Accepting a gift that may have unwanted guests
December 17, 2020 4:55 AM Subscribe
My SO's cousin, Bob, is passing along to us a small standing desk. It is new and unopened but his home probably has pests. How do we safely accept this? Non-graphic details inside.
The box is definitely unopened and has been in Bob's house for about a month. From the pics there are a couple of minor holes from the transportation and delivery. We haven't visited his home but his prior comments suggest a pest problem and possibly minor hoarding. We are 100% agreed that we aren't going to press for details because we don't want to embarrass him but we also don't want these uninvited guests.
Is it sufficient to unbox in our building's hallway and never bring the box inside our place?
Is there a way to be sure the desk won't harbor any eggs?
The box is definitely unopened and has been in Bob's house for about a month. From the pics there are a couple of minor holes from the transportation and delivery. We haven't visited his home but his prior comments suggest a pest problem and possibly minor hoarding. We are 100% agreed that we aren't going to press for details because we don't want to embarrass him but we also don't want these uninvited guests.
Is it sufficient to unbox in our building's hallway and never bring the box inside our place?
Is there a way to be sure the desk won't harbor any eggs?
Best answer: It'd be hard to know that ahead of time but it sounds likely enough I would take a few extra steps:
*Have Bob drop it off outside (normal during covid anyway).
*After he leaves, take it out of the box and throw that away immediately. Don't let it come into the house, even to the trash can.
*Wipe everything down (all the little crevices) with some warm water and vinegar. This will get rid of any eggs or travellers.
*Dry and then bring it inside.
*Take a picture of it set up as a thank you!
I do this often regardless of how "clean" an originating home is. People store things in garages and spiders crawl in, etc, you never know. No shame to the place of origin, we live in a diverse ecosystem and small friends join us all occasionally!
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 5:34 AM on December 17, 2020 [11 favorites]
*Have Bob drop it off outside (normal during covid anyway).
*After he leaves, take it out of the box and throw that away immediately. Don't let it come into the house, even to the trash can.
*Wipe everything down (all the little crevices) with some warm water and vinegar. This will get rid of any eggs or travellers.
*Dry and then bring it inside.
*Take a picture of it set up as a thank you!
I do this often regardless of how "clean" an originating home is. People store things in garages and spiders crawl in, etc, you never know. No shame to the place of origin, we live in a diverse ecosystem and small friends join us all occasionally!
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 5:34 AM on December 17, 2020 [11 favorites]
For peace of mind, I'd spray the desk and enclose it in plastic for a week.
posted by theora55 at 6:21 AM on December 17, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 6:21 AM on December 17, 2020 [4 favorites]
If there is even the slightest hint of a whisper of a chance that there are bedbugs in there, follow theora55's advice. Honestly, I'd narrow down what the possibilities are -- if its fleas or bedbugs, I'd either kindly refuse or accept it and immediately put it in a dumpster (I mean, like, after he drives away), unopened.
(I had bedbugs a few years ago and I cannot put into words how much you don't want bedbugs.) I'd actually keep spray+plastic as a last resort, like if you know he'll want pictures of the desk in use or whatever.
If you're thinking more like cockroaches or mice, opening it outside and giving it a good wipedown should sort that out! But yeah, I think it mostly depends on what's the worst possible lil traveller you might find in the box.
posted by kalimac at 7:41 AM on December 17, 2020 [4 favorites]
(I had bedbugs a few years ago and I cannot put into words how much you don't want bedbugs.) I'd actually keep spray+plastic as a last resort, like if you know he'll want pictures of the desk in use or whatever.
If you're thinking more like cockroaches or mice, opening it outside and giving it a good wipedown should sort that out! But yeah, I think it mostly depends on what's the worst possible lil traveller you might find in the box.
posted by kalimac at 7:41 AM on December 17, 2020 [4 favorites]
Please do an askme search for anything tagged #bedbugs.
They are very, very, very, very hard to get rid of. Vinegar is not going to kill bedbugs or their eggs. You can buy over the counter spray. You will have to spray it thoroughly, wrap in plastic, wait 7-10 days, spray again because the spray does not kill the eggs. You could also cover it in diatomaceous earth and wrap it in plastic and leave for a few days. Vacuum and throw out the vacuum bag immediately after you take it out.
posted by brookeb at 1:13 PM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
They are very, very, very, very hard to get rid of. Vinegar is not going to kill bedbugs or their eggs. You can buy over the counter spray. You will have to spray it thoroughly, wrap in plastic, wait 7-10 days, spray again because the spray does not kill the eggs. You could also cover it in diatomaceous earth and wrap it in plastic and leave for a few days. Vacuum and throw out the vacuum bag immediately after you take it out.
posted by brookeb at 1:13 PM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Before I had bedbugs, I would have opened it outside, trashed the box far from my home and wiped it down with some kind of cleaning spray.
After having had bedbugs and experiencing how thoroughly that destroyed my mental health and for how many months the problem lasted, even with professional assistance, I would say no piece of furniture is worth that kind of risk. There are too many unknowns here. If I had no other choice but to accept it (not sure how that would happen, but hey), I would pay an exterminator to treat it for me before laying a finger on it.
posted by guessthis at 1:25 PM on December 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
After having had bedbugs and experiencing how thoroughly that destroyed my mental health and for how many months the problem lasted, even with professional assistance, I would say no piece of furniture is worth that kind of risk. There are too many unknowns here. If I had no other choice but to accept it (not sure how that would happen, but hey), I would pay an exterminator to treat it for me before laying a finger on it.
posted by guessthis at 1:25 PM on December 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I agree with everyone who is saying open it outside and dump all the wrapping outside as well, into a dumpster. However, I have also had bedbugs and I would say if it's a pretty straightforward desk, like mostly clean lines and angles and not a lot of drawers or cubbies or gods forbid upholstery of any kind, then you can wipe it down thoroughly with rubbing alcohol - really get it into the cracks and joints - and you should be okay unless it's seriously infested. if it is seriously infested you will know. Believe me you will know - we had a metal folding couch / futon bed that was seriously infested and on inspection it was horrifying. They do not as a rule like hard furniture; it's like a last resort for them and if it's been in a box and not near a bed I would think it was probably okay.
posted by mygothlaundry at 5:24 PM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mygothlaundry at 5:24 PM on December 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
If the desk is made of the sorts of materials that can stand up to bedbug-killing temperatures, and the unassembled parts are small enough to fit in your oven, you could heat treat it.
Unbox it outdoors, not in the hallway.
posted by yohko at 5:58 PM on December 17, 2020
Unbox it outdoors, not in the hallway.
posted by yohko at 5:58 PM on December 17, 2020
Best answer: Have you got an unheated shed? Or a back porch?
Bed bugs will not survive if you can store the box at a temperature below freezing for four full consecutive days. If you can put the box on your back porch, perhaps with a tarp over it for four days that will look after them. Make it a week to be on the safe side and you are fine.
This will also work for dog or cat fleas but may not work for cockroaches if they have had time to acclimatize to the cold.
For this to work you need to live somewhere the temperature will stay below freezing and it not warm up during the sunny part of the day, and there be no greenhouse effect inside the shed or under the tarp.
Diatomaceous earth is a non toxic powder that is highly abrasive to little critters that are covered in chitin. You could try treating it with diatomaceous earth, dusting it well into any cracks. If they crawl through the dust it abrades the chitin enough that they die of dehydration. If you use diatomaceous earth you don't want to expose your pets to it - If they inhale it, it's not good for them. I would use this myself in preference to using vinegar as there is no moisture to destroy the finish on the item and it can be dusted off after treatment.
posted by Jane the Brown at 10:34 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Bed bugs will not survive if you can store the box at a temperature below freezing for four full consecutive days. If you can put the box on your back porch, perhaps with a tarp over it for four days that will look after them. Make it a week to be on the safe side and you are fine.
This will also work for dog or cat fleas but may not work for cockroaches if they have had time to acclimatize to the cold.
For this to work you need to live somewhere the temperature will stay below freezing and it not warm up during the sunny part of the day, and there be no greenhouse effect inside the shed or under the tarp.
Diatomaceous earth is a non toxic powder that is highly abrasive to little critters that are covered in chitin. You could try treating it with diatomaceous earth, dusting it well into any cracks. If they crawl through the dust it abrades the chitin enough that they die of dehydration. If you use diatomaceous earth you don't want to expose your pets to it - If they inhale it, it's not good for them. I would use this myself in preference to using vinegar as there is no moisture to destroy the finish on the item and it can be dusted off after treatment.
posted by Jane the Brown at 10:34 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by Mrs. Rattery at 5:29 AM on December 17, 2020 [8 favorites]