cleaning after an infestation

Julia Altshuler said:

I've now removed all the packages of rice, pasta, beans, grains, etc.
I've thrown away where appropriate and frozen where appropriate. I've
removed the things in jars like honey and mollasses, wiped their little
bottoms, and now have 3 empty shelves.

I've wiped with damp paper towels the wormies and black yucky stuff
which might be worm [censored]. I need advice on further cleaning. Previous
owners put down contact paper. There was (is) yucky black sticky stuff
on the wood at the edges where the contact paper didn't reach. I've
been able to lift off some of the contact paper. It looks clean but is
sticky below. The contact paper that remains is sticky even after being
wiped down with water.

I'd like to use the shelves again. Is there something I could clean
with that would guarantee that I've killed all residual eggs? Is there
anything that would remove the stickiness?

--Lia

I use bleach and prayer.

Prevention is the most useful thing and that's where the freezer is
handy. Freeze, thaw, refreeze. Couple of days each, fresh from the
store, before restocking. I don't know about that contact paper. Could
be eggs there, but the moths usually choose something the larva can eat.
Maybe the glue is edible?

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Julia Altshuler said:

The good news is that I finally found the source of these little
bug-type wormies that would show up on the kitchen counter next to the
stove from time to time. There were never more than 2 or 3, and they
generally appeared to be dead. We thought they might be coming in from
the back door or through the oven vent. The bad news is that I finally
found the source of the bug-type wormies. Yuck.

I've now removed all the packages of rice, pasta, beans, grains, etc.
I've thrown away where appropriate and frozen where appropriate. I've
removed the things in jars like honey and mollasses, wiped their little
bottoms, and now have 3 empty shelves.

I've wiped with damp paper towels the wormies and black yucky stuff
which might be worm [censored]. I need advice on further cleaning. Previous
owners put down contact paper. There was (is) yucky black sticky stuff
on the wood at the edges where the contact paper didn't reach. I've
been able to lift off some of the contact paper. It looks clean but is
sticky below. The contact paper that remains is sticky even after being
wiped down with water.

I'd like to use the shelves again. Is there something I could clean
with that would guarantee that I've killed all residual eggs? Is there
anything that would remove the stickiness?

--Lia

Someone in rec.crafts.textiles.needlework suggests GooGone Automotive
Gel for removing adhesives; apparently, unlike its liquid counterpart,
it's a spray that stays in place, it's relatively odourless, it soaks
into the adhesive, and wipes away with a paper towel.

To ensure you've killed any remaining eggs, a mild bleach solution might
work.

"flitterbit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Julia Altshuler said:

The good news is that I finally found the source of these little bug-type
wormies that would show up on the kitchen counter next to the stove from
time to time. There were never more than 2 or 3, and they generally
appeared to be dead. We thought they might be coming in from the back
door or through the oven vent. The bad news is that I finally found the
source of the bug-type wormies. Yuck.

I've now removed all the packages of rice, pasta, beans, grains, etc.
I've thrown away where appropriate and frozen where appropriate. I've
removed the things in jars like honey and mollasses, wiped their little
bottoms, and now have 3 empty shelves.

I've wiped with damp paper towels the wormies and black yucky stuff which
might be worm [censored]. I need advice on further cleaning. Previous owners
put down contact paper. There was (is) yucky black sticky stuff on the
wood at the edges where the contact paper didn't reach. I've been able
to lift off some of the contact paper. It looks clean but is sticky
below. The contact paper that remains is sticky even after being wiped
down with water.

I'd like to use the shelves again. Is there something I could clean with
that would guarantee that I've killed all residual eggs? Is there
anything that would remove the stickiness?

--Lia

Someone in rec.crafts.textiles.needlework suggests GooGone Automotive Gel
for removing adhesives; apparently, unlike its liquid counterpart, it's a
spray that stays in place, it's relatively odourless, it soaks into the
adhesive, and wipes away with a paper towel.

To ensure you've killed any remaining eggs, a mild bleach solution might
work.

We used goo gone when I worked in the grocery to get labels off the shelves.
Soak a clean rag in goo gone and place it over the area. It will permeate
the sticky without dripping on the next shelf. Remove the cloth after a
hour or so, rinse out and try to get it up. It may take two or more
applications, but it does seem to work.
-ginny
(Goo Gone can be bought as a liquid, which is what we used. The gel may
work directly on the spots)

Then the wormies were moth larva? I'm not sure I want to know. When I
found what had to be the offending bag, I looked at bottom of it (a
paper bag, not transparent) and threw it away without looking inside.
(Then I threw away anything that I hadn't used in a while.)

I think I'll hold off on the googone gel and bleach until Jim gets back.
He goes a little nuts at the idea that I might not be showing proper
respect for wood.

The most troublesome spot is going to be the space between the shelf and
the board that supports the shelf. If you look at the shelf from the
bottom, it looks solid. If you look at it from the inside, there's a
half inch space that a pencil and several toothpicks had fallen behind.
That's where I'm afraid a great deal of the yuckiness is. I'm not
sure I can tackle that myself.

Thanks to everyone who wrote.

--Lia

Virginia Tadrzynski said:

"flitterbit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Julia Altshuler said:

The good news is that I finally found the source of these little bug-type
wormies that would show up on the kitchen counter next to the stove from
time to time. There were never more than 2 or 3, and they generally
appeared to be dead. We thought they might be coming in from the back
door or through the oven vent. The bad news is that I finally found the
source of the bug-type wormies. Yuck.

I've now removed all the packages of rice, pasta, beans, grains, etc.
I've thrown away where appropriate and frozen where appropriate. I've
removed the things in jars like honey and mollasses, wiped their little
bottoms, and now have 3 empty shelves.

I've wiped with damp paper towels the wormies and black yucky stuff which
might be worm [censored]. I need advice on further cleaning. Previous owners
put down contact paper. There was (is) yucky black sticky stuff on the
wood at the edges where the contact paper didn't reach. I've been able
to lift off some of the contact paper. It looks clean but is sticky
below. The contact paper that remains is sticky even after being wiped
down with water.

I'd like to use the shelves again. Is there something I could clean with
that would guarantee that I've killed all residual eggs? Is there
anything that would remove the stickiness?

--Lia

Someone in rec.crafts.textiles.needlework suggests GooGone Automotive Gel
for removing adhesives; apparently, unlike its liquid counterpart, it's a
spray that stays in place, it's relatively odourless, it soaks into the
adhesive, and wipes away with a paper towel.

To ensure you've killed any remaining eggs, a mild bleach solution might
work.

We used goo gone when I worked in the grocery to get labels off the shelves.
Soak a clean rag in goo gone and place it over the area. It will permeate
the sticky without dripping on the next shelf. Remove the cloth after a
hour or so, rinse out and try to get it up. It may take two or more
applications, but it does seem to work.
-ginny
(Goo Gone can be bought as a liquid, which is what we used. The gel may
work directly on the spots)

Goo Gone gel will work fine for contact paper residue.

For general cleaning I like to use Clorox Cleanup which seems to have a
healthy (or unhealthy) bleach content to kill most anything it contacts
for a reasonable amount of time. Don't spray it on a painted surface and
then for get to wipe it dry however as it will bleach out the color.

Julia Altshuler said:

(snips)

Quoted message said:

I'd like to use the shelves again. Is there something I could clean
with that would guarantee that I've killed all residual eggs? Is there
anything that would remove the stickiness?

--Lia

One trick to remove glue & stickiness from shelves and other surfaces is
to use a mixture of warm water and automatic dishwasher detergent. Any
generic brand will work, but make sure the DW detergent dissolves in the
water before using. Sponge or spray mixture on the surface to let soak
for a few minutes (or a little longer?), then remove.

There's some sort of enzyme (I think?) in the DW detergent that cuts the
glue. Many years ago when I had to remove wall paper and the residual
glue, I was told to use this trick by a professional
painter/wall-paperer. It worked like a charm. BUT, be sure to wear
gloves; that stuff (water and DW detergent) is rough on the hands if
they're immersed in the mixture.

Sky

Julia Altshuler said:

Then the wormies were moth larva? I'm not sure I want to know. When I
found what had to be the offending bag, I looked at bottom of it (a
paper bag, not transparent) and threw it away without looking inside.
(Then I threw away anything that I hadn't used in a while.)

I think I'll hold off on the googone gel and bleach until Jim gets back.
He goes a little nuts at the idea that I might not be showing proper
respect for wood.

The most troublesome spot is going to be the space between the shelf and
the board that supports the shelf. If you look at the shelf from the
bottom, it looks solid. If you look at it from the inside, there's a
half inch space that a pencil and several toothpicks had fallen behind.
That's where I'm afraid a great deal of the yuckiness is. I'm not
sure I can tackle that myself.

Thanks to everyone who wrote.

--Lia

Yuck- I had those at my previous house. I cleaned and dumped stuff
more than once. I guess I was dumping the wrong stuff- flour, cereal
etc. They were in a bag of white chocolate. Ended up using a pheremone
sticky thing I got from an exterminator, which solved the problem.

merryb said:

Julia Altshuler said:

Then the wormies were moth larva? I'm not sure I want to know.
When I found what had to be the offending bag, I looked at bottom
of it (a paper bag, not transparent) and threw it away without
looking inside. (Then I threw away anything that I hadn't used in
a while.)

Quoted message said:

Yuck- I had those at my previous house. I cleaned and dumped stuff
more than once. I guess I was dumping the wrong stuff- flour, cereal
etc. They were in a bag of white chocolate. Ended up using a pheremone
sticky thing I got from an exterminator, which solved the problem.

The two times I had those mothy dudes was due to bags of cornmeal. I
now keep that in the freezer.

Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Default User said:

The two times I had those mothy dudes was due to bags of cornmeal. I
now keep that in the freezer.

I keep most of my grains in mason jars. So far, so good.

Serene

Virginia Tadrzynski said:

"flitterbit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Julia Altshuler said:

The good news is that I finally found the source of these little bug-type
wormies that would show up on the kitchen counter next to the stove from
time to time. There were never more than 2 or 3, and they generally
appeared to be dead. We thought they might be coming in from the back
door or through the oven vent. The bad news is that I finally found the
source of the bug-type wormies. Yuck.

I've now removed all the packages of rice, pasta, beans, grains, etc.
I've thrown away where appropriate and frozen where appropriate. I've
removed the things in jars like honey and mollasses, wiped their little
bottoms, and now have 3 empty shelves.

I've wiped with damp paper towels the wormies and black yucky stuff which
might be worm [censored]. I need advice on further cleaning. Previous owners
put down contact paper. There was (is) yucky black sticky stuff on the
wood at the edges where the contact paper didn't reach. I've been able
to lift off some of the contact paper. It looks clean but is sticky
below. The contact paper that remains is sticky even after being wiped
down with water.

I'd like to use the shelves again. Is there something I could clean with
that would guarantee that I've killed all residual eggs? Is there
anything that would remove the stickiness?

--Lia

Someone in rec.crafts.textiles.needlework suggests GooGone Automotive Gel
for removing adhesives; apparently, unlike its liquid counterpart, it's a
spray that stays in place, it's relatively odourless, it soaks into the
adhesive, and wipes away with a paper towel.

To ensure you've killed any remaining eggs, a mild bleach solution might
work.

We used goo gone when I worked in the grocery to get labels off the shelves.
Soak a clean rag in goo gone and place it over the area. It will permeate
the sticky without dripping on the next shelf. Remove the cloth after a
hour or so, rinse out and try to get it up. It may take two or more
applications, but it does seem to work.
-ginny
(Goo Gone can be bought as a liquid, which is what we used. The gel may
work directly on the spots)

i got some goo gone to remove the sticky residue from the strips
sealing c.d. cases. it works pretty well. (rubbing alcohol works,
too, but it takes longer and smells worse.)

your pal,
blake