Bugging out over bed bugs!

August 29, 2010 7:59 PM

Can you get bedbugs from sitting on a recently infested(but treated) couch for 5 minutes?

A few days ago, I went on a job interview to babysit for a nice family on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. They invited me in to have a seat, so I sat down on their couch. Within 5 minutes of sitting down, their 4-year-old shouted that they had bed bugs. The mother was mortified, and explained that they had 2 treatments and that their last treatment was 2 weeks ago. Then she added that the only real place they ever saw the bed bugs was on the very same couch I just sat on.

I noticed a few bites on the child, so I was pretty concerned that their infestation was still active. The mother said she understood if I wanted to continue the interview in a nearby playground, which I promptly agreed to. Having had bed bugs once before, I know the psychological nightmare that they can cause.

Immediately after the interview, I headed to Duane Reade and purchased a lint roller to wipe myself and my purse down with. When I got home, I took my clothes, shoes, and handbag and threw them in the freezer-assuming that this would kill any bugs I may have picked up.

I know I might be paranoid, but I can't really afford the extermination costs of bed bug treatment...So how likely is it that I caught bed bugs from these people?

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (12 answers total)

Zero percent.
posted by nanojath at 8:10 PM on August 29, 2010

I believe it is extremely unlikely, but that was still really irresponsible of the mom. The couch should have been, at the least, covered so that any bugs inside couldn't get out.

The best thing you can do is isolate everything that touched the couch, which it sounds like you've done. So double(or triple) wrapped bags are the way to go for your clothes, purse, etc, until you're 100% sure they're gone. Bedbugs die above 120 degrees or below 32 degrees, but I don't know how long they have to stay isolated.

When a friend of mine had bugs (from a "new" mattress), we washed all clothes on hot in the laundromat and kept them in bags, got covers for all the fabric furniture, and exterminated. The first time, he uncovered things pretty soon and they came back, so it required a second extermination and living out of bags for a year. then no more bugs. (I believe they can lie dormant for 18 months, but he chanced it).

I don't think it'll require extreme measures as long as you keep any possible bedbugs you might have isolated and prevent them from feeding and breeding. It really shouldn't be a problem, but if you do notice bites, just baggie everything in your apartment asap to prevent a huge extermination issue.

Also, I believe for apartment dwellers in NYC, your landlord is responsible for extermination, but check this - I'm not 100%
posted by lesli212 at 8:22 PM on August 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Bedbugs die above 120 degrees or below 32 degrees, but I don't know how long they have to stay isolated.

0°F for 5-7 days (more if the door is opened often) seems to be most common recommendation. Some sites say two weeks in the freezer.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:32 PM on August 29, 2010

Actually, saying that there is a zero percent chance of picking up bedbugs is incorrect. You can pick up the eggs anywhere - in a coffee shop, a movie theater, a taxicab, and on a couch... They should have thrown out the couch, and they should never have invited you to sit down on it.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:41 PM on August 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

You can get bedbugs on a wooden bench in the subway.

Your landlord might be responsible for extermination but too many landlords have no idea how to treat bedbugs and do everything wrong. If I had bedbugs I would pay to get rid of them right.

I don't think you want to work there.

Otherwise, you did everything right. Keep the stuff in the freezer for two weeks.
posted by micawber at 9:00 PM on August 29, 2010

20 minutes in a hot drier will kill bedbugs.
posted by jb at 10:10 PM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

20 minutes in a hot drier will kill bedbugs.

Or you could put them in the oven at 150° or something like that.
posted by delmoi at 10:23 PM on August 29, 2010

Yes, the chances are absolutely not zero percent. I have no idea what they actually are and neither does anyone else because there are too many unknowns. It's probably a very low probability and it sounds like you did the right things. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. But it's certainly not zero percent.
posted by Justinian at 1:05 AM on August 30, 2010

Here's some info about bed bugs for you. Hopefully it will answer all your bed buggy questions.
posted by Quizicalcoatl at 5:34 AM on August 30, 2010

i don't know about your chances of getting them from sitting on a couch, but i got them from my neighbor, who has never been inside my unit. and i have never been inside his. i assumed i was tracking them in from the hallway.

here is what i did, in case you are interested: everything that could be washed and dried (sheets, towels, clothing that happened to be on the floor) got washed and dried. and then i went through the whole place vacuuming everything - my couch, my mattress, all of the armchairs. all of the baseboards/floors. you get the idea. in total i found maybe five living bugs. i never saw any eggs but i'm not sure what i would have been looking for.

i guess what i'm saying is that even if you come home with a bedbug, you are not instantly going to have some terrible, uncontrollable infestation. you can wash stuff, and you can declutter. everything is going to be okay.
posted by janepanic at 6:48 AM on August 30, 2010

Unfortunately, you can pick up bedbugs like this. You should wash the clothing you were wearing in hot water and dry on high heat. To be on the safe side, I'd do what janepanic suggests and just wash everything--linens, towels, etc. and do the cleaning she suggests.

It is unlikely that they would've bitten you at that time because they bite while people are sleeping because they're motionless and body temperatures rise slightly (this is what two different exterminators told me during a recent scare). However, you could've picked them up or the egg sacs, etc. If you've slept a few times since then and haven't had bites, my guess is that you don't have 'em. Best of luck.
posted by Rudy Gerner at 10:53 AM on August 30, 2010

The chance isn't zero percent for sure; bedbug infestations can be resilient and even if they nuked that couch, all it takes is one buggy toy being dumped on it a few days later to get the infestation going again.
It was really inconsiderate for them to sit you on their itchy couch; they should have had the interview in a park or coffee shop until they were 100% sure they were bedbug-free. I would be livid with those people and would likely contact them and convince them to pay all relevant dry-cleaning bills and any sanitization or extermination costs you do incur.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 2:14 PM on August 30, 2010