Critters that come along when mail ordering clothes!

amother

Indigo

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 11:19 pm

One poster on the faux leather thread said to freeze your clothes when you buy on eBay to get rid of the mice. Are there disgusting things when you get clothes from eBay? What about Amazon? I ordered something from Amazon for the first time. Should I be worried while I wait?

Amarante

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 11:25 pm

I never heard of mice but theoretically you could get bedbugs from clothing.

I think freezing kills them but so would washing or dry cleaning.

ETA I don't worry about mail order new clothing anymore than I worry about clothing from a store. Used clothing may or may not be an issue.

Also it depends what the material is because pleather or leather can't be put into the hot water of a washing machine. A few years ago, there was a bedbug scare and I bought a used purse and put it in the freezer but I would not do that buying new from amazon or other mail order store EBAY used is different.

Dolly Welsh

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 11:31 pm

Whatever I get is washed right away, but there have never been any problems. Of course it's not clean enough to put on your skin when you first get it. It can't be.

After normal washing - or dry cleaning if necessary - everything is fine.

Something that couldn't be washed or cleaned, like a hat, I might inspect and air overnight. That would not be going right on my skin.

I didn't read the faux leather thread.

mommyla

Wed, Apr 01 2015, 12:03 am

greenfire wrote:

I'm sure nobody is mailing mice ~ squeak ...

I wonder if she meant lice ? or something else that freezes well

I have a funny feeling it was supposed to be "mites"

FranticFrummie

Wed, Apr 01 2015, 6:02 am

I've been buying on Ebay for years, and the worst thing I've ever gotten was some old lady's cheap perfume saturating the clothing. Why can't they wash things in fragrance free detergent first? It seems to me that it would be common courtesy.

Kitten

Wed, Apr 01 2015, 9:15 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

People put too much detergent to convince you that the item actually has been cleaned.
I think the poster from the leather thread meant lice, which could be possible for a used leather jacket. Used clothing is usually cleaned before you get it, so I wouldn't be too worried about bugs.

perquacky

Wed, Apr 01 2015, 1:07 pm

I'm sure she meant lice, and I wouldn't wear anything used without washing it first. I often wash new clothing too, just to get rid of the stiffness and the odd chemical odor.

Fox

Wed, Apr 01 2015, 3:03 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Actually, I think a lot of eBay sellers deliberately store merchandise with lavender because it repels moths, fleas, and mites without using synthetic or harsh chemicals. The smell can be a little overwhelming, though, I agree.

I'm more leery of anything new from a store: cardboard shipping boxes harbor all kinds of unwanted stowaways, especially if they've originated in tropical climates. As laissez-faire as I am about a lot of household practices, I'm a fanatic about throwing away cardboard boxes immediately after contents are removed.

mummiedearest

Wed, Apr 01 2015, 3:29 pm

I once ordered something from toys r us. it came with a whole lot of baby roaches in the box. this was a hard plastic toy, new in packaging. anything you order/buy can harbor anything/one. but I don't go crazy about it. I've been ordering things online for years, and this was one of two instances when bugs came in the box. the other time was a tichel with a dead bug attached to it. it was visible through the plastic packaging. two instances out of hundreds of orders (yes, I shop online a LOT) is ok, I think.

dancingqueen

Wed, Apr 01 2015, 3:43 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

OMG that roach story. I guess we are lucky as we do a fair bit of online ordering as well, and have not yet had issues with critters. I do always wash new clothes before wearing, from the store or online. Well be even more expeditious with taking out the boxes though now.