Vermin - Thrift Store bedding and clothing

[josephusminimus]

I had a conversation with a lady in a thrift store the other day while I was poking through the clothing items on sale for a buck.&nbsp; [I see her in those stores frequently enough so's we give one another a hat-tip and smile when we encounter.]&nbsp; She saw me preparing to try on a hooded windbreaker and wrinkled her nose.<br /><br /><em>"You don't worry about all those fleas, lice and bedbugs?"</em><br /><br /><em>"Eh?"</em><br /><br /><em>"That sign they posted up front."&nbsp;</em> I squinted in the direction she was pointing, saw a sign but couldn't make out what it said.<br /><br /><em>"It says they've had complaints of parasites in some of the blankets and clothing they've sold."</em><br /><br />I considered it a moment.&nbsp; "<em>So why are you back here looking at clothes?"</em><br /><br /><em>"They've dropped the prices on everything, trying to get the inventory down so they can do something about it.&nbsp; I'll just make certain what I buy is sealed in a plastic garbage bag before I put it into the car.&nbsp; Then I'll kill off the vermin before I take anything inside."</em><br /><br />I thought it over while I put the windbreaker back on the hanger.&nbsp; "<em>Yeah, me too</em>."

 

[joey]

&nbsp;&nbsp; I always ask if they wash the items when they come into the store,before putting them on the racks. Some stores do and others don't. I only shop in stores that wash the clothing.

 

[josephusminimus]

&nbsp;&nbsp; I always ask if they wash the items when they come into the store,before putting them on the racks. Some stores do and others don't. I only shop in stores that wash the clothing.

<br /><br />Probably a good approach.&nbsp; I've bought such items at flea markets and garage sales, as well as thrift stores.&nbsp; I don't know that I'd trust the folks trying to sell them to tell the truth about whether they've been washed.&nbsp; Or whether a cat or dog's been curled up on them afterward, scratching and dropping flea eggs.<br /><br />My thought is that I personally own enough clothing and bedding for the time being.&nbsp; When I need some more I'm going to make certain I don't bring a parasite infestation into the RV with me.<br /><br />When I was a kid in school head lice constantly made the rounds and my folks were fanatics about methods for ridding us of them.&nbsp; Made a believer of me.&nbsp; But in Korea in our quonsot hut during the winter the crab lice marched in formation from one bunk to the next all night long.&nbsp; We kept them as pets until spring allowed us to free our hooch of them.&nbsp; Made a believer of me a second time.<br /><br />Mostly they aren't all that bad except when they drag their feet.<br /><br />

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

The shops around my area spray some bug poison on everything, they don't wash things though. I often would pick up a stuffed toy for my big poodle. If it was just into the store, I could smell the stuff they sprayed and he wouldn't touch the toy for a few days.&nbsp;<br />&nbsp; Not saying you are wrong Joey but I wonder if they told you the truth about washing. Maybe an independent store.&nbsp; Can you imagine the amount of washing and drying machines and man hours to wash everything? Maybe different states have different standards though.<br /><strong><span style="color: #339966;">Dragonfly</span></strong>

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

I would be real careful, especially now, bed bugs are rampant.&nbsp;&nbsp; Fleas and lice are pretty manageable, but bed bugs are another beast altogether.&nbsp;&nbsp; They are nearly impossible to get rid of in the best of circumstances, I shudder to think of what to do in a van....they will retreat into walls or wood furnishings until night and they are capable of reproducing after the third day of feeding.&nbsp; I am terrified of those little things.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; They do die after an hour of 130 degree heat or something like that, so maybe an extended dryer romp at the laundromat?<br /><br /><br />PS: An adorable skunk keeps walking by the glass door at my work and looking at me (as i type this post even).&nbsp; I wouldn't go out there if you paid me of course, but they are cute when you are safe and can observe them <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I just hope he doesn't decide to live under my van <img src="/images/boards/smilies/redface.gif" />&nbsp; Wonder if i can get him on camera...

 

[yesican]

Well..if we smell skunk we'll know who we're talkin to...<br /><br />You know one thing good about being a vandweller is that you can sleep in your own bed free of bed bugs no matter where you go!&nbsp; <br /><br />Rae

 

[VJG1977]

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Arial;">I buy almost all of my clothes from the local Goodwill Industries store.&nbsp; They have sale prices down to 99 cents per item of clothing.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Arial;">Per, Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Arial;">“Bed bugs exposed to 113°F will die if they receive constant exposure to that temperature for 90 minutes or more.&nbsp; However, they will die within 20 minutes if exposed to 118°F.“</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Arial;">“A loosely filled dryer set on “high” is capable of killing all bed bug life-stages and their eggs in 30 minutes.”&nbsp; So everything goes into the dryer when I get it home.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><a href="/post/Awesome-site-with-info-on-living-out-of-a-car-5171610?highlight=bugs" rel="nofollow">https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Awesome-site-with-info-on-living-out-of-a-car-5171610?highlight=bugs</a> posted 04/05/11 at 02:16 PM </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">

</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Most of my belongings got thrown in the trash, however, because the entire apartment complex ended up being infested with bed</span><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">bugs</span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">.&nbsp; That would have been great to know, but it was too late when I eventually found out.&nbsp; They are nasty little<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">bugs</span></strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">, and it doesn't matter how clean you keep your place, they will be there no matter what you do.&nbsp; It didn't matter anymore, though, because bed</span><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">bugs</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">can't survive in a car.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Just park your car in the hot sun.&nbsp; Nothing will survive.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">

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[longjohn]

I've noticed the clothes at Goodwill have a chemically smell that reminds me of old Febreze. Wondering if they just hose stuff down with it instead of washing them. Could be some kind of insecticide I guess. Some items we've bought there take two washings to get rid of the smell.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 

[idn88]

Here is a link for that topic<br><br>http://sammydvintage.com/thrifting/bed-bugs-in-thrift-store-clothes/<br><br>I travel a lot for work and stay in hotels. &nbsp;I have spray I bought on Amazon. &nbsp;NOt sure it really works, but I haven't brought any bugs home so maybe it does.<br><br><br>