Starwaia Posted December 11, 2021 Recently it turned out that there might be bedbugs in a bed in the room where I kept one of my SMDs on display. She was on a dresser on the other side of the room from the bed. I've been told that to make sure the bugs don't spread, anything from that room that can't be washed should be put in a sealed plastic bag for a YEAR to avoid spreading anything to the rest of the house. We only found out about the bedbugs after I already had taken the doll downstairs to do an outdoor photoshoot. As far as I can tell there's no bugs on her but idk about eggs or if they might be inside with the frame. At this point is it worth it/necessary to put her away for a year or do some sort of deep cleaning? And if the latter, how should I go about doing so? I'm very upset that this happened and I just got started doing stuff with this doll again only for this to happen. 5 Currently watching BNHA, 1-2 episodes behind on the anime rn and absolutely obsessed! (being in a fandom late has made dodging spoilers an issue tho ) More into Nendoroids and my resin BJDs rn- including some BNHA character shells hehehe - my Smartdolls are boxed up at the moment but I'm still happy to talk dolls and doll plans! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baldylox Posted December 11, 2021 Your best bet is to take her completely apart, clean her with HOT water and soap, let air dry on a towel and then put her parts in several zip loc bags and into the freezer for a week. Bedbugs cannot deal with extreme heat or cold and since the normal way they use heat to get rid of them in a room is to heat it up to 140 F degrees and leave it for a few hours, I wouldn't want to have the doll exposed to that for fear of damage. But the cold won't do the doll any harm as long as you let her get to room temp over the course of a few hours. Then I'd wash her again in hot water and soap, let her air dry one last time and then put her back together again. That will take care of any eggs or insects in or on the body. As for the clothing and the wig, those will need to be washed repeatedly in as hot a water as you can get. You should be good to go after that. Billy I gave up counting the girls I own, they keep multiplying and won't stop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moerunamida Posted December 12, 2021 I don't have any advice but wanted to offer support. I cannot imagine how upset you are! I hope you are able to get rid of them fast! Circle (Towa) Yui (MDD) Coralie (MDD) 88 (Kizuna AI) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Noxxbunny Posted December 12, 2021 (edited) Another post to offer support. My uncle had bedbugs in his house and it was a nightmare getting rid of them. He opted for the whole house heating treatment to kill them. Nothing was damaged from it, but it is very expensive. I've dealt with having carpet beetles before, not as problematic as bedbugs but they destroy fabric. So I've always been in the habit of keeping all my doll items stored in ziploc bags or sealable plastic containers to keep them out in case they ever came back.(Luckily they never have, and I've since moved anyway lol) The good news is that as far as I'm aware, bed bugs are similar to carpet beetles in that they don't really care for plastic and synthetic materials? So I hope your girl will be just fine with a cleaning. Edited December 12, 2021 by Noxxbunny Current Crew: Kaito(DDH07), Kagamine Rin, Kaito V3, 9S, Ruby(Arle), Devola(2B), Anya Forger Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starwaia Posted January 28, 2022 Update as I realize ppl may have been worried- the exterminator came and it turned out the issue was carpet beetles, not bedbugs, and they weren't located anywhere near the doll-- I'm very relieved but I still kept her in a plastic bag for a few days just in case- I didn't think of the fabric issue but everything is fine as far as I can tell. It was definitely a scare though! (the issue was a family member getting unidentfied bites while sleeping in that room temporarily, apparently the larvae can irritate skin *shivers* The bed was the main danger zone and Felis was far away and high up on a shelf. we will be more careful about that room since it doesn't get used a lot but it was definitely a Big Worry right before the holidays) Maybe I should have done the deep cleaning but tbh I'm nervous about breaking her due to replacement parts being difficult to get in milk tone. It's been a month and she's fine, though. Thank you so much @baldylox for the tips and everyone for your support! 6 Currently watching BNHA, 1-2 episodes behind on the anime rn and absolutely obsessed! (being in a fandom late has made dodging spoilers an issue tho ) More into Nendoroids and my resin BJDs rn- including some BNHA character shells hehehe - my Smartdolls are boxed up at the moment but I'm still happy to talk dolls and doll plans! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rajke Posted January 31, 2022 Good to hear that it weren’t bedbugs. Those are a real persistent nightmare (in more than one way). 🥶 1 Greetz, Rajke Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Katsudon Posted February 1, 2022 Whew! Though bedbugs aren't so common here, I can still imagine the worry. Had to deal with clothes moths, which sound similar to carpet beetles maybe? (Mostly fixated on wool, so actually end up going for carpets. Thankfully they stayed away from dolls, but the larvae decimated the carpet in the house we were renting. The landlord should have fumigated before we moved in, because finding larvae and their cases everywhere was so damn gross. I hate renting.) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
