Dry Cleaners Guide Bed Bug Infestation
It’s a horror story. A feeling when a black-hole sucks every particle of your entire body and brain in a flash of a second. Now, do you float on an event horizon and let it suck you up? Or, would someone rescue you and get out of that dangerous spiral! That is how you feel when bed bugs hit you and your home. You keep your home clean. You teach your kids to keep everything organized. You never saw roaches or ants in your home. You feel proud of your family and yourself. But bed bugs will change all of those moments in a flash of a second. The saddest thing about bed bugs is that they can stay in your home as long as human beings exist. They don’t mind a clean home. In fact a clean home may even help them continue to sense carbon monoxide very well. You are not alone. Imagine it how would Macy’s and it’s staff have felt when Bed Bugs hit them in NYC? What about so many hotels and theaters that were hit by Bed Bugs? Enough is enough! We are at war with Bed Bugs. Read the Dry Cleaners Guide Bed Bug Infestation.
Please find the following how to guide on instructions for your home and for your garment.
How to Clean Your Home after Bed Bug Infestation
You should first check your mattresses. If you see infestation then replace those mattresses and mattress pads with Vinyl mattress covers which are sold from Target. Bed bugs cannot crawl on Vinyl and this is the most important fact of all. Now, do not let your bed touch the wall. All legs on the bed need to be dipped in oil so that bed bugs cannot crawl up. Vacuum your bed rooms and then living room. Check your sofa for infestation. If it’s summer time then bring them to your patio or deck and bed bugs will go away in the direct heat of sun. Now spray your entire home with a commercial bed bug treatment spray that you can buy from Internet for $60. If you have children then take them outside of home for at least 3 hours. After a week, perform the spray treatment again.
How to Clean Your Clothes after Bed Bug Infestation
You will need to clean all of your garment so as to avoid any risk of keeping bed bugs hanging inside the seams. Separate all garment into two categories.
Category 1: Washable Garment
Wash them in a Super Wash cycle and use an extra rinse cycle. Use Ammonia or Vinegar in your wash as long as clothes color fastness allows them. Do not damage clothes by washing in HOT temperature. Rather, wash with the temperature that is allowed by manufacturers. Do not worry if you have to wash some garment in cold wash. Then, dry at a low temperature for more than 1 hour. Remember that majority of professionals will recommend you to dry at a very high temperature. However, doing so will damage your garment!
Category 2: Dry Cleanable Garment
Now, separate the Suits, Jackets, Blouses, Skirts and Pants that have dry clean only label. These garment should be dry cleaned in Tetrachloroethylene based solvent. Remember that Tetrachloroethylene has a very bad reputation and is even said to be carcinogenic. But, it is the most powerful solvent of all. It will not damage your garment and kill all bed bugs including any eggs or traces! Ask your local dry cleaners to hang clothes after pressing for at least one day before they put a plastic on it. By hanging them majority of solvent will evaporate.
During 2015, 2016 and 2017 we have cleaned bed bugs infested garmement for more than 5 customers successfully. We are also happy to recommend several home remedies that can help you prevent bed bugs from coming in future.
Please call us at 703 255 7100 or stop by at Maple Cleaners and Laundry 348 maple ave west Vienna va 22180.