usvi-on-line
When you wished it was mosquitoes biting you at night!
The official **cough**cough** report from the Westin states that there are no bed bugs in ROOM 1616 ground floor ocean front room. With that report, nothing is being done by the Westin. My girlfriend has pictures of the spots on the sheets and the BUGS under the mattress, bites all over her body, and little shell type bodies from dead bugs?! But, no bugs were found by the Health inspector. Odd, huh?
It's a shame as my girlfriend does not travel on the cheap and Westin has not only lost her as a customer but anyone else that she talks to. Word of mouth is a powerful tool.
She has contacted her American Express and is letting them handle it from this point forward.
She's now on St. Thomas at the Ritz in a beautiful suite that is costing her 600.00 a night- Money she would have spent at the Westin. She's the type of gal that likes room service, spa treatments, and a bar.
Since moving over to St. Thomas she's woke up without one bite.
She'll be taking the ferry over today to visit us and spend the day at the beach.
It's a shame as my girlfriend does not travel on the cheap and Westin has not only lost her as a customer but anyone else that she talks to. Word of mouth is a powerful tool.
She has contacted her American Express and is letting them handle it from this point forward.
She's now on St. Thomas at the Ritz in a beautiful suite that is costing her 600.00 a night- Money she would have spent at the Westin. She's the type of gal that likes room service, spa treatments, and a bar.
Since moving over to St. Thomas she's woke up without one bite. She'll be taking the ferry over today to visit us and spend the day at the beach.
Note to self:
A least two rooms at the Westin and one at the Ritz Carlton now have bedbugs.
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Greenskeeper
- Posts: 390
- Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 2:07 pm
- Location: Cape Cod, MA
Here's some good advice:
How can I assure that my items are not carrying bed bugs without throwing them away?
Many people may want to discard all luggage and clothing after discovering an infestation, but this is unnecessary. The key is to contain all items suspected of carrying bed bugs in plastic bags until the items can be laundered, washed by hand, heated, or frozen.
Before leaving the infested site, anything that can be laundered should be sorted and placed in plastic bags. Separate the laundry as you would if you were normally laundering items, specifically: light colored clothes from dark items; delicate items from items that can be laundered on wash / dry regular cycles; and finally, dry cleanable items. Separating the clothing permits easy loading of the washing machine and you can avoid escaping bed bugs as you try to sort the laundry at home.
When washing, set the washer and dryer for the hottest setting that the fabric can withstand. If you need to use a dry cleaning service, mention to them that the items may have bed bugs and they can keep the articles in the plastic bags until just before loading into the machines.
Suitcases and other items that cannot be placed into a washing machine should be carefully inspected, and if bed bugs are found (or you are not sure) place them into plastic bags, as well. Suitcases may be hand-washed. If hand-washing any items, use soapy water and make sure that the hottest water possible is used. Test the item to make sure it will not be affected by the hot water. A target temperature of 100°Fto 120°F should be sufficient. Use a scrub brush along the seams and folds.
Items that cannot be washed may be heated or frozen. Currently, research is being conducted to determine the most effective thermal conditions for killing bed bugs, while not damaging materials. However, based on related research, a two-hour core exposure at 120°F (45°C) should be considered a minimum target temperature for heat treatments. 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.
Remember, if heating or freezing conditions are used, remember that these adverse conditions must reach the core of the articles being treated.
How can I assure that my items are not carrying bed bugs without throwing them away?
Many people may want to discard all luggage and clothing after discovering an infestation, but this is unnecessary. The key is to contain all items suspected of carrying bed bugs in plastic bags until the items can be laundered, washed by hand, heated, or frozen.
Before leaving the infested site, anything that can be laundered should be sorted and placed in plastic bags. Separate the laundry as you would if you were normally laundering items, specifically: light colored clothes from dark items; delicate items from items that can be laundered on wash / dry regular cycles; and finally, dry cleanable items. Separating the clothing permits easy loading of the washing machine and you can avoid escaping bed bugs as you try to sort the laundry at home.
When washing, set the washer and dryer for the hottest setting that the fabric can withstand. If you need to use a dry cleaning service, mention to them that the items may have bed bugs and they can keep the articles in the plastic bags until just before loading into the machines.
Suitcases and other items that cannot be placed into a washing machine should be carefully inspected, and if bed bugs are found (or you are not sure) place them into plastic bags, as well. Suitcases may be hand-washed. If hand-washing any items, use soapy water and make sure that the hottest water possible is used. Test the item to make sure it will not be affected by the hot water. A target temperature of 100°Fto 120°F should be sufficient. Use a scrub brush along the seams and folds.
Items that cannot be washed may be heated or frozen. Currently, research is being conducted to determine the most effective thermal conditions for killing bed bugs, while not damaging materials. However, based on related research, a two-hour core exposure at 120°F (45°C) should be considered a minimum target temperature for heat treatments. 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.
Remember, if heating or freezing conditions are used, remember that these adverse conditions must reach the core of the articles being treated.
Was just up in Cape Cod two weekends ago. This thread and the crazy amount of tv stories made me so paranoid.
We came home, threw everything down the basement and I immediately started washing EVERYTHING that was in our duffel bags. Hot water, darks or white, I didn't care, I was kill them if they hopped a ride.
Then I took the duffel bags and washed them. After they were washed, I took them out on the deck and had them sun dry. Then, I took lysol and sprayed the bags.
I put our sneaks and my flip flops in the washer too.
Anybody have stink bugs??
We came home, threw everything down the basement and I immediately started washing EVERYTHING that was in our duffel bags. Hot water, darks or white, I didn't care, I was kill them if they hopped a ride.
Then I took the duffel bags and washed them. After they were washed, I took them out on the deck and had them sun dry. Then, I took lysol and sprayed the bags.
I put our sneaks and my flip flops in the washer too.
Anybody have stink bugs??
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
Funny - I had started a new thread on this this morning so I'm not the only one thinking about it. I'll put this info here too. The context was that there may not be any bedbugs in the bed...yet(the first place people will normally look)....but they might have hitched a ride on someone's luggage which usually gets tucked into the closet once it's unpacked. You can't really stick a suitcase in the washer! Although I'm sure you could spray it with something and then seal it up for several weeks once you get back, but why risk it?
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Just saw this on Rachel Ray and thought it would be good info to pass along. Stick a large trash bag in your suitcase and when you get to your destination and unpack seal your suitcase up inside the trash bag.
Not only are we hearing about bedbug infestations all over the world, there was a thread here about bedbugs at the Westin! Also, the spider picture that Stjohnjulie posted looks like the spider was sitting on the strap from a piece of luggage. I wouldn't want to bring THAT type of hitchhiker home!!! An added plus is that you've got something to take everything on the last trip to the dumpsters before heading to the ferry. LOL!
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Just saw this on Rachel Ray and thought it would be good info to pass along. Stick a large trash bag in your suitcase and when you get to your destination and unpack seal your suitcase up inside the trash bag.
Not only are we hearing about bedbug infestations all over the world, there was a thread here about bedbugs at the Westin! Also, the spider picture that Stjohnjulie posted looks like the spider was sitting on the strap from a piece of luggage. I wouldn't want to bring THAT type of hitchhiker home!!! An added plus is that you've got something to take everything on the last trip to the dumpsters before heading to the ferry. LOL!