NY Mag Article on Bedbugs

Bedbugs don't spread diseases to human beings.

Don't let the matress/box spring encasement industrial complex get you all worked up.

techno - if you get bedbugs, a mattress encasement ain't gonna help. you read the article, right? you basically have to get rid of everything and start over and/or move. i had an old coworker who left the city b/c of such an infestation.

travel/hotels is a real hazard. before staying in a hotel now - ANY hotel - i thoroughly read the most recent reviews for any complaints and before we settle in i always check the mattresses (corners) for blood stains.

what would be good would be an article on what you can do to prevent getting bedbugs. i'd be very interested in that. in addition to what uwsmom states about hotels (i do the same thing), separating travel clothes and luggage for immediate heat cleaning upon return, not taking anything off the street or buying second hand anything.. i'm sure there must be tons of little tricks you can do to prevent things like hitchhiking.. obviously this is everyone's worst nightmare and i'm sure there are preventative measures out there that are not widely known?

Glamma - I actually went on www.bedbug.com (may actually be www.bedbugs.com) and they have a preventative guide/links. It was a little over the top but had good tips, you could probably check that out. I think I may buy the luggage bag since we do travel quite a bit - but what do you do with your suitcase upon return/how do you "clean" the suitcase itself??

techno - not sure how to clean the suitcase (maybe just inspect it), but i have read that you shouldn't place luggage on the carpets in hotel rooms (i still do). i think it's best to keep them on elevated surfaces.

One of the plusses of the Tempurpedic-style latex mattresses is that bugs can't live in them.

UWSmom - I will do that from now on. And I think I am going to order some luggage bags from that website. That story was just ghastly - esp the part about the one apt whose walls were literally "moving" with bedbugs and they had to be vacuumed up before the extermination could even start. I would be in Bellevue!

thanks technologic!

i should already be at bellevue. i won't even get into my "i think we have bedbugs" stories. my old coworker freaked me out!!!
if you're really concerned about luggage: http://www.overstock.com/Luggage-Bags/BugZip-Large-Bed-bug-Resistant-Luggage-Clothes-Bag/4813178/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12707433

or maybe non-fabric type luggage.

umm, never go to the movies? or the mall? once you put your bag down where other people have put their bags down, you run the risk of picking up hitchhikers.

My mother-in-law, of an entirely different generation, was horrified when I once threw my tote bag on a bed. So I'd say, never put your tote down, and when you walk into your own home, put it in a tote bag ghetto, like on a wooden chair or something.

ali r.

uwsmom - i can totally relate, once every few months i have a complete "what if we get bedbugs" meltdown in between my other neurotic meltdowns (this month is apparently "what if we have lead paint"). i am DEF ordering those bags.

Or just learn to love bedbugs. They're really cute and little and round, except every once in a while they puff up to many times their normal size. Just show me a sea monkey who can do a trick like that!

Oh, Alan: That sea-monkey would have to be featured on The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO) segment "Monkey News". Anybody else loving that show? It's hilarious.

"My mother-in-law, of an entirely different generation, was horrified when I once threw my tote bag on a bed."

I'm with your mother-in-law, but I approach it from a different angle: I never EVER set my bag down on the floor or the ground. EVER. First of all, it's Jack Spade, for God's sake -- he simply does NOT go on the floor. Second of all, I want to keep it pristine enough to toss it on the bed or piece of furniture when I come home.

When I return home from from a trip, I wipe down the wheels and bottom of my suitcase before bringing it any farther than my entry foyer. I can't believe how many people will drag their suitcases all over our shit, piss, and spit-covered sidewalks, then toss it onto their BEDS to unpack! UGH!!!!

Another pet peeve of mine is the younger generation who wears their pants so long (and low) that they're not just dragging the hem of their pants on the ground, but actually STEPPING on it. YUCK! And then the come home and curl up on their furniture. You might as well be curling up on your couch and bed wearing your shoes. ICK!!!!

I once went entirely mute when a good friend who is actually a very neat and clean person commented that she let her baby gnaw on the wheels of her stroller.

The latest research shows that kids should eat more dirt... its good for their immune systems.

I heart this thread.

"wears their pants so long (and low)" ... we don't drag much more dirt onto our couch than you and your generation do when you take off your shoes, then step directly on the part of your floor that your soles were just on.

'The latest research shows that kids should eat more dirt... its good for their immune systems."

Or drink from rusty garden hoses like most of us did!

1) Bed bugs - get those mattress bags, why not? I have to admit to double-bagging our mattresses.
2) Lead paint - I had a child whose lead level went from 3 to 7 (venal puncture) bcs of our renovations. Nothing to freak out about. I just had the place wiped down. Lead level went back down to 3 after 5 months.

swe - my father would argue that while dirt may be shown to be overall "good" in studies, there's no way of replicating said dirt IRL so better to not let the kid eat dirt.

One of the most important thing to help this Bed Bug epidemic is for building Management Companies and/or Co-op and Condo Boards to inform ALL residents by repeated notices under their doors to watch for the signs of Bed Bugs to catch it early and stop it from spreading. The notices should explain to residencts what the signs are of bed bugs and to be very aware of any bites they may encounter and to be very vigilant in recognizing the signs of bed bugs and contacting management right away to deal with it.
In every situation where the Bed Bug problem has been a huge problem and effected neighbors and large sections of a building there appears to usually be just one owner or tenant who is being bitten over a period of time but has NO IDEA why and simply thinks it's a rash, as the bites continue over several weeks they then go to their doctor who doesn't identify it as bed bug bites. This delay of days and weeks and possibly months creates a tremendous opportunity for the Bed Bugs to multiply daily and to begin spreading through out the building. They must be caught early and that can only happen if people know what to watch for and to report it immediately.

""wears their pants so long (and low)" ... we don't drag much more dirt onto our couch than you and your generation do when you take off your shoes, then step directly on the part of your floor that your soles were just on."

First of all, I don't do that -- my "outside" shoes are restricted to the entry foyer and I carefully step outside of the "outside" area they have touched on the floor.

Second, you're older than I am. Nice try.

*****

"Bed bugs - get those mattress bags, why not?"

Why not? Because there's nothing more gross than feeling and hearing the crinkling of plastic under your sheets. AND the plastic doesn't allow for the proper airflow between mattress, linens, and your body, causing sweatiness.

I don't sweat when I sleep.

"Second, you're older than I am."
... damning yourself with faint praise.

My contribution: steam cleaning in addition to vacuuming.

no carpets/rugs...

Also caulk around crevices, electrical outlets, etc. so vermin from your neighbor's apartment does not enter yours. Things that are good for energy conservation (covering electrical outlets, e.g.) sometimes work for vermin control.

"no carpets/rugs..."

What the hell has this to do with bedbugs?

They live in and thrive in the crevices of wood floors and furniture.

I think that was a general, off-topic comment, and julia's right: no carpets/rugs...

i've heard that bedbugs really love formica.

LOL, alanhart - I could not agree more. Hardwood floors are beautiful and shouldn't be covered up. I don't mind a nice area rug or two, but I absolutely shudder when I walk into an apartment and see carpeting. Even in bedrooms. The supposedly tasteful patterned carpeting you see in those grand Park Ave salons just looks like a cheap hotel lobby to me. Sissel or jute wall to wall covering is not as offensive, but it's still far from ideal.

I'm not sure why I have such a violent reaction, but I really do. Maybe it's a product of growing up in suburbia with wall-to-wall shag carpeting. I vividly remember exiting my house at one point and exclaiming, "As God as my witness, I'll never be hungry for exposed hard wood floors again!"

Maybe it has something to do with my fastidious/OCD gene. I can't help but wonder what sort of bacteria and filth is lurking within those rug piles. Years ago, when I was looking for a flat in London, I was appalled by how many bathrooms had carpeting. I still have nightmares.

So yes, Julia, no carpets/rugs. Cheers to that.

"Hardwood floors are beautiful and shouldn't be covered up."

Unless you live in a co-op with an 80%-of-floors-must-be-covered rule.

Yes, then you should do what your fellow shareholders do and not put rugs or carpets down either.