<p>My daughter received a call at work today from her apartment complex; it seems an apartment with a common wall with her has bedbugs. While the management would not tell her which unit, they did say it wasn’t on her floor; that leaves the unit one floor above her or one floor below her. She was told to prepare her unit for inspection and possible treatment this Saturday, by washing all linens and clothing in hot water; I am not exactly sure where she is suppose to put the clean items in the meantime. I think she said she would have to be out of the unit for 6 hours, so I would assume they are treating it in some fashion.</p>
<p>If my daughter does not have bedbugs in her unit, does she still really have to have all her clothes cleaned? Who is responsible for the cost of this cleaning? She has a large amount of clothes, many work and winter items are dry clean only. Could she just seal all the clothing in a plastic bag for a time period like you do with stuffed items with a lice outbreak?</p>
<p>Any suggestions here? My daughter is actually moving out of this apartment in 10 days, so it stinks that she might have to go through all of this now, although I don’t want her to take any bedbugs with her to the new place.</p>
<p>I would have her ask her landlord these questions. You can also call vector control in your department of health to get some answers as well. Please post what you learn. Have fortunately not had personal experience with bedbugs but have greatly sympathized with those who have.</p>
<p>She absolutely needs to follow the instructions that she is given! We just finished an awful bout of bb treatments with D who spent summer in college town. After she finishes the laundry stuff, she should put all clothes in large plastic bags and seal them. Do the same with books, shoes, whatever is in her bedroom. She doesn’t have to throw stuff away but she should vacuum everything very well and then throw away the vacuum bag immediately. </p>
<p>It is my feeling (fear) that this will be the situation in so many apartments and dorms now that school is reopening. In NYC is is a HUGE problem and it is a big problem in many other places. Going to get worse… It is awful. :(</p>
<p>The whole bedbug thing is disgusting. I thought NYC cockaroaches were gross but these bedbugs are on an equal line. They need to come up with something that kills them.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about this…very scary. Bedbugs are awful. I got a bunch of bites from a hotel room in NY last year. Worried for weeks that I brought them home. I threw out my suitcase and ALL of my bedding. Got a settlement from the hotel’s insurance company. </p>
<p>Your D should follow the instructions if she can. They may be in her unit and she may not be someone who reacts to bites (1/3 of us show no signs). Assuming she wants guests at some point…she should take precautions to prevent any “hitchhikers”. But honestly, washing all of her clothes in hot water may not be practical. One thing she might consider. Put all of her clothes and items in large black plastic bags and store them in her car…in the full sun…for a couple of days. Bed bugs are killed by high heat. </p>
<p>I just read an article about this–the problem is that the chemicals that will kill bedbugs aren’t all that safe (like DDT). Since bedbugs don’t really carry disease, government authorities won’t allow risky chemicals to be used in living environments. They can be killed with high heat.</p>
<p>The evidence that DDT is harmful to humans, birds, and other vertebrate animals is questionable at best. I had an entomology professor in the 70s who used to put a spoonful in his coffee and drink it before he lectured about it.</p>
<p>^
ahhh yes. DDT was banned because it caused weak shells in the eggs of birds, hence brought some close to extinction. was not “banned” because it’s harmful to humans.</p>
<p>BTW - it works great on mosquitos and does wonders in controlling malaria.</p>
<p>My son had a terrible attack of bedbugs and subsequent allergic reaction at a New York hostel last year, and we had to treat our home to make sure we didn’t bring them back.
Yes, the hot sun/plastic bag trick is supposed to work.
In addition, we used a steamer to steam clean and changed sheets to white (for easier inspection) and then treated everything with an enzyme solution called Kleen Free. You can buy it online and it is an environmentally-friendly treatment.</p>
<p>And re: DDT in coffee, whether we know it or not, the evidence would suggest we are ALL drinking DDT in our coffee, as it is still widely used in that industry and other countries ;)</p>
<p>^^So, being curious, I must ask: in your opinion, is the increasing population of eagles, cranes, etc. since the outlawing of DDT purely coincidence? I am not being facetious. I know that correlation does not prove causation.</p>
<p>I am on the fringe that thinks that chemicals should not be used until they are proven to be safe, as opposed to those who believe that chemicals can be used until they are proven to be unsafe. Then there are the questions of cumulative effects…</p>
<p>I just heard on the radio that Philly (my town) is #2 on the list of bed bug infestations. Ny is #1. Detroit #2. Courtesy of Terminix - who love what’s happening of course. </p>
<p>There are dog sniffing bed bugs now. And guys with big trucks who load all your furniture and clothing in it and then blast them with searing heat. </p>
<p>Back to the OP. It’s better to be a bit paranoid and to do what you can to make sure you don’t carry those little buggers out. I would stay away from chemicals though. Heat works - just go with it.</p>
<p>Clothes in black plastic bags sitting in the sun will get really hot. Even better add a few mothballs. DDT has long since been replaced with permethrin. Raid fumigators release a permethrin fog which hangs in the air for hours and penetrates distant cracks.</p>
<p>D spent a couple of months in a developing nation this summer. She was invited to dinner with a family a few miles away from her home. She was on foot, since there are no cars or bikes in this place, and the dinner invitation turned into an over night. She ended up sleeping in their “guest bed”, and woke up the next morning with…you guessed it…bed bug bites. Watch for the “breakfast, lunch and dinner” sign: 3 bites clustered together. </p>
<p>I emailed her the instructions found online to bag all of her clothes and bed linens, and place them in the sun. Luckily, she had lots of black plastic bags and the sun was shining! She also boiled whatever clothing she could. This seemed to take care of things. Anecdotally, a friend who travels a lot said to put a flea collar in a sock in the bottom of the bed as an emergency measure if you have to sleep in a place where you think there might be bed bugs. Would love to know if this is wise…D did it for the month following this episode, and threw it in the bag with some of her stuff from time to time!</p>
<p>Many of our college-age kids go on these fabulous international summer experiences, but what a nightmare to wake up with an infestation! I’d love more information on what to do if you are simply in a place where you can’t avoid exposure. She was in a place with no fumigator, no store with Raid, no vacuum cleaner, and no alternative mattress!</p>
(sorry Toneranger, couldn’t resist.)</p>