess you could toss one of those in there and leave it for 4 weeks in case anything hatches. If it's not too much money, could you have the dog come back in a couple of weeks?
I know when my PCO told me I could unpack everything, I waited 4 more weeks just because I couldn't face having to do it all over again if he was wrong, although two members of my household unpacked immediately. It was easy for them, since they never helped pack up stuff in the first place so they really didn't know how time consuming it was. Then they had the nerve to complain about how long it was taking them to UNpack their stuff! Don't get me started, lol.
StressedinNYC

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Aug 23 2010 17:38:19
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Thank you so much for the responses. My PCO seems to be a little too "relaxed." When I asked about the bag of shoes, he was like, "Open it tomorrow!" Needless to say, they are still bagged. As for Frankie the Beagle, he's coming back tomorrow. Fingers crossed that he won't find anything. I live in New York City, and everything I own is either in vacuum bags or in my car which is parked in a garage. This process has been time consuming and expensive, and I certainly don't want to do it again! I know it's over-kill, but I'll probably re-wash all the vacuum sealed clothes as I remove them. Even though I did a 30-minute dryer cycle for everything before I sealed it, the thought of bugs living in those bags worries me.

Thank you for the advice! We can do it!!!