Almost eradicated by DDT, bedbugs have made a resurgence in the United States. The Digital Journal noted that is believed, "immigration and international travel along with less effective pesticides has caused the rapid rise in bed bugs."
"Most householders of this generation have never seen a bedbug," writes Michael F. Potter, Extension Entomologist from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.
Laundromats with Attendants
The difference between the laundromat where you might find bedbugs and a laundromat where you probably won't is an attendant who keeps the laundromat clean and well-maintained. Bedbugs are not likely to thrive in a clean, well-tended environment. Your chances of getting bedbugs increase in less fastidiously maintained laundromats.
Disease
"Bedbugs are not known to transmit infectious diseases to humans," says entomologist Richard J. Pollack, PhD, research associate with the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Pollack says, "You don't have to worry about who the bedbug fed on earlier. You're not going to get hepatitis B or C, malaria or HIV." Nevertheless, the bites are extremely itchy and can cause anxiety, stress and insomnia.
Prevention/Solution
It is easy to identify a bedbug. "Bed bugs are oval, flattened, brown and wingless insects approximately one-quarter inch to three-eights inch long (5 to 9 mm)," explains Dr. Stephen A. Kells and Jeff Hahn, both professors at the University of Minnesota Extension. "They are similar in appearance to a wood tick. After the bug has taken a blood meal, its color will change from brown to purplish-red."
Laundromats
Look around the laundromat for bedbugs. Be sure to check your washing machine before you begin your laundry. Some recommend wiping the inside of the washer with a disinfectant wipe to eliminate larvae. Empty the lint tray before you start and after you are finished. Put the lint in a plastic bag, tie the bag closed and dispose of it somewhere outside of the laundromat. If you find dead bed bugs in the washer, remove them, and inform the attendant if there is one at the facility. Then, quickly, take your laundry somewhere else.
Health
Laundromats are an excellent place to treat bedbug infection.
The Vermont Department of Health advises,"Clean bedding, linens, curtains, rugs, carpets and clothes. To kill bedbugs, wash items in hot water and dry them on the highest dryer setting. Soak delicate clothes in warm water with lots of laundry soap for several hours before you rinse them. Wool items, plush toys, shoes and many other items can be placed into a hot dryer for 30 minutes to get rid of bedbugs."
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