I bag up the linens from my bed that had been treated, but were still in the laundry. bag and seal.
I bag up the half of the living room throw pillows that got treated. bag and seal.
I get the next loads ready. I am working on two tracks with the laundry. Track 1 is: Get the clothes we need to wear treated and bagged so the risk of spreading is decreased. Track 2 is: Get everything that can be put away treated so they can get bagged in storage bags and out of the way. I need to do some of both. I focus on the Track 1 goal for my son's clothes. I want him to have all his clothes to choose from just like normal and I want it clean and organized so he can work with a system and I can minimize exposure. I focus on Track 2 with my bedroom since that is the only place we actually know there are bugs at the moment. Also because it is the most cluttered and needs clearing out before the exterminator can come do a treatment.
No word from the Association people. I really don't expect to hear anything until Monday, but I had hoped.
Some things I've learned about Bed Bugs (aside from the Laundry Treatment in previous post):
- They do not spread disease
- They only feed on blood (so no real concern of them infesting food or anything)
- They can hibernate without a feeding for 18 months (thus the treatment for non-washables of sealing them up for 18 months)
- If you have bed bugs and you change where you are sleeping, they will either go into the long hibernation mentioned about or to a nearby new source. It will not eliminate them
- Boric Acid will not kill them
I go to the grocery store and buy 5 boxes of gallon size zipper bags, I also get 2 boxes of the XXL Ziploc bags because I already know that I do not have enough Space bags for the job.
My plan with the gallon sized bags is to put one "outfit" into each, a day's wear. I can put the bags into our normal dressers, and even if they dressers are infested, the clothes will stay clear and will throw away bags after use. Highly wasteful, but I really plan to be as aggressive as I can muster. I think I washed 6 loads today and then dryer treated another 2. It was a lot, but there is still so much more to wash. I have not even started in on any towels or spare sheets. The plan for the outfit bags mostly works (sometimes it takes 2 bags for 1 outfit), and we are at least set for the coming week.
I go through a few areas of my bedroom and identify enough stuff to toss to fill a small garbage bag. I tie it up, seal it up and then toss it.
I go buy 2 large and 6 small rubbermaid tubs. I decide that I need to start addressing all the stuff in my bedroom that cannot be washed. In my online research I found this thing called PackTite, it was made to treat luggage for bedbugs, but is now being actively used by people to treat many things that cannot be laundered (not everything can be treated in it, I asked them about CDs and DVDs and they said no). I am on a list to be contacted with PackTites become available, they are currently all sold out (I'm pretty sure bedbugs are a growth industry). My thought is to pack the tubs up and then seal them with packing tape until they are airtight. I will try to pack them in two groups: 1) Things to treat when the PackTite comes 2) Things that cannot be treated in the PackTite and need to stay sealed for 18 months.
I'll go over all this with the exterminator. He may say it's a stupid plan.
I pack one of the big ones with purses, bags, and a few hats. I pack one small one with jewelry and various jewelry boxes. I start on a second small one, but I think I need to re-do it, I think it is a mix of things that could be treated and things that can't.
I foresee a lot of things leaving my house in 18 months, or even post treatment. Some clothes are already getting tossed after I wash them. I just had to think, would I miss wearing this for a few months or even the next six months and some items did not pass.
Money spent today:
Laundry refill $30
Zipper bags $22.69
Plastic bins $72.52
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