WWYD? Throw out the luggage?

[Shay]

My dh is traveling in Europe and sent me this email :

 

"Just got to hotel in _____. Expensive to use phone. Scheduled to get home at 5:30pm. Thursday. My hotel in ____ had bed bugs."

 

Me: " Do NOT bring them home with you!!"

 

"Trust me, I did everything I could to not. It was an expensive Radisson hotel ($300/night ) that looked new and clean. I woke up at 2am and could feel the bugs crawling on me. I turned the light on and they were all in the bed but they ran for cover when the lights came on. I've got pictures. I took a shower and got a new room but couldn't sleep afterwards."

 

Okay, I'm trying hard to not freak out and instead remain rational, but....

 

Should I throw away his luggage when he gets home? I'd rather buy a new suitcase than risk bedbug infestation (not to mention lost sleep worrying/thinking they are here).

 

SHay

 

 

 

[LibraryLover]

Oh. My. G

[Mejane]

You could try this:

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_5692141_kill-bed-bugs-luggage.html

 

I don't know what I'd do though - yuck!

[Perry]

Should I throw away his luggage when he gets home? I'd rather buy a new suitcase than risk bedbug infestation (not to mention lost sleep worrying/thinking they are here).

 

SHay

 

 

I would. Yuk.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I wonder if you can seal them up in plastic bags and leave them until the bugs to die? I know that's supposed to work with lice, but I have no idea about bed bugs.

 

In any case, the suitcases would not cross the threshold. I'd leave them outside, and every single clothing item in the suitcase would go straight into a hot wash/dry cycle! In fact, I think I'd take the whole thing to the laundromat and wash them there.

Edited October 27, 2010 by LemonPie

[Farrar]

We stayed somewhere once that had them. We laundered all our clothes at a laundry there and washed ourselves pretty well too. This was several years ago before all the scares about them so that was all we did. I think if it was now, I would have thrown out the luggage because I've heard so many horror stories. But for us, it worked out fine. They didn't come home with us and all was well.

[RoughCollie]

In any case, the suitcases would not cross the threshold. I'd leave them outside, and every single clothing item in the suitcase would go straight into a hot wash/dry cycle! In fact, I think I'd take the whole thing to the laundromat and wash them there.

 

 

:iagree: This is what I would do. I don't know what you would do about the clothing your husband is wearing, though.

[Shay]

Yes, I believe that if he will agree, we'll ditch the thing. I'd never thought about him throwing it out there before he flies home. Of course, he has his laptop that he cannot do that with. I can even justify throwing out his clothes as well. In my mind, it would be cheaper that what an infestation would cost to (hopefully) get rid of.

[Shay]

:iagree: This is what I would do. I don't know what you would do about the clothing your husband is wearing, though.

 

LOL! I'll have him strip off before he enters the house and run in to the shower! We live out in the country and I can burn the clothing that he strips off.........

 

I needed a laugh!

[Jennifer in MI]

Thank goodness he told you!

 

What I would do:

 

1. Have dh strip at the door. Luggage stays OUTSIDE!!!!

2. Dh showers.

3. Take all clothes from luggage (outside) and put them in a plastic bag.

4. Wash clothes and dry them. Don't take clothes out of the bag until you are ready to wash them. I think I read that they need to be dried for an hour to kill any eggs.

5. Leave luggage outside. Look up at what temperature bed bugs die (cold or hot depending on your location). I forget the actual temperatures, but I remember thinking that my luggage could be kept in the trunk in the summer and it would kill anything.

6. PRAY!!!!!

 

I feel SO bad for your dh.

[Perry]

Yes, I believe that if he will agree, we'll ditch the thing. I'd never thought about him throwing it out there before he flies home. Of course, he has his laptop that he cannot do that with. I can even justify throwing out his clothes as well. In my mind, it would be cheaper that what an infestation would cost to (hopefully) get rid of.

As long as the clothes are washed in hot water and go through the hot dryer, they should be okay. I'd put everything in a plastic bag outside the house and wash it right away or take it to the laundromat. But since you can't wash the luggage, I'd toss it. Bedbugs can live months to years without eating, so I wouldn't take the chance with the luggage.

[danivdp]

Ew. Will the Radisson not replace the luggage? I'd write them an email like this:

 

"Hi, I encountered bedbugs when I was in XX hotel and the staff there was great and got me a new room quickly. However, my wife was only able to properly treat my clothes to avoid a bedbug infestation in our house, can you please replace the luggage that I had to dispose of?"

[Jennifer in MI]

Found some info at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp

 

 

reatment Procedures. Infested and infestation-prone bedding and garments will need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum) since these items cannot be treated with insecticides. Another effective and efficient option is to place clothing, toys, shoes, backpacks, etc., in a clothes dryer set at medium to high heat for 10 to 20 minutes. This will kill all bed bug life stages and can be done alone or in conjunction with laundering. According to textile experts at the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (Laurel, MD), most garments designated as ‘dry-clean only’ (e.g., cotton, wool, silk, linen, rayon, nylon, poly blends) will not be harmed provided they are dry before being placed in a clothes dryer at moderate (less than 160?F) settings. While dry cleaning procedures also kill bed bugs, there is risk of infesting the establishment when buggy items are de-bagged, tagged and sorted.

 

Items which cannot be put in a washer or dryer can sometimes be de-infested by wrapping in plastic and placing them outdoors in a hot, sunny location, closed vehicle, etc. for at least a day. If this method is attempted, packing fewer items per bag makes it harder for the bugs to find cooler places to hide. Monitoring with a thermometer is prudent, with a target internal temperature of at least 120°F. Bed bugs also will succumb to cold temperatures below 32°F, but the freezing temperatures must be maintained for several days. Consequently, throughout much of the country, heating tends to be a faster, more reliable option than chilling. Attempts to rid an entire dwelling of bed bugs by raising or lowering the thermostat will be unsuccessful, although some companies are having success using supplemental heaters.

 

So, if it's going to be freezing at your house, you can store the bag outside for a few days and any bugs would be dead. I think I'd prefer the heat method though!!!

[Garga]

Bed Bug Woman here to save the day!!!

 

 

I'm the one who had the bed bugs. (you can search for my other threads about it.) In fact, my Ninja Bug Guy exterminator just came today to double check that his treatments worked (he comes out 5 more times after the initial treatment to check, because bed bugs are notorious for hiding their eggs from the exterminator, and then coming back a month after you think they're gone.)

 

Total money out treating the bedbugs: $1000.00 (and that was with the bug guy charging me half his fee. If he'd charged the full amt, it would have been $1700). It's cheaper to get rid of the luggage.

 

 

The thing is, you don't really want the luggage in your car. If the bugs get in your car, then you'll just bring them in the house anyway. The problem is that your dh probably needs his luggage to take on the plane (which means he might be infesting the plane with the bugs.)

 

If possible, the best thing would be for him to put all his stuff in big black plastic trash bags and ditch the luggage before leaving the hotel. But if he can't do that, here's what I would do:

 

1. Have a towel ready for dh when he gets home. He'll need to strip out of his clothes outside the door because you don't want his clothes in the house.

 

As soon as Dh gets in, he'll head straight for the shower.

 

2. Take his bagged stuff to the LAUNDROMAT. You CANNOT get the high enough temperatures to kill the bugs at home. (Trust me, I spent over $100 on washing all my clothes at the laundromat. If there was any way around this, I'd have taken it.)

 

3. Wash the clothes in hot water. (Yes, some of my stuff shrunk, but it's better than dealing w/ the bugs later.)

 

4. IMPORTANT: Dry the clothes on high. You need to have the dryer at 120 degrees for at least 20 minutes to kill any bugs/eggs.

 

5. Ditch the luggage. Put it in big plastic bags so that someone else doesn't take it and you end up passing on this problem.

 

6. Visually inspect the toiletries and wash them (bottles of shampoo.)

 

 

 

Since I've just lived through this (in fact, my big project today is putting everything back in my bedroom, we've been living out of black plastic bags for 4 weeks now), I would take this VERY SERIOUSLY. My dh brought home the bugs when he was in a hotel room with bed bugs. We thought we'd inspected the luggage properly, but I guess we didn't.

 

 

Lastly, you'll need to check for bedbug droppings on your mattress (look between the mattresses--they're little black dots of your dried blood that they poo out) for the next couple of months. If you do get them, you want to treat for them ASAP. My Ninja Bug Guy today told me that my home looked great--no sign of the bugs (he usually says he has to treat a few times to get rid of them). He said it probably helped that I bought a mattress bag (2 of them at $90 each for each mattress.) He said they were probably somewhere in the mattress and are now zipped in there and will die (if they're not already dead.) And he said that we caught the infestation fast. (If it was a big infestation, he'd have charged me the full amount--it can be up to $2000 or 3000 in some places.)

[Shay]

Found some info at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp

 

 

reatment Procedures. Infested and infestation-prone bedding and garments will need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum) since these items cannot be treated with insecticides. Another effective and efficient option is to place clothing, toys, shoes, backpacks, etc., in a clothes dryer set at medium to high heat for 10 to 20 minutes. This will kill all bed bug life stages and can be done alone or in conjunction with laundering. According to textile experts at the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (Laurel, MD), most garments designated as ‘dry-clean only’ (e.g., cotton, wool, silk, linen, rayon, nylon, poly blends) will not be harmed provided they are dry before being placed in a clothes dryer at moderate (less than 160?F) settings. While dry cleaning procedures also kill bed bugs, there is risk of infesting the establishment when buggy items are de-bagged, tagged and sorted.

 

Items which cannot be put in a washer or dryer can sometimes be de-infested by wrapping in plastic and placing them outdoors in a hot, sunny location, closed vehicle, etc. for at least a day. If this method is attempted, packing fewer items per bag makes it harder for the bugs to find cooler places to hide. Monitoring with a thermometer is prudent, with a target internal temperature of at least 120°F. Bed bugs also will succumb to cold temperatures below 32°F, but the freezing temperatures must be maintained for several days. Consequently, throughout much of the country, heating tends to be a faster, more reliable option than chilling. Attempts to rid an entire dwelling of bed bugs by raising or lowering the thermostat will be unsuccessful, although some companies are having success using supplemental heaters.

 

So, if it's going to be freezing at your house, you can store the bag outside for a few days and any bugs would be dead. I think I'd prefer the heat method though!!!

 

Not a chance of freezing weather. That was interesting info. you provided..thanks! He's a clean freak, and I think he'll likely be genuinely concerned about bringing them home. Poor thing!

[Garga]

 

So, if it's going to be freezing at your house, you can store the bag outside for a few days and any bugs would be dead. I think I'd prefer the heat method though!!!

 

Ninja Bug Guy said that this is not a reliable way to get rid of them. They can go into a hibernation mode and outlast the cold. If you can keep them below 0 for three days, that'll do it. But above that and it's iffy.

 

The other ideas online about using petroleum jelly or double sided tape on your bed legs aren't good either. If you search a little further online, there are lots of people who say they tried those methods and the bugs went right through the jelly or tape.

 

Some of the advice about getting rid of the bugs seems more like wishful thinking rather than effective measures.

 

They can also live for up to a year w/o eating, so you can't just keep stuff bagged for a month or two and hope they die. They might not die for a year.

 

 

I am sorry to hear about this for you, but if you're quick and resolved, you can handle this. Hopefully your dh will take this seriously. My dh didn't, and here we are...out $1000 and living the hassle of cleaning out our bedroom and having to wash all our stuff.

[Shay]

Bed Bug Woman here to save the day!!!

 

 

I'm the one who had the bed bugs. (you can search for my other threads about it.) In fact, my Ninja Bug Guy exterminator just came today to double check that his treatments worked (he comes out 5 more times after the initial treatment to check, because bed bugs are notorious for hiding their eggs from the exterminator, and then coming back a month after you think they're gone.)

 

Total money out treating the bedbugs: $1000.00 (and that was with the bug guy charging me half his fee. If he'd charged the full amt, it would have been $1700). It's cheaper to get rid of the luggage.

 

 

The thing is, you don't really want the luggage in your car. If the bugs get in your car, then you'll just bring them in the house anyway. The problem is that your dh probably needs his luggage to take on the plane (which means he might be infesting the plane with the bugs.)

 

If possible, the best thing would be for him to put all his stuff in big black plastic trash bags and ditch the luggage before leaving the hotel. But if he can't do that, here's what I would do:

 

1. Have a towel ready for dh when he gets home. He'll need to strip out of his clothes outside the door because you don't want his clothes in the house.

 

As soon as Dh gets in, he'll head straight for the shower.

 

2. Take his bagged stuff to the LAUNDROMAT. You CANNOT get the high enough temperatures to kill the bugs at home. (Trust me, I spent over $100 on washing all my clothes at the laundromat. If there was any way around this, I'd have taken it.)

 

3. Wash the clothes in hot water. (Yes, some of my stuff shrunk, but it's better than dealing w/ the bugs later.)

 

4. IMPORTANT: Dry the clothes on high. You need to have the dryer at 120 degrees for at least 20 minutes to kill any bugs/eggs.

 

5. Ditch the luggage. Put it in big plastic bags so that someone else doesn't take it and you end up passing on this problem.

 

6. Visually inspect the toiletries and wash them (bottles of shampoo.)

 

 

 

Since I've just lived through this (in fact, my big project today is putting everything back in my bedroom, we've been living out of black plastic bags for 4 weeks now), I would take this VERY SERIOUSLY. My dh brought home the bugs when he was in a hotel room with bed bugs. We thought we'd inspected the luggage properly, but I guess we didn't.

 

 

Lastly, you'll need to check for bedbug droppings on your mattress (look between the mattresses--they're little black dots of your dried blood that they poo out) for the next couple of months. If you do get them, you want to treat for them ASAP. My Ninja Bug Guy today told me that my home looked great--no sign of the bugs (he usually says he has to treat a few times to get rid of them). He said it probably helped that I bought a mattress bag (2 of them at $90 each for each mattress.) He said they were probably somewhere in the mattress and are now zipped in there and will die (if they're not already dead.) And he said that we caught the infestation fast. (If it was a big infestation, he'd have charged me the full amount--it can be up to $2000 or 3000 in some places.)

 

All very helpful info...I've skimmed and will come back to it later, but must go to get the kids now. He has a truck, so the luggage can go back there (if he even brings it home, which I doubt).

[eternalknot]

I travel for work, and stay in a variety of hotels hundreds of nights each year. Plus, we travel a lot as a family.

 

It's an unfortunate thing that so many think bedbugs only happen at dive hotels. With so much international travel these days, you'll find them even in higher end accommodations. It's so disgusting, isn't it??! Ick!!

 

I had bedbugs at one hotel, and they gave me a new room -- but like your husband, I couldn't sleep the rest of the night. Psychologically I needed to leave the lights on and covers off, and I was a wreck at work the next day. It actually took me several weeks before I could sleep soundly at ANY hotel. It didn't help that the hotel staff at the infested hotel was so non-chalant when I told them (and showed them a bug I had caught). I also slept restlessly at home because I was paranoid I had brought them back with me. Hopefully you guys aren't as mentally creeped out as I was because it was a long, cranky coupla months!

 

There have been threads here about bedbugs, do a quick search and see what others have already mentioned as tips and how to deal with. One thing I do EVERY NIGHT at a hotel, is to leave my laptop turned on, right next to the bed. It gets hot, and the bugs are attracted to the warmth. I eat downstairs, or take a shower or something then do a quick check before I even unpack. Remember bedbugs can hide anywhere, not just the bed. Always keep your suitcase closed and zipped up when not actively getting something out of it. I don't even pack my suitcase in my bedroom, my suitcase NEVER goes inside the living areas of my home. Eww, don't want to chance it!

 

::shudder:: Sorry y'all are dealing with this. I like the laundromat idea, and tossing the suitcase now. He can buy an inexpensive tote bag -- even at the airport -- maybe a cheapo backpack to bring home his laptop and essentials. I never would have thought to write the Radisson and ask for reimbursement, but that's a fabulous idea. Especially if he has a corporate account and/or is a regular traveler for work.

[Garga]

Oh--I just noticed that you said he took his laptop. That might be bad news. They like to hide in electronic devices. Not sure what to tell you about that.

[In2why]

I would throw the luggage away. Bedbugs can lie dormant for 18 months, so sealing it won't work. Have him put ALL of his clothes in the dryer on high. That should kill them. I am freaked out about bedbugs since we stay at hotels. One suggestion to anyone staying at a hotel is to keep their luggage near the door, because the begs come out to feed in the middle of the night and then go back into hiding. If your luggage is on, under, or next to the bed you are more likely to bring them home. They are lazy, so they won't get to your luggage if it isn't near their habitat.

[abbeyej]

I wonder if you can seal them up in plastic bags and leave them until the bugs to die? I know that's supposed to work with lice, but I have no idea about bed bugs.

 

This will NOT work for bed bugs! Lice can't live more than a few hours without a human host, so bagging things up for 3 days works. Bed bugs can lie dormant for YEARS.

[MBM]

What about placing the luggage into a large plastic bag, sealing it, and then sticking the nozzle of a hair dryer set on hot inside? They need to be heated for a period of time at a certain temp to die, right?

I imagine airlplanes have bedbugs. I wonder how they deal with them? Fumigation?

[KidsHappen]

My hubby had a conversation with the Orkin man today but he says he didn't learn much.

 

PS: Bedbugregistry.com

[mcconnellboys]

Yes, I would! But I'd also be afraid there are bugs or eggs in his clothes, too....

[Rebecca VA]

Yes, I would ditch the luggage. I've read that bed bugs can go for up to a year without a blood meal.

[lovetobehome]

Ok, I am largely ignorant to the BB problem. My hubby travels often and is in hotels regularly. He has told me he has seen them before. He always checks now. I guess I better read up on this! YUCK!!!!

Edited October 28, 2010 by lovetobehome

[plansrme]

Oh--I just noticed that you said he took his laptop. That might be bad news. They like to hide in electronic devices. Not sure what to tell you about that.

 

I don't know squat about bedbugs, but I was going to mention this as well. I moved from one college apt. to another once and brought my answering machine (remember those?) with me. For some reason, I had to open up the innards of the answering machine right after moving, and roaches crawled out. I have been highly suspicious of electronics ever since. I had not seen roaches in the old apartment--the few that I had apparently found their way to the answering machine.

 

I don't know how to de-bug a computer, but I would sure try to figure it out.

 

Terri

[JennyD]

Do you have a shed or someplace outside where you could store the luggage long-term? If I could bag it and store for 18 months, that's what I'd do. You 'd still have to buy new luggage to use now, but at least you'd eventually have your old luggage back again too.

 

We also had bedbugs a while back -- I brought them home from the hospital after giving birth to #2. I wholeheartedly agree with the advice to have DH strip outside and then immediately bag the clothes to be taken to a laundromat.

[Murphy101]

I'd toss it all. And tell dh to take a scalding shower asap.

 

For the electronics.. I wonder if you could spray a bug killer into a huge ziplock and put the laptop in it? Leave it in there for the weekend maybe?

 

Shudder. Itching just thinking about it.

 

Dh travels somewhat frequently and was just saying he wants us to go out of town for a weekend. Ick. No thanks.

[Laurie4b]

Why don't you ask dh to take care of the problem while he's there?

 

1. Ask hotel to replace luggage.

2. Dh takes clothes to laudromat and does the super hot wash/dry stuff. Hotel pays bill (or have the hotel send them out for laundering if you would trust them)

[Pink Fairy]

Why don't you ask dh to take care of the problem while he's there?

 

1. Ask hotel to replace luggage.

2. Dh takes clothes to laudromat and does the super hot wash/dry stuff. Hotel pays bill (or have the hotel send them out for laundering if you would trust them)

 

That is an awesome idea! I'd give this a try, especially the luggage replacement.

[Sparkle]

:iagree: That's what I was thinking too. Have him hit the laundromat, toss the luggage and buy a new suitcase.

[Shay]

Well, when I emailed him saying I'd like him to get rid of the luggage before he comes home, dh truly surpised me by saying " I think you are overreacting. My suitcase was not in contact with the bed....."

 

His luggage isn't expensive, he just prides himself on being calm, cool, and collected about things. Instead of a kiss and "I'm glad you are home, honey," it will be a different scene when he drives up.

[specialmama]

Well, when I emailed him saying I'd like him to get rid of the luggage before he comes home, dh truly surpised me by saying " I think you are overreacting. My suitcase was not in contact with the bed....."

 

His luggage isn't expensive, he just prides himself on being calm, cool, and collected about things. Instead of a kiss and "I'm glad you are home, honey," it will be a different scene when he drives up.

 

Alrightee-oh. So plan B.

How about you find a YMCA or gym somewhere between the airport and home and bring new toiletries and a fresh change of clothes and several large garbage bags. Ask him to just humor you and meet you in the parking lot of this place, he can go in for a shower and change his clothes there. Would he humor you on that one? For his wife's peace of mind?

[Sun]

IMPORTANT!!!!! Get some super large garbage bags. Meet him at the airport with them, and put the suitcases inside them. You do not want them in your car unbagged. He would ideally have all his clothes sorted into separate bags within the suitcase for ease of washing. Make sure that after dumping any bags of clothing into the washer that you immediately dispose of the bags that contained them outside of your house.

 

You can buy something called a pack-tite to heat treat things like suitcases (or library books...). I don't know how often he travels, but if it's often, that might be something you want to look into.

[Laurie4b]

Well, when I emailed him saying I'd like him to get rid of the luggage before he comes home, dh truly surpised me by saying " I think you are overreacting. My suitcase was not in contact with the bed....."

 

His luggage isn't expensive, he just prides himself on being calm, cool, and collected about things. Instead of a kiss and "I'm glad you are home, honey," it will be a different scene when he drives up.

 

Hoo-boy. Would Pascal's wager work?

 

If there aren't any bedbugs and you discard your suitcase, do your clothes, etc. you lose your pride at being calm, cool, collected, and some time spent laundering.

 

If there are bedbugs in your luggage, you lose your pride at having been calm, cool, collected when you should have taken action, at least $1000 in cleaning expenses, multiples of the time it would have taken to visit the London laudromat, and your wife's good graces....

[mirth]

; 

 

[vonfirmath]

My hubby had a conversation with the Orkin man today but he says he didn't learn much.

 

PS: Bedbugregistry.com

 

Do what with that PS? don't go to any of those places?

[QuirkyKapers]

Why don't you ask dh to take care of the problem while he's there?

 

1. Ask hotel to replace luggage.

2. Dh takes clothes to laudromat and does the super hot wash/dry stuff. Hotel pays bill (or have the hotel send them out for laundering if you would trust them)

 

:iagree: I was thinking the same thing. Try and take care of the problem there! Not sure what to think about the laptop......

[G5052]

The tightwad in me wouldn't throw out a perfectly good suitcase that can be treated.

 

We stayed at an expensive hotel in July when DH was having surgery, and found them on us the morning. Thankfully the suitcase was on the dresser and zipped close, so we put on clothes from the suitcase and put everything else into the garbage bags. When we got home, I put the bags outside in the shed with Nuvan Prostrip inside each that a friend gave me. After I week, I washed everything and left the suitcase open and in the sun for several days during a very hot spell here.

 

No sign of any yet! We probably could have done more, but I think I did OK.

 

P.S. The hotel refused to admit that we got them there, and we decided to just drop it and focus on DH's recovery. He had two more surgeries, and we just left the house at 4:00am and came home very late rather than deal with bedbugs.

Edited October 28, 2010 by GVA

[tex-mex]

LOL! I'll have him strip off before he enters the house and run in to the shower! We live out in the country and I can burn the clothing that he strips off.........

 

I needed a laugh!

;)

[Shay]

Hoo-boy. Would Pascal's wager work?

 

If there aren't any bedbugs and you discard your suitcase, do your clothes, etc. you lose your pride at being calm, cool, collected, and some time spent laundering.

 

If there are bedbugs in your luggage, you lose your pride at having been calm, cool, collected when you should have taken action, at least $1000 in cleaning expenses, multiples of the time it would have taken to visit the London laudromat, and your wife's good graces....

 

Laurie4b,

 

Gotcha. You and I think exactly alike on the issue. Unfortunately, that Y chromosome makes men so different! Problem is -- he is usually (understandably) cranky when he has jetlag (add to that missed sleep while in Europe). In addition, a few hours ago I was shocked to learn that a friend of my dh passed away suddenly. So at the moment, this issue seems tiny, KWIM?

 

Normally dh and I agre on things and live peacefully. But, I've decided this is a hill I'm ready to die on. The luggage and clothes aren't coming back into our house. I'm so creeped out at the possibility of the bedbugs and the loss of peace of mind about it.