Hot wash bedding options?

[Seabeggar]

I was planning on taking a lightweight sleeping bag this Autumn, but it wont cope with a hot dryer after bed bug encounters. I am now considering a rectangular fleece sleeping bag liner with full side zipper that could also be opened up as a blanket. Still not great to put it in a hot dryer but might cope better. Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[MinaKamina]

you can also freeze the item, instead of washing at 60 degrees C

 

[Xali1970]

I was planning on taking a lightweight sleeping bag this Autumn, but it wont cope with a hot dryer after bed bug encounters. I am now considering a rectangular fleece sleeping bag liner with full side zipper that could also be opened up as a blanket. Still not great to put it in a hot dryer but might cope better. Any suggestions appreciated.

Surprising. What's the sleeping bag made of?
In my experience you need to put the items DRY in the dryer and cook the blighters, not wash them beforehand.
Down, wool and synthetic items have survived this.
It's a question for the manufacturer in the end.

 

[howardd5]

I was planning on taking a lightweight sleeping bag this Autumn, but it wont cope with a hot dryer after bed bug encounters. I am now considering a rectangular fleece sleeping bag liner with full side zipper that could also be opened up as a blanket. Still not great to put it in a hot dryer but might cope better. Any suggestions appreciated.

I had bed bugs once just before Pamplona, and as it was summer, I put everything in a large black trash bag , inflated it somewhat and tied the opening and left it in the hot sun for an hour. It worked and I did not have another problem . But I now spray bag& pack with Permethrin before I go to the Camino

 

[C clearly]

it wont cope with a hot dryer after bed bug encounters

I agree with @Xali1970 above, that the bag will likely be fine if you don't wash it first and just put it into the dryer.

Besides, this is better for bedbug treatment, because the bugs need to be at or above the temp of about 50-55 degrees C for 20-30 minutes to ensure that all life stages (eggs and all) are killed. They won't reach that temperature until after the water has been evaporated, so you have better control if you start with a dry sleeping bag.

 

[Joynz]

you can also freeze the item, instead of washing at 60 degrees C

The research I read is that heat is much more reliable than freezing & that most freezers don’t get cold enough to kill the eggs. Have you got a link to newer (post-2013) scientific research that says freezing works for eggs & bugs?

 

[trecile]

you can also freeze the item, instead of washing at 60 degrees C

The research I read is that heat is much more reliable than freezing & that most freezers don’t get cold enough to kill the eggs.

Also, the time needed at freezing temperature is much longer than the time needed in a hot dryer. Plus it's unlikely to find a freezer to use on the Camino, but hot dryers are readily available.

 

[MinaKamina]

Also, the time needed at freezing temperature is much longer than the time needed in a hot dryer. Plus it's unlikely to find a freezer to use on the Camino, but hot dryers are readily available.

Maybe read first what the OP writes?

This is about a sleeping bag that wont cope with a hot dryer

Thank you.

 

[trecile]

Maybe read first what the OP writes?

This is about a sleeping bag that wont cope with a hot dryer

I understand that's what the OP wrote, but in my experience there is very little that can't go into a hot dryer, especially if the item is dry when it's put in.

For example I have put my merino clothing and down blanket into a hot dryer for half an hour with no ill effects.

 

[David Tallan]

Maybe read first what the OP writes?

This is about a sleeping bag that wont cope with a hot dryer

Thank you.

I think trecile's point is that there are many fabrics that say "Do not dry on high" because they would be damaged or shrunk if you put them from a washer into a hot dryer. But if you put them into a hot dryer already dry they are find. Wool is an example of such a fabric. It is quite possible that this is the case with OP's sleeping bag.

That is one reason the bedbug advice is to put your items in the dryer on high and only afterward wash (and possibly dry) them. The other reason being that the heat is much better at getting rid of the bedbugs when the fabric is dry.

 

[JerryStroebele]

Just treat your existing sleeping bag and backpack with permethrin and don't worry too much about bedbugs. Buen Camino

 

[Anamiri]

The research I read is that heat is much more reliable than freezing & that most freezers don’t get cold enough to kill the eggs. Have you got a link to newer (post-2013) scientific research that says freezing works for eggs & bugs?

I haven't used that method for begbugs, (I spray with permethrin) but I have used it for clothes moths. Occasionally I have been asked to mend a garment eaten by moths. Given I have a LOT of wool in my house, the last thing I want is an infestation of them here, so I take no chances. So I've put the garment in the freezer for a week, taken it out to encourage any eggs to hatch, than stuck it back for another week. Apparently my process is overkill (pun intended) but slow.

 

[C clearly]

The research I read is that heat is much more reliable than freezing & that most freezers don’t get cold enough to kill the eggs. Have you got a link to newer (post-2013) scientific research that says freezing works for eggs & bugs?

The studies that I've seen reported do date back to 2013. I agree that heat is faster and more certain, but freezing is very useful as well. As I recall, the suggested temperature for killing eggs and bugs in a matter of days is about 0 F (-18 C), which my freezer does reach.

When I pack my bag in Spain for the return trip home, I pack it so that it is easy to "process" at home. At the top, my washables will be in a dry bag that I can pull out and put into the dryer, special items such as electrical/electronic/medical will be in another bag that can be isolated for careful examination the next day or so, and almost everything else is freezer-safe so I can put whole backpack into a plastic garbage bag in the freezer where it sits for a week. It is actually nice to not have to deal with the unpacking for a few days!