Bed Bugs Biting Again

[bajaespuma]

I wonder if the current breed of washing machine manufacturers will respond to the new bedbug infestation and finally LISTEN TO ME and re-engineer their washing machines to run on 220V so we can choose to boil-wash our clothes, especially our bedding which seems to be an effective part of the overall solution to bed bugs. I'll continue to say that I love my LG washer but I'd love it a lot more if it ran on 220 and I could have a true boil wash when I wanted it.

It's disturbing to see that even Miele is marketing machines, at least in the US, that have been dumbed-down to 120 and, I must assume, cannot bring their water temps up to what their European brand mates can.

 

[qsd-dan]

I read somewhere recently (Yahoo?) that bedbugs can't withstand wash temps higher than 113F. If that's indeed true, there really isn't a need for a boil wash. Also, I believe that enzymes in laundry detergent start dying off at temps over 140F, so again, is there really a need for temps higher than 150F or 160F?

 

[launderess]

Boil Washing

Did two main things, activated oxygen based bleaches for better whitening, stain and soil removal. Next when using soap or non-enzyme detergents it allowed better cleaning of oily and other soils.

Yes, boil washing does kill vermin (lice, scabies, bed bugs, etc), and help sanitise, but one has to immerse the wash into the boiling water for best results. Next best would be to use a washer that can bring cold water to temps >160F quite quickly.

If you think about it, unless one observes near clnical setting bedmaking, lice, bed bugs and so forth are going to scatter as one changes the linens, then transports them to the laundry and so forth.

 

[petek]

From my reading on the matter

Bed bugs don't stay in the bed after feeding on you, they move off and under into the mattress, behind the bedframe, behind the night-tables and under the drawers, behind the picture on the wall etc. so it will have little to no effect.

 

[whirlcool]

And they also live in electrical outlets and IN your nightstand and dressers too!
Recently on one of those HGTV shows they said when buying night stands and dressers at used furniture stores you should fumigate them before bringing them in your house. In case of bedbugs.

 

[hydralique]

It would be thoughtful of Miele et al. to offer a 220v washer on the American market as a special order item for those who really want it. However, there is unlikely to be a significant demand here as very, very few laundry rooms are set up to accommodate a 220v washer. If the laundry is equipped with both a gas line and 220v dryer outlet, then it is possible to use a gas dryer and leave the 220v outlet for the washer. If there is no gas line, however, the 220v outlet must be used for the dryer and is unlikely to be adequate for powering a boil wash cycle and the dryer simultaneously. Plenty of laundries are like mine and lack any 220v outlet in the first place. I doubt that many people would be willing to hire an electrician to rewire a laundry room just to allow for a boil wash, regardless of how nice that might be.

 

[whirlcool]

Didn't Miele have a kit that you could use to run both the washer and dryer off of one 240V outlet?

 

[hunter]

Asko.

I don't know about Miele, but here is what the Asko machines for the US used to do. (These were the 6kg euro sizes).

They used a 220 V dryer outlet. You plugged the dryer into that, and you plugged the washer (using a 220 V 15 amp plug) into the dryer.

That made it easy. The smaller size, and the extraction at 1600rpm meant that it was more than enough electricity.

I don't know what the euro sized Mieles do - or even if they are still available in the USA. I read somewhere that LG makes the Miele US models. Is that true?

 

[hydralique]

According to Miele, their current T8002/8003/8005 series dryers require a 208/240v 30 amp circuit. These are the standard large size units, not the extra-large size. This is about what I'd expect - even a BOL Frigidaire Gallery takes the same circuit. I know there have been some 15 amp dryers out there, but I doubt that anyone dedicated enough to buy and use a washer with boil wash would like such a slow dryer.

I suppose that with computer controls it would be possible to create a system which would allow the washer to be plugged into the dryer AND a regular 120v outlet, with the 120v powering everything except the boil wash. The computer could then modulate the power to the boil wash element and dryer element to ensure the total load never exceeded 30 amps, but this would likely require some compromises for simultaneous running.

 

[sudsmaster]

As I recall, from reading on the subject five or more years ago, the combination of 120F or hotter water and laundry detergent kills off dust mites - so it should also kill off any bedbugs and/or their eggs if they actually clung to the linens (which apparently they don't anyway).

And mechanical drying not only subjects the laundry to more heat, but also tends to blow any particles away (mechanical drying also collects the pet hair that is missed by water washing and line drying).

Apparently bed bugs are a growing problem all over the nation. Cross my fingers, not in my home.

 

[hunter]

here, here!

The bedbug issue is one of the reasons why I like RV travel. You carry your OWN bed with you!

 

[whirlpolf]

"the 220v outlet must be used...

...for the dryer and is unlikely to be adequate for powering a boil wash cycle and the dryer simultaneously."

Same here, especially if you live in very old buildings (some are several hundred years old and were first wired in the 20s, rewired in the 50s etc.)
Or if you live in a rented appt. and you are not allowed to change anything.

Some people use this (see link)
I am sure, there are similar units in the US.
You hook up both machines, once the #1 unit needs high amperage, #2 will be tripped and go off of the grid.
As heating in machine #1 is done (e.g. has proceeded to rinse)
#2 (dryer) is turned back on.
It takes a bit of smartly timed loading and unloading, but you get the hang of it after a few loads. It feels like having two full amp. lines.

Bitte entschuldigen Sie die Störung...

 

[sudsmaster]

I backpacked in Guatemala and Mexico in the late '70's and never had a problem (that I know of!) with bedbugs. I used a sleeping bag and a sheet I had sewn into a sort of human size case that could go inside the bag, or on top of it for warm nights. I stayed in little places that charged maybe $1 or $2 a night for a "room" near the beach. Or, in a larger town, in a hotel for not much more.

Things may have changed since then, though.