Question by Ralph:
How to disinfect objects from bedbugs? What to take with you after moving out of a (possibly) infested place?
My roommate said she saw a single bedbug in her room a few weeks ago. Exterminators came in the next day and sprayed our apartment and looked in my room, too, for any bedbug evidence but could not find any. I was fine with that and went on with my daily life. Last week, I woke up one morning and noticed a couple of strange mosquito-like bites. I immediately panicked and assumed that they were bedbugs. I have not slept in the apartment since and after exhaustive searches for bedbugs in my room (behind light switch covers, shelves, mattress seams, etc — with a flashlight in the dark) I can still find no evidence…no droppings or anything. But anyway, I’m still going to be moving out ASAP. I would like to know what stuff I should throw away and what to take with me. The mattress and bed linens will be thrown out obviously. But what about the rest of my stuff? My desk (wood)? Lamps (metal)? Shelf (metal)? DVDs? Will clothes be alright if washed with hot water? Any help, insight or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Best answer:
Answer by Genius Gene
RELAX…
Its just a bed bug!! It can never kill you!
Since you are bed bug -phobic, you may throw the mattress.
You may keep all metal articles and wood too. Spray all the corners with disinfectants.
Keep all your cloths and bed linens in boiling hot water for about 15 minutes and then wash with detergents. Dry them in the Sun.
DVDs????? well u can safely keep them!
Hope this helps!
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Well exterminators are certainly having a hay day with the re emergence of bedbugs that seem to be resistant to DDT-seems now to make them more viable and reproductive-and all insecticides commonly in use. There are methods to get rid of bedbugs, washing will kill them, but subsequent drying in a hot dryer will kill eggs and all. While bedbugs could hitch a ride on most anything, not likely, My desk (wood)? Lamps (metal)? Shelf (metal)? DVDs, Evidence that bites are indeed bedbugs, they feed on on your veins in a linear fashion, if the bites are in a line you might not see the vein but they will follow it for a series of bites. In my first reference source you will find a reference to recently tried methods -diatomaceous earth is a product you could use in a mixture and it’s use commercially is currently under a patient with petroleum distillates , being an organic person, this product wouldn’t be my favorite. However if it’s use is followed, I would say it is the only absolutely commercially available product you could buy that following it’s instructions would eliminate bedbugs. All your bedding , and linens when washed and dry will be free of and live infest ion of bedbugs or any eggs able to hatch, so don’t throw them away. Pillows, mattresses etc would almost have to be in cased in a sort of gas chamber, using co2 levels with Equipment in one greenhouse source , this is only an option for someone interested reading this. I have no ideal if this Equipment would be available at the source of co2 purchase , on a renting basis.
Any way don’t through away the linens and pillow cases they are easily debugged, the dryer.