Bugs Ug!

Dear K.,
There are companies that use orange oil and companies that use heat as treatments. They are far safer than the chemicals that the fumigating companies use and they are far more effective.
I hope that helps.
P.

You should be fine, you may find dead bugs, here and there. just air the house out weather permitting. and sweep real good

Yes I might be alittle concerned. My friend just had her house tented and they said she was fine to go back and stay. She woke up that night and the next morning coughing, called the hot line and they said there was still tear gas in the house. She was fine just a sore throat and cough, but I would be extra careful with a 2month old.

Hi K., I would have the house completely cleaned, whether by you or a professional. On the other hand, if you are not aware of it already - did you know a lot of retail household cleaners have toxins in them that a lot of us aren't even aware of. I wasn't until I started doing my research. I'd love to share more with you if you are interested. Here are my websites.

http://www.TotalWellnessInfo.com
http://www.saferforyourhome.com

GoodMorning as a matter a fact I do We have to use fumigations here at our hotel on occasion and the most important thing after the job is done is too wipe down all countertops door handles vacuum air out home mop floors , do your basic up keep clean dog bowl and food bowl in the dish washer, keep house free from clutter and you will be in great shape. Make sure all dog chew toys that are plastic are thrown away because if they where left in the house the chemicles in materials used are in bedded in the plastic. Better safe than sorry. God Bless You L.

Well, you're probably already in the house. I'd have aired it out for 24 hours with all windows open and maybe a door or two. You probably should, and this is a pain, wash down all surfaces like counter tops cupboards and the like. Yea, pest control places always say that there is no harm but I don't buy it. These are toxic chemicals. I mean if household cleaners can be toxic for babies just imagine. Good luch with your new house and your sweet new bundle.

I've never had this experience but if you haven't moved in already I wouldn't take the chances. Before you get all your stuff in there is the best time to clean. All you need to do really is wipe things down really well, no scrubbing so it shouldn't take too long. Plus you want to check every corner, every crevice, every crack for any lingering dead bugs. We did use a "bug bomb" once and our house was filled with dead bugs everywhere. Especially under the fridge. We did that when we moved into the house and I never had problems with bugs the whole time we lived there.

K.,
i know those fumes are extremely poisonous, but i am not sure how long after when it is safe to go into a home. i would call your local poison control and simply ask. that is my advice. i just dont remember how long you have to wait, i think you are fine but i dont think i would rely on responses from mamasourse on this one, just call a professional, especially when you have a 2 month old.....just to be safe!! good luck in your new home!
L.

Hello K.,

Rest a sure, you and the kiddos will be fine. My dad is a termite inspector and has been doing it for years. In fact I've gone along with him and it's always funny that I spot our termites and suggest people that they should have they house tented!

Everything will be fine.

Best of Luck with the new house,
M.

This happened to me four years ago. They recommend three days but since I am always very concerned about being in touch with chemical substances I allowed five days til I moved in.

I really think I should have stayed out two more days and allowed one day for the house to be complitely ventilated and cleaned, with windows open for 24 hours.

It was smelly and I couldn't breath at night, so I opened the window and I caught the worst flu.

My daughter (9 year-old) was OK, but I would say that if you can stay a couple more days out and ventilate and clean before moving in it would be safer, specially for such a young baby.

I'm a realtor and have never had clients have an adverse reaction to any treatments used in their fumigations- which are normally required to close any escrow in our area. However, if your family has any known allergies they may be more sensitive than the average person. Just be sure to follow the instructions from your pest company on how to properly bag and store or remove all perishable items including your household plants. I hope you get rid of your bugs!! :)

K.,
Please do not move in without really cleaning and airing out your new home. Go on line and check out the chemicals they used and see how to get rid of the residue. Please don't believe that there is nothing remaining that can hurt your family. That's just wrong! You should be able to get a list of the ingredients they used in your home - that's your right. That's also your obligation to you and your family. I don't want to scare you, but protect your family first. If they were fumigating, they were killing something. A baby is too delicate to handle harsh chemical residues. There will be countless people telling you it's okay; it's not!!! You can call any homeopathic doctor or clinic and ask them! Or you could call poison control. My son-in-law worked for a pest control business and he would never take his baby into a house without totally cleaning it with organic cleaners and airing it out completely!!!!

You can 'diffuse' essential oils into the house to literally clear the air, such as Purification or Thieves Blend from Young Living Oils, (only available online or through some 'distributors'. Also, I'd recommend a great air filter, and run them through the house for a couple days, 24/7 before moving in. I'd keep your 2 month old in a room with the air filter on permanently for at least a full week.

We do sell the above oils at our store.

Namaste,
J. Eltman, MPH, RD
Preventive & Therapeutic Holistic Health
www.CreativeNutrition.com
1.877.5.EATWELL
Author: The NO DIET Diet: Healthy Meals in 5 Minutes

Hi K.- been there- done that~ My advice is SCRUB EVERY SURFACE. Babies lick everything. Busting a few suds will probably make your mind be at ease- especially if you use a non-toxic cleanser/

Congratulations on your new baby and your new house. I am a Realtor and have had many houses fumigated. From all of the research that I have done, there is no residue that can be harmful to anyone or anything.

K.,
These days the chemicals used are quite safe when you are told you may enter. The laws are strict in that they must come out and use equipment to test after so many hours and keep testing until it is safe (even for them) to enter. Then the house needs to breathe for a day. Two tips for those about to be tented: take the time to double bag (bags provied by company) everything that might be harmed by chemicals (e.g., foodstuffs) and wash all the dishes afterward. Also, think about security while the place is tented and the day the windows and doors are open. It will be fine!

A fumigation is just like having the pilot light go out in your water heater or stove. You just have to air out the house. When a fumigation is done the house is aired out before you are allowed to re-enter the house. They have to take readings of the air inside the structure before they can re-certify it as safe to re-enter. They will have drawers & doors open to allow the air to circulate.

I wouldn't worry about it. We did this while we LIVED in the house! Had to bag up anything that would go in the mouth (hello? that's everything for babies ;) Just air it out well and wash the major surfaces if it bothers you. It's a gas that they use. The worst you might find are dead bugs!

There really should be no concern as it is a gas that they use for this type of treatment. I am in real estate and deal with this a lot. I felt the same way when we had our house fumigated I was worried about our children but asked a lot of questions and took some extra precautions anyway. Being you are moving into the house I would not worry as none of the items touching your child was there when the gases were released into the home. Your child and your pets should be fine. Good luck on the move.

I don't know if there is really a problem but I didn't take chances.
I vacuumed the entire house and washed all the flat surfaces before we started putting our things in the house. I would also open every window and door for a while to make sure everything has time to clear out. If you can send someone over to the house before your son comes over all the better to help with this. Of course it was more important to me to clean up things before we moved in because the house had been vacant for several months before we moved in, they had done things like paint and put new carpet in but hadn't done the best ever job of cleaning up.

I would not risk it! get it cleaned professionally & ask your doctor how long to wait before going in. Air it out a lot!

Yes, you should be concerned. Do not bring the baby, you or animals for a while, into the house. I think the time is 2 weeks. I'm not sure on the timeline, but these toxins can definitely cause neurological, immune, gut problems in your baby, and you.
Air it out big time, get some good air filters, and go to this website to see if you can get answers.

www.inaturalmedicine.com
email: ____@____.com

I just heard Dr. K. Barrett speak about toxins the other night. I don't want to freak you out, but this is definitely something you need to find out b4 you guys go into the house. Find out the exact ingredients in the spray, and maybe google them.
Good luck, and email me if you have more questions.

L.

Be very careful. The toxins they use are powerful and children have died when pockets of it did not escape. Was there furniture in the house when this was done? You want to be especially careful in the case of bedding and any kind of plastic covers that might have been over mattresses etc. I wouldn't bring the baby in for at least a week after the treatment was done and you yourself made sure the place was really well aired out and there weren't any possible pockets trapped under plastic etc.

Hi K.,
We had to get tented about a year ago, and after we had lived here for 8 years as you can imagine we were well settle. I am happy to report there was nothing in the house when we returned, not even a smell. There should be no residue or anything since it is a gas that they use and ti is lighter then air so as soon as they open your windows it's gone. I spent weeks freaking out about it, but like I said it was actually really safe and simple.

Congrats on the new house too.

H.

I'm a realtor and it is very common for homes to be fumigated during the sales process. Have never had anyone have any type of issues after the tenting.

Hi - we had to tent our condo for termites while I was 8 months pregnant and we bagged all of our clothes, linens and anything that was a cosmetic (lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) and we took all linens or clothes for the baby with us to the hotel we stayed at. I stayed out of our place for 5 days - two days extra than what the termite company recommended. We washed all of our dishes when we got back in. I'm sure you're already doing this, but I would wash ANYTHING that is supposed to come into contact with your baby. The companies always say that it is "safe," but I don't really trust something as "safe" when it kills anything living that it comes into contact with. Good luck and I'm sorry you had to deal with this - I remember what a pain in the butt it was :)

YOu should be fine. Just open the windows and doors and keep it well ventalated. The fumigation stuff they use now days is fairly harmless once they remove the tents and you have that 24 hours clearing period before going in.

We went throught that a little over a year ago. My son used to work in pest control, and he said the house was perfectly safe. They used Vicane gas on our house, and all we had to do was use special bags they provided and double bag things in the pantry that weren't in cans, and empty the refrigerator and freezer, because everything had to be shut off. If you are moving in for the first time, you won't have to do anything. Apparently the gas becomes inert after 24 hours. Hope this helps.

Hi K.,
Im a Realtor, and although the pest company says there is no residue, I tell my clients to wipe all food preperation surfaces. Wipe the cabnets/drawers inside and out, and mop/vacum the floors. Better to be safe than sorry.

E.

From my experience nothing in the air, but make sure to wipe down the counters and cupboards before you put any food or plates and stuff on them. Just to be safe.
Congrats on your new house!!

I would certainly vacuum the entire house thoroughly, just to be on the safe side. Since we're having nice weather right now, you could open all the doors and windows, letting plenty of fresh air in. If you can smell an odor, you might even put fans in the windows facing outward. I've never heard of anyone having any problems after fumigation, though. Best of luck to you!

Hi K., my husband works for a pest control company and he said the resiual affects fade after about 4 hours you and your whole family are going to be ok. But just to be sure of any chemicles being left beihnd on doors, cabnits,countertops bathtubs and such just make sure they are all whiped down and rinsed off and have a great time moving into your new house.

My husband works for a hospital group that had a massive mold problem. They did the tent fumigation, and the company said that it wouldn't hurt any of the equipment or anything. Mold is a little different than pests, but they ended up losing millions of dollars of equipment. This was a couple months ago, and they still have equipment going down every day, because it is rusting inside from the chemicals they used. This is a HOSPITAL! I'd wait at least a week, and air it out really really good. Leave windows open as much as possible, get an air purifier. I just would take any chances with that baby.