Comments on: FAQ: dry cleaners and bed bugs

By: Jean Mannning

Jean Mannning — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:09:05 +0000

I used this place called Iris Cleaners (www.iriscleaners.com/bedbugs) and they were really great. I had a friend refer me who had the same problem. They did both my laundry (for $1.50/ pound) and dry cleaning. The best part was that they give you 2 weeks of storage for free. This was great in my case since they were coming 2 weeks later to re- spray my place.

They came up to my 4th floor no elevator apartment and took about 7 garbage bags full of dry cleaning. I got my stuff back looking cleaner than usual.

In the end while I spent quite a bit on the cleaning I felt more relieved than I had since this mess started.

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:23:20 +0000

Blissful,

I don’t think this has been tested.

I would not rely on it unless the low temperature dryer cycle was hot enough to kill bed bugs.

By: Blissful

Blissful — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:30:19 +0000

Does anyone know if Dryell works for killing bed bugs? With dryell you only keep things in the dryer on LOW for about 20 minutes as per their directions and there are chemicals inside…

By: DougSummersMS

DougSummersMS — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:20:40 +0000

Bed bugs will travel throughout the room… not just the beds.

I suspect that the rugs could withstand 120 degrees for four hours, but talk with a rug expert to be sure.

Vikane fumigation or Cyronite is another option.

A Pest Control firm could treat the rugs with DDVP or other agents.

By: edward field

edward field — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:34:12 +0000

but what to do about a one-room apartment full of oriental rugs? high heat would wreck them, wouldn’t it? and dry cleaning costs a fortune. do the bed bugs travel everywhere, or are the bed bugs just confined to the beds area?

By: edward field

edward field — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:32:55 +0000

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:51:20 +0000

Hi wordfromadrycleaner,

We agree of course about notifying dry cleaners that items are infested: the second sentence of the post you commented on says,

“…you must tell the dry cleaners about the bed bugs before giving them your sealed-in-a-bag clothes.”

I would favor treatment over replacement, because discarded items may spread bed bugs. They MAY spread them to neighbors, who may reinfest you.

Also, remember that some items which cannot be wet washed can nevertheless be dried in a hot dryer briefly. If dry items are put in a dryer, they do not need to be dried long. For some items, this may save money.

Finally, dry cleaners should be aware that not everyone who has bed bugs knows they have them. The visual signs can be difficult to detect, and many people do not react to bed bug bites.

Dry cleaners and other people in service professions need to take precautions at work because they may be exposed to bed bugs via people who have no clue they have them.

By: wordfromadrycleaner

wordfromadrycleaner — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:39:50 +0000

Thought some folks might appreciate word from a dry cleaner. We recently found an infestation in our home. Most likely from a customer who didn’t let me know (if they knew themselves) about their little friends. I now have a home, and a business to get treated. PLEASE TELL YOUR DRY CLEANER! We do have methods of dealing with these guys. PERC should do the trick, and if not, the 180 degree dryer will. Most cleaners also have large capacity washers and dryers that can handle your comforters, sleeping bags, and larger items. I agree about the pillows though – get rid of them. The throw pillows too! As far as leather items or other specialty items (hats, shoes, purses), call a couple different cleaners in your area and see what they say. We do regular business with a company that specializes in cleaning these types of items. Of course this will come at a cost, so compare the replacement cost vs. cleaning cost. Find yourself a good dry cleaner and good luck to us all!

By: anne17nyc

anne17nyc — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:00:50 +0000

I live in Midtown and I found this place called Iris Cleaners http://www.iriscleaners.com/bedbugs from an ad on here and also saw that they were referenced in a previous post. I called and they e-mailed me a price list and some brief info on how to prepare my clothes for them to pick them up. I was glad they offer free pick up and delivery because I was already dreading having to cab 10 black bags full of clothes to the dry cleaners. Luckily they do wash & fold as well. The guy on the phone put me at ease but i tried to get a discount for the bulk but they told me they actually charge more for the bed bug removal because my stuff is processed sepratley from any other clothes. They gauranteed me that any bugs or traces would be completley removed or they would clean it again at no charge.

I found that the prices were a little bit expensive but overall he put me at ease and I would rather pay a little more so that i can finally sleep again at night.

The exterminators came twice so i ended up storing it there for 2 weeks which they allow but they told me they would charge me after that.

They also gave me some tips about the exterminators and were able to pick up my stuff at night and deliver it back on saturday since i work.

By: sheismadenew

sheismadenew — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 06:57:38 +0000

I’ll also post this on a forum, but I have some leather coats that wouldn’t survive a dryer, and special sizes for me (I’m not a normal height). Does the leather cleaning method kill bedbugs? Does anyone know? If not, would the 180 degree oven or drying it in a zipped-up dryel bag to protect it kill the bedbugs?