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Use of DE in storage bags??
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After battling with BBs on and off for the past few years, I successfully lived without them for a year until two and a half weeks ago. I'm not going to go into a long story as I'm moderately calm right now but I'm sure once I start losing my mind again I will have much more to say on here!
I do freelance costume design in my spare time from my apartment and have hundreds of dollars in fabric. Currently it is bagged up and shelved as I learned from my many previous experience to keep it this way indefiniately. I will be redrying and putting in new safe ziplocs today.
My question is this. Does anyone know if it would be beneficial to put a small dusting of DE on the inside bottom of the ziploc bags before sealing the fabric inside? Some of the fabric can't be put in the dryer without destroying it but I am going to attempt putting it on low heat. I just want to do as much as possible so I won't be unknowingly harboring anything. I guess this is an appropriate question for other things that may be packed away for the long term statis period as well. Wouldn't it make sense to put things that can't be heated to the appropriate temperature (shoes, soft items) in a bag with DE to be stored?
I picked up Chemfree Insectigone Crawling Insect Killer which is 80% Diatomaceous Earth but haven't used it yet, not until I've thoroughly organized and cleaned my place. I know there are health risks with the inhalation aspect and I'll have access to a respirator when I use it. Honestly this is the least of my worries as I have severe reactions to bites and if I start getting bitten more frequently risk having an anaphylactic reation which has happened before.
I've searched and haven't been able to find anything about doing something like this so if anyone has input it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
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watkinsnewan
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 331
Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 17:52:07
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DE= DANGER Read DE dangers in FAQ!!
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watkinsnewan
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Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 17:53:46
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Please dont expose me and my children to it thank you!! we by costume's too!!Highley appricated!!
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watkinsnewan - 2 minutes ago »
Please dont expose me and my children to it thank you!! we by costume's too!!Highley appricated!!Huh? I never wrote anything about putting it on costumes. I was referring to fabric that I would be putting into storage for the 18 month quarantine period. After this time, I would deal with it appropriately by washing and drying.
Which dangers would you be referring to? I've done my research and there isn't any change of inhalation being inadvertantly had with the sealed bags of fabric. I'm not really sure what else you could be referring to.
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cilecto
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Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 18:12:05
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As you're dealing with delicates, you might wish to use an infra red thermometer to gauge your temperature. A pack tight type device may also be useful for your needs. As an alternative to heat, perhaps extreme cold (as in below 0 F). I would not apply DE direct to your fabrics, as it will mess them. As others have noted, it's an inhalation hazard, as well. You would not want to expose yourself or your clients to DE, certainly not to the stuff with insecticide added, likely a skin irritant. (I assume you design for performing arts, not kids' Halloween costumes, right?) And it will only kill bugs that actually get it on them after 1-2 weeks.
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watkinsnewan
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Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 18:16:54
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BE care full You may be harming your self as well you need a special mask and maby suit for this!! l personally will not have it anywhere near me !! DE is like aspestos think of it like that!! There may be another chemical you can use safley!! there are others!!!! Call A PCO!! And ask!! or you can keep searching the site I am currentlly studding up on all the pestacides to know which ones My PCO can and can not bring in!! long story!!
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cilecto - 4 minutes ago »
As you're dealing with delicates, you might wish to use an infra red thermometer to gauge your temperature. A pack tight type device may also be useful for your needs. As an alternative to heat, perhaps extreme cold (as in below 0 F). I would not apply DE direct to your fabrics, as it will mess them. As others have noted, it's an inhalation hazard, as well. You would not want to expose yourself or your clients to DE, certainly not to the stuff with insecticide added, likely a skin irritant. (I assume you design for performing arts, not kids' Halloween costumes, right?) And it will only kill bugs that actually get it on them after 1-2 weeks.Performance arts, definitely not kids Halloween costumes. Most of the fabrics I really have no qualms about blasting with heat but I've got yards and yards of stretch pvc, wet look latex and printed spandex that most definitely don't hold up in the normal heat settings of the dryers in my building. I learned the hard way last time :/
I've been using the freezer as a sort of statis for certain things but at this point (the bb being back after so long) I'm no longer convinced this is guaranteed to work. Which really depresses me. Have you had a good success rate with cold?
Using the infra red thermometer could be viable. Would this be in conjunction with the lower settings of a dryer? Thanks for the help!
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Also, I will be having a PCO in as I contacted management on Monday. It usually takes about a week for them to contact me and sort out dates. It's just that I moved in here January 2008 between then and November 2008 I had the PCO in three times (I most likely brought them here from my last place). I want to be done for GOOD. I thought I was finally free this time until I started having reactions again and getting really sick. C'est la vie.
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cilecto
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Posts: 513
Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 18:42:34
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The IR would enable you to use the lowest possible temp.
Re cold I meant a commercial deep freeze rather than a house freezer.
Scan the boards regarding the temp ranges for killing BB. The generally cited point of death is 113F, with some caveats. That's not that hot. Best of luck.
Oh, DE will only affect BB that roam around in your bag, which is unlikely, as they will go dormant for lack of host.
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 1 month ago
Sat Oct 10 2009 19:14:11
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I don't know where in the country you're located, but you might look into thermal as an option for treating the apartment if it is available where you are.
As for the spandex, latex, and PVC, as Cilecto suggested, you might look into the Packtite. It's a bit larger than a roll aboard suitcase, and it heats items inside it up to about 140 degrees F to kill bugs and their eggs.
The spandex should be fine at those temps (all my workout clothes were not only in my apartment but in my bedroom where the infestation was, so during my thermal treatment, I'm sure they all got that hot. None of it is painted, but the fabric itself came through fine.). I would test the latex and pvc in small batches, but since people Packtite ziplocks an they don't melt, I'm guessing those fabrics would probably be okay too.
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buggyinsocal - 3 hours ago »
I don't know where in the country you're located, but you might look into thermal as an option for treating the apartment if it is available where you are.
As for the spandex, latex, and PVC, as Cilecto suggested, you might look into the Packtite. It's a bit larger than a roll aboard suitcase, and it heats items inside it up to about 140 degrees F to kill bugs and their eggs.
The spandex should be fine at those temps (all my workout clothes were not only in my apartment but in my bedroom where the infestation was, so during my thermal treatment, I'm sure they all got that hot. None of it is painted, but the fabric itself came through fine.). I would test the latex and pvc in small batches, but since people Packtite ziplocks an they don't melt, I'm guessing those fabrics would probably be okay too.I'm living in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). I checked out the Packtite website and they are sold out. I've also read that they aren't CSA approved in Canada and therefore can't be legally used or bought here. That really.. SUCKS. I'd most definitely look into that investment. It seems like us Canadians are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to BB treatments.
Commercial deep freezer. Buying one isn't feasible for me at this point but am I insane in recalling that you can rent freezer storage units? I may just be making up things in my mind at this point lol
Thermal treatment seems like a really great idea but I imagine runs really high. I'm going to let building management send over the PCO to treat my apartment before I consider doing this or calling in the bug dog.
I think buggyinsocal is right, I'm going to have to test swatches of the fabric and go from there. I think that's where the IR is going to be a good idea. Now I'm getting depressed. lol
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buggyinsocal
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Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,129
Posted 1 month ago
Sun Oct 11 2009 0:22:10
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Smash,
That's a bummer that you're in Canada (as far as bed bugs go. I think Canada is a perfectly lovely country in most other respects.) If I recall correctly, the one thermal provider in Canada was in Vancouver but has left the bed bug thermal business. There are, to my knowledge, no thermal providers in Toronto. (Why on earth that is, I don't know. I would think that Canada would be all over thermal as a technology. Perhaps it's because until recently thermal has most commonly used in residential settings not for bed bugs but for drywood termites which I think are not a problem in Canada. As far as I know, even folks in the Pacific Northwest of the US don't have access to thermal. Here in hot, dry southern California, where we have an epic termite problem, thermal is more accessible than in other regions.)
I can tell you this much; the creator of the Packtite frequents the boards here. You might find a post that he's replied to and drop him a private message to see if getting Canadian approval is in the works or not. I don't know anything about how long that process would take or how expensive it would be, but it may also be the case that if he gets enough requests, he would look into the approval process. He's been very good about responding to questions about his product.
On the upside, y'all have Tim's, which I can attest has the best doughnuts ever. I tried them at a US location and they were vastly inferior. I realize that's little consolation right now, as the bed bugs have no interest in Timbits, but, well, I wouldn't blame the bugs if they moved there for that. :-)
And I think I remember seeing someone from Canada figuring out a work around for getting a Packtite north of the border somehow. Not that I'm advocating breaking the law, mind you. Just pointing out that I think someone did it before. (I suspect it wouldn't be unlike my uncle's work around for getting cases of wine shipped from California wineries to his place in Massachusetts, wherein he ships the box to someone in a state that allows such deliveries and then has that person send it along to my uncle. Massachusetts has or used to have some rule about not being able to ship alcohol by the case or something, I think. I just remember his face lighting up when it occurred to him that I have a California address that he could use. Ah the joys of family.)
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There may be other thermal providers in Canada who simply did not come under our radar. It's worth looking into.
Packtite should work for fabrics as others noted.
DDVP strips in bags might be an option (not my area of expertise so I do not recommend it / do research and use with caution).
I don't think you should rely on them making contact with DE in a bag, even if it was used in a safe manner. They have to walk through it, which is not true of the other methods I mention.
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buggyinsocal could you or anyone else in the know let me know the name of the Packtite creator on the forums? I will defintely send him a PM! That would be great :) I've never heard of anyone dealing with termites here but as I know many people are completely unaware of the bb problem, that is probably not indicative of lack of problem lol
I was considering asking my parents to drive down over the border as they often do and *ahem* pick one up. It's frustrating, I can understand the chemical based treatments not being available in Canada yet but the Packtite seems like something that would have less of an issue being approved. Then again, I don't know what the criterion for testing it. *pulls out hair*
Timmys, ah.. One can escape from their apartment 24 hours a day and bask in the timbitty goodness and fog of coffee smells. Unfortunately I am stuck with green tea to avoid a fatal allergic reaction but enjoy living vicariously through my best friends:)
Thanks everyone for the advice. I will not be using DE with the fabric. I'm going to do more research into thermal heating and see if I can find a more viable Canadian solution.
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