NYC bedbug and clothing shopping.

[CustomWorks]

As in recent news, the bed bugs seem like they are getting worse and worse, showing up in retail clothing stores, for the locals that live in NYC, how bad is the situation?

I'm wondering if it's bad enough for me to cancel my trip.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[changy]

dude its bedbugs, not sars, not avian flu, its not even malaria. you'll live. Anyhow, I dont think anyone other than the New york post cares

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by changy

dude its bedbugs, not sars, not avian flu, its not even malaria. you'll live. Anyhow, I dont think anyone other than the New york post cares

+1 Very true.

 

[CustomWorks]

While very true, I would be more annoyed if I brought them home with me, it would just be a pain to get rid of. I'm worried about egg droppings as they are very hard to see.

 

[well-kept]

A friend from San Francisco stayed one night at a very upscale NYC hotel last month. Guess what? Yup, bedbugs.

They get into your clothing and your luggage. It's not malaria but it is a serious problem with no definitive solution. As someone who spends portions of days there every week, I do worry. That upholstered restaurant banquette you're sitting on? The coat check room?

 

[scurvyfreedman]

Originally Posted by CustomWorks

While very true, I would be more annoyed if I brought them home with me, it would just be a pain to get rid of. I'm worried about egg droppings as they are very hard to see.

Do a google search. There are some solid recommendations including bringing a plastic garbage bag and wrapping up your suitcase when you get to the hotel. I've got a lot of friends who live and work in NYC and none have complained about bedbugs in their homes.

 

[ter1413]

They are EVERYWHERE!!! There were a few in front of me at Starbucks this morning. I jumped into a cab the other day and the driver was a bedbug! Some bedbugs are renting the apartment below mine. 3 bedbugs just started at my job on Monday! AHHHHHH!!

Dude....I live here. Don't cancel. Jeez!

 

[Twotone]

Check here first:

http://bedbugregistry.com/

 

[CustomWorks]

Originally Posted by Twotone

Check here first:

http://bedbugregistry.com/

checked it, seems like there are red dots all over the city!

 

[marc237]

They are everywhere. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever.

That said, I have taken to sticking my new purchases into the freezer or having them dry cleaned before I take them into the apartment. I also no longer do thrift stores. I do not believe I am preventing the inevitable, just delaying it.

 

[well-kept]

Originally Posted by ter1413

They are EVERYWHERE!!!

ter1413, somehow the sight of Phil Spector's capacious and inviting rug in your avatar, combined with talk of any kind of crawling thing, gives me the shivers.

Btw, I re-watched Easy Rider recently. The rich kid in the Rolls, scoring drugs from Fonda and Hopper was played by a very young Spector in a silly hat. Considering where he is at present someone might have been premonitory.

 

[gdl203]

I can't even see my clothes anymore under all the bedbugs. I'm wearing a bedbug-covered tie today - it complements my grey suit well

 

[Gibonius]

Originally Posted by marc237

They are everywhere. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever. That said, I have taken to sticking my new purchases into the freezer or having them dry cleaned before I take them into the apartment. I also no longer do thrift stores. I do not believe I am preventing the inevitable, just delaying it.
Cold isn't that effective (and I have no idea about dry cleaning), they'll mostly survive being frozen. Use heat, if you want to make sure to kill 'em. A quick iron or steaming, a run through the wash on hot, or a trip through the drier will do the trick.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by CustomWorks

checked it, seems like there are red dots all over the city!

You're right they own bodegas everywhere. Duh.

 

[marc237]

Originally Posted by Gibonius

Cold isn't that effective (and I have no idea about dry cleaning), they'll mostly survive being frozen. Use heat, if you want to make sure to kill 'em. A quick iron or steaming, a run through the wash on hot, or a trip through the drier will do the trick.

According to the nice folk at the Department of Entomology, Univ. of Minn.

"For freezing, a minimum of 23°F (-5°C) must be maintained for at least 5 days. As the temperature is decreased, the time of exposure is shortened. For instance, the articles could be "flash frozen," resulting in a very short time of exposure, but the target temperature should be -15°F (-26°C), the conditions required to instantly freeze the eggs. Keep in mind that most household freezers will have varying temperatures between 30°F and 20°F, and a 2-week freeze time is recommended if you are uncertain of the freezer temperatures."

My freezer is at about 20 degrees and I keep the little guys on ice for at least a week. They hang out next to the deer meat and the peas.