Question by dragonrain11:
How to make sure I don’t bring the bed bugs home with me!?
Ok so I was staying at a friends house for a few weeks and we found out that her apartment has bed bugs! Her landlord is going to treat her apartment building which is good for her, but I’m leaving to go back home soon and I deffinatly do not want to bring any unwelcome buggy guests home with me! I know they can hide in your clothing and such – what are things I can do to make sure I don’t accidently infest my apartment with the bugs?
Best answer:
Answer by ♥ Jonas_ Lover ♥ (Joe and Nick)
Check your clothes before you go home
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On your way home wash all of your clothing at the laundry mat so they won’t go in your house infested with bugs. You are gonna have to put your clean clothes in a clean brand new plastic bag or luggage after washing.
When you get home take a shower. Keep your infested luggage or bag that had the dirty clothes in it outside and away from your clean stuff. Wash that or place it is a large plastic bag so air can’t get in and after a few days the bugs will die.
Many people may want to discard all luggage and clothing after discovering an infestation, but this is unnecessary. The key is to contain all items suspected of carrying bed bugs in plastic bags until the items can be laundered, washed by hand, heated, or frozen.
Before leaving the infested site, anything that can be laundered should be sorted and placed in plastic bags. Separate the laundry as you would if you were normally laundering items, specifically: light colored clothes from dark items; delicate items from items that can be laundered on wash / dry regular cycles; and finally, dry cleanable items. Separating the clothing permits easy loading of the washing machine and you can avoid escaping bed bugs as you try to sort the laundry at home.
When washing, set the washer and dryer for the hottest setting that the fabric can withstand. If you need to use a dry cleaning service, mention to them that the items may have bed bugs and they can keep the articles in the plastic bags until just before loading into the machines.
Suitcases and other items that cannot be placed into a washing machine should be carefully inspected, and if bed bugs are found (or you are not sure) place them into plastic bags, as well. Suitcases may be hand-washed. If hand-washing any items, use soapy water and make sure that the hottest water possible is used. Test the item to make sure it will not be affected by the hot water. A target temperature of 100°Fto 120°F should be sufficient. Use a scrub brush along the seams and folds.
Items that cannot be washed may be heated or frozen. Currently, research is being conducted to determine the most effective thermal conditions for killing bed bugs, while not damaging materials. However, based on related research, a two-hour core exposure at 120°F (45°C) should be considered a minimum target temperature for heat treatments. For freezing, a minimum of 23°F (-5°C) must be maintained for at least 5 days. As the temperature is decreased, the time of exposure is shortened. For instance, the articles could be “flash frozen,” resulting in a very short time of exposure, but the target temperature should be -15°F (-26°C), the conditions required to instantly freeze the eggs. Keep in mind that most household freezers will have varying temperatures between 30°F and 20°F, and a 2-week freeze time is recommended if you are uncertain of the freezer temperatures.
Remember, if heating or freezing conditions are used, remember that these adverse conditions must reach the core of the articles being treated.