Not a nice topic but I recently read that because there could possibly be bed bugs or other pests in our newly purchased fabric, it is recommended that it be put into a hot dryer for about 20 minutes as soon as we bring it home. This should kill any eggs or larvae that may have attached itself while the fabric was being shipped. I don't know how true this may be but I would rather be safe than sorry. I now wash and dry all my new purchases as soon as I get home.

Fabric bolts come from the manufacturer shrink wrapped in plastic.

Where did you read this? Just what I need -- something else to worry about! :shock:

Yick! I always wash mine anyhow.......

I forget to wash new stuff but I always wash what I buy at the thrift shops and yard sales before it goes anywhere near my stash.

Exactly. I HATE bed bugs. Ran into them in Greece in 1964 and I never want to experience that again! I was given a beautiful Greek homemade wool blanket-white with little black dots all over it. There were literally thousands of them and they weren't black dots either.

I've been worrying about this too-especially with mail-order fabrics. I put my last order in my freezer for 2 weeks. Not sure if that even works but I read it somewhere. Is it obvious if the fabrics have them? For example can you just inspect them outside before bringing them indoors? Or are they invisible? (the eggs or whatever?) I don't like putting anything other than freshly washed stuff in my dryer. I don't want those chemicals from the fabrics bouncing all over the walls and end up on my clean clothes but I don't like to prewash everything right away either.

I think one concern is that the manufacturers are in countries like China and such where they have more bed bug problems because they don't worry or don't consider them to be an issue or something like that. So the bugs would be trapped in that plastic, but it wouldn't kill them.

also there are at least 3 clothing stores in NY that have had infestations so it's not only thrift shops there. :(

It's my understanding that bed bugs need blood to live.Seems to me they would starve whilst picking their teeth and waiting for somebody to pounce on once they bought the material. What would the host be doing all that time? Mostly be scared of hotel beds where many travellers have slept - the bugs hide in the ridges of the mattresses.

I heard they can live for up to a year between "bites"

I believe this was in regards to fabric purchased at secondhand/thrift stores as there has been problems with bedbugs showing up in those shops.

No, not always. Joann's bolts, for instance, are shipped in boxes, unwrapped

BED BUGS are everywhere. It is a good idea to put any fabric you bring home in a hot dryer, no matter where you bought it.

I have watched a documentary on these pesty creatures, they can live up to a year with out blood. They like dark places, theaters, mattress, and more. Don't set your purse or luggage down on a soft surface unless you know it is safe. They are tough to get rid of also. If in a hotel, put your luggage in the bathroom on the floor until you inspect the bedding. The show I watched showed a bed bug the size of an apple seed, so you can see them. Yuck.

any suggestion for those who don't have a drier. A lot of us over here don't have houses big enough to accommodate one.. no garage or outhouse either.

Heat is the best solution. You can put your fabric in the microwave! DD works for a City councilman and has attended
press briefings. If you live near a place w infestations (Columbus , Ohio, etc.) keep your new fabric tied up in a plastic bag until you can wash it. Ick!

I never thought of the microwave! I bought a beautiful dress at GW, that couldnt be washed, so I stuck it in the deep freeze for a month. Nothing is gonna live throught that!

I don't know if I'd want to put something that possibly has bugs on it in my microwave.

Also the freezer may not kill them. Think of all the insects up here in the North that 'come back' after the winter - they've adapted to freezing temps.

Rachel Ray had an "expert" on to do a presentation. He showed how the little buggers were in the creases of boxes that are delivered to you. A lot of apparel shops in New York have had to close downt to "debug" lately, and these are name brand stores. He suggested not even taking the boxes into the house. Put the contents into the washer/dryer as soon as you receive them. He showed how they live in the creases of chairs/furniture in hotel lobbies and if carried by someone/something, can be in any upholstered chairs anywhere.

Very scary information, but we can definitely be aware. Was at a podiatrists office the other day and there were upholstered chairs and I was afraid to sit on them without inspecting them. LOL

You might be able to go to Rachel Ray's website and look in archives for the video, she usually keeps them for viewing.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/sitese...query=bed+bugs

There has been alot on the news about bed bugs. I know we are just lucky we haven't had the problem yet but if we do see them the dryer will be working over time!

Maybe we're just lucky, but I've never seen a bed bug, or larvae, in any of the thousands of bolts or tens of thousands of fabrics I've cut and folded.

I think the problem must be mostly with second hand and thrift store fabrics.

put in plastic bags and secure leave for a few days this should take care of problem for you

Bed bugs are a big problem now, even in 5 star hotels. I stayed in a very nice hotel in OKC, and had bed bug bites on my arm, they moved me, and more bed bugs, they bought me a new mattress (I was staying 9 months, son was in hospital there), and finally no bugs. I decided to clean my own room after that, washed the bedding myself in guest laundry including my towels..got a discount because of the long stay and self cleaning/laundry. But just a night or so in a hotel, guess we take chances, no matter how high end the hotel is...too many international travelers, it's not just over seas problem any more, it's all over America too now.
Fabrics, with chemicals and 'bugs', and because it's flu season with everyone sneezing or touching fabrics, good reason to prewash. I know Moda, Kauffman, higher fabrics 'cure' in a hot steam rm sealing dye color and some preshrinkage this way (no prewash needed) lower end fabrics should prewash as dye isn't cured, but in transit, or in store, everyone sick, good reason to prewash anyway.

This is yucky stuff for sure....but I do think I would rather run all my incoming materials through a dryer than try to handle the situation after an infestation.
Yuck, does this mean I am not going to go a movie in town again? Think I will contact the CDC here locally and then post their response.

This is all too disgusting....I am going back to my sewing. :x :cry:

Google CDC for your area. Wow, there is a lot of information on identifing and treating for bed bugs. Looks as if we are going to have to know all about this if we continue to live ...also found a lot of good information on the National Pesticide Informational Center.

I personally believe there are some type of bugs everywhere. If we knew what was in the schools, restraunts etc, we would never go or do anything. Even our homes. There are billions+ people on this planet so a few with bedbugs is not much to get upset over. No one would ever stay in a hotel if you knew who slept there. Or what. LOL SO I am going to hope that for 54 years no incidents with buggies and hope the next years are equally lucky. And Oh ickkkkkkkkkkkkk on this subject.

Only if you leave them in the plastic bags for at least a year before opening them.