Bedbugs. How panicked should I be?

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I got bedbugs in hotel. Washed everything and dried in 50+. Went home, wrapped all luggage and my clothes in trash bags and put in bath tub. Next morning I’ve found one bed bugs in the tub. How fucked am I? What do I do?

Comments

  1. ShtankAsh Avatar

    Call an exterminator. You shouldn’t have brought the stuff inside until you were sure they were gone but it’s too late now. I had them a couple years ago but we caught it early enough that a couple visits from the bug guy helped us get rid of them. I doubt you have many more than that one but just set up a visit to be sure

  2. Just_West_N_Wewax Avatar

    Yeah everything should have stayed outside and when you got home too- taken shoes and clothes off outside, washed dried those immediately (while you showered yourself) – put in clean tied off garbage bags to keep separate from everything else.
    Luggage purse etc everything involved stays outside in the garage or driveway, tied off in bag or aired out and open (suitcase). Don’t try to buy sprays and stuff yourself. Call exterminator.
    If you have pets be careful.

  3. Just_West_N_Wewax Avatar

    ***THIS IS FROM ANOTHER SUBREDDIT

    Hello, im an operator in CA. Not sure what state you are in but going around saying pesticides are non-toxic/organic are typically buzzwords used for advertising. The terms organic and toxicity have almost nothing to do with eachother as well since there exist some organic pesticides that are super toxic like organophosphates, while some inorganic compounds are relativly safe, even for human consumption (like salt).

    Now any pest control company refusing to specifically tell you the pesticides they use is fishy as hell. Sure there needs to be an inspection to figure out what works best but any pest control company in my state at least must be able to provide an entire material list upon request, which they are required by law to have on hand so if they make a fuss about that being difficult they are lying and/or in violation of the law.

    What you should do when you call a pest control company is let them know what your problem is and what they typically do to control that problem (sometimes pesticides are totally unnecessary). If they state they will spray anything, ask them what, and then look up online the Label for that pesticide which will have all relevant information on it.

    Now as far as pesticides go for the “very low toxicity” ones they will usually advertise using essential oil based pesticides which have a special exemption from the EPA. These products are OK in my experience. If applied correctly they can have decent results for immediate knock down of insects, they do not have a very long residual however meaning that in my experience in about a week, all your bugs come back. So I typically do not recommend them in a scenario where i need to spray as there are many low toxicity synthetic pesticides that solve the problems much better.

    Something important to consider as well is often we worry about how dangerous pesticides are around us when we use household chemicals regularly that are far more toxic. While I would never ingest a pesticide or recommend it ever; if I had a gun at my head and a shot glass of bleach or shot glass of bifentherin pesticide infront of me, I’m sure as hell drinking the bifentherin. Everything from laundry detergents to household cleaners are typically far more toxic than 90% of common pesticides being used on residential properties (if being applied correctly).

    Find a competent pest control company, that is open with you about their chemicals and methods. And I always recommend finding single business owner/operators rather than going with big recognizable names, your buisness will always mean more to them and the quality of work will show even if they cost a couple bucks extra.

  4. RezakFelheart Avatar

    Diatomaceous earth worked wonders for me

  5. Mindless_Road_2045 Avatar

    I traveled for work. These are a must.
    Always put your suitcase in the bathroom. Bed bugs don’t do tile floors. Also when you get home put your clothes in the dryer for 20 min on high heat. It kills bugs and eggs. Then wash and dry.
    But always dry them first.
    If you wash them first they will last in your washer.
    Good luck!

  6. Numerous-Economics44 Avatar

    Put your clothes and luggage in trash bags and leave in the sun all day if not two days. Most pest control companies will use heat remediation and stay away from pesticides to get rid of bed bugs. Hopefully the one you saw was a fluke and you have no more in your luggage/ clothes.
    I used to train dogs to sniff bed bugs/ termites for pest control companies. I’ve had my fair share of close calls.

  7. Sudden_Vehicle_7735 Avatar

    cooked buddy get some professional to get rid of them.

  8. Character_Bend_5824 Avatar

    I use a Pelican Air suitcase. It’s simple plastic, so no nooks and crannies. Then I use packing cubes which can be fluffed in the dryer with the clothes.