Possible bedbugs, advice needed

[Teresa in MO]

My dh called and he is on his way home after being out of town with work the past two days. He told me that he noticed a small bug on his sleeve this morning and a couple on his pillow in his hotel room. He looked at the mattress and didn't see anything. What precautions should we take when he comes home?

[LucyStoner]

Honestly? Have him change his clothes in the garage and then bag everything he came home with (clothes, luggage). Wait a bit and wash and dry.

 

I used to work in social services. We would get bed bugs in the furniture. I walked straight through the garage on the way home when we were having an outbreak and change out of my work clothes there. Never had an issue at home. Unlike some of my coworkers. It may seem silly to be this careful but it you have fought bed bugs in your mattress nothing seems too silly or careful.

[gingersmom]

I wouldn't let him in the house.  :001_smile:

 

The garage is too close to the house for me. I would leave everything in the backyard for several weeks. Throw away the luggage. 

 

My mother had bedbugs and had to move out of her apartment for a month. 

[Teresa in MO]

ok, I checked on bedbugregistry.com and also read reviews on Trip Advisor.  Both showed no complaints of bed bugs at his hotel at all.  Even going far back in time.  This makes me feel a little better.  Should it?  LOL  I will have him change his clothes in the garage and leave his suitcase outside for awhile.  What about the clothes in the suitcase.  If these go right into the washing machine, am I safe.

[Starr]

Read up on this. I don't see that leaving things in the garage for a couple of week will kill them unless you are in a very warm climate. You can throw them outside when the temps go way low and freeze them! Bites can show up in a few days. It's unclear to me how someone gets an infestation and how others just get bites. A friend came home from Madagasgar with bites and dd said a lot of students got bites in Morrocco but most of them did not continue to have bites. There was a person here on the site that had quite a battle with them. It was down to going through every page of every book they wanted to keep and a professional heat treatment. Hope you have the easy route! Oh and a friend of dd came to camp with a heat machine to put things in. ??

[Sun]

ok, I checked on bedbugregistry.com and also read reviews on Trip Advisor.  Both showed no complaints of bed bugs at his hotel at all.  Even going far back in time.  This makes me feel a little better.  Should it?  No. LOL  I will have him change his clothes in the garage and leave his suitcase outside for awhile.  What about the clothes in the suitcase.  If these go right into the washing machine, am I safe. No.

 

There are only reports on the registry because someone put them there. However, bedbugs spread really easily, and a lot of people still have no idea what to look for. You may be the people who report the place your husband stayed.

 

When he gets home, I'd have him strip, dropping all of his clothes into a garbage bag (NOT onto the floor first). Bag the suitcase, and close it tightly. Be sure the bag is heavy-duty enough to not rip. (How is he getting home? His own car? Taxi? If there's a way to bag the suitcase before it goes in your personal vehicle, then I'd do that.) Then I'd have him go take a shower because I've heard reports of people finding a bug in their hair. It's probably unlikely, but it seems like an easy precaution, so to me it would be worth it. Take the bagged clothes and wash on hot. Tie the bag shut again and take that bag outside to the garbage (NOT In the house, NOT in an attached garage) immediately after dumping the clothes in the washer and closing the lid. Don't set it down.

 

The really key thing is to dry those clothes on high for a good long time. I've heard 20-30 minutes at 130 degrees will kill bugs and their eggs. After we were bitten in a hotel, I ran them through our hot dryer for about three hours because I really, really, really did not want the bugs in our house. You want to be sure all parts of the clothes have reached a high enough temp for long enough to kill the bugs and eggs. Don't pack the load too full in the dryer. You can bag some of the wet clothes while you dry half the load if necessary.

 

As for the suitcase, how often does he travel for work? If he travels regularly for work, or you all do for pleasure, then if you can afford it, you might consider some sort of heater that will fit the suitcase like this. There are other versions. Do you live somewhere it gets really cold in winter (like 0 F or colder)? You might research how long it takes to kill bugs and eggs with freezing at different temperatures. I know someone who moved frozen goods to the freezers of friends and neighbors and put the suitcase in their chest freezer for a couple of weeks.

 

Good luck!

[WagsWife]

I would honestly not let him come home. I would first have him go straight to Walmart, buy some sweats to change into...then send him to a laundry mat. I would have him throw everything he could into a dryer for an hour. While waiting, I would have him carefully take anything not easily replaceable out of his suitcase (checking over everything) and put in a disposable bag, find a dumpster and throw everything else and the suitcase away. Because I am a freak, I may also go get some of that diatomaceous earth and cover the inside of the car with it for a few days.

 

It may sound drastic, but I would do anything to keep them from possibly getting into the house.

[G5052]

We've been exposed to them quite a bit, and did bring them home once.

 

In your shoes, I'd meet my DH at a fast food restaurant near the laundromat and have him change clothes.  Everything would go into black garbage bags.  Then I'd wash everything I could away from home.  Things that don't harbor them (like shampoo bottles, cell phones, etc.) would be inspected, but then put aside.  The rest would remain in plastic bags where they will get very cold or very warm for a week or more.  I'd also thoroughly vacuum out the car and try to put it where it will get very hot or very cold for a week or more.  I'd also pull out my diatomaceous earth and dust the bagged items and the car.

 

And I'd be extra diligent at home about inspecting, vacuuming, etc. 

 

The sad reality is that bed bugs are a fact of life these days.  Locally they've been found in a school auditorium and library I frequent.  I've seen them in hotels and restaurants at some point on almost every trip I've taken, and there were rumors of them on the airline we used this summer.  You can get them almost anywhere now.