In the video below from 5/19/2008, Fox News NY visits a mattress recycling operation in Woodside to report on bed bugs in “refurbished” mattresses.

It is perfectly legal to spritz, recover, and resell used mattresses in New York. They have to be sanitized and labeled properly.

There is currently no way we know of to spray “sanitize” used mattresses to reliably remove all bed bugs and eggs. There is no spray treatment that will definitely de-bug a mattess, unless the bed bugs are hit directly with a contact kill spray or they cross a residual — and there’s no way to guarantee this.

(It would probably be possible to safely sanitize used mattresses using thermal heat, but we do not know of any mattress resellers who are doing this at this time.)

Perhaps the only possibility for reliably removing bed bugs would be using heat (over 120 F for 3+ hours) or Vikane gas (which — if done correctly, and it is not always done correctly — should be 100% effective, but would probably raise the cost of refurbished mattresses to the point where no one would buy them).

The recycling of mattresses is shameful and the New York government must put an end to this practice which spreads bed bugs to so many.

And don’t think you’re safe if you never buy a used mattress. If your hotel, school, granddaughter’s day care, child’s friend’s parents, neighbor, building employee, or the person who sat in the movie theater before you bought a used mattress, that’s enough to give you bed bugs.

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Miss Heather of NewYorkShitty.com knows that the war on bed bugs needs a little Bill Murray, Caddyshack-style.

She also reminds us there’s a bed bug seminar coming up in Greenpoint next Tuesday.

Tuesday May 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The Greenpoint Reformed Church
136 Milton Street
Broooklyn, NY 11222
RSVP (HPD): (212) 863-8830

To our knowledge, it’s the first HPD seminar that was specifically requested by residents of Greenpoint, namely rock stars Miss Heather and her friend, Pastor Ann Kansfield of the Greenpoint Reformed Church, the host of the event.

If you can help Miss Heather by posting flyers for Tuesday’s event in Greenpoint, Bushwick, Long Island City, or Williamsburg, please click the link above to volunteer.

Helpful Hopelessnomo reminds us in the forums about the Greenpoint event, and that

. . . there is another one in Williamsburg in June:

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Lindsay Park Building 4 Community Center
31 Leonard Street
Between Moore and Boerum Streets
RSVP (HPD): (212) 863-8830

Even if you’re already hooked up bedbug-information-wise, Hopelessnomo reminds us,

. . . you can encourage your friends and neighbors to attend these seminars so that they can get a quick overview. Plus I imagine that well-attended seminars also send a message and HPD scheduling these classes in more neighborhoods can only do good.

Yes indeed.

Wouldn’t it be great to show that HPD needs to do more bed bug seminars in more neighborhoods? What better way of showing this than packing the rafters of the first “by public demand” HPD bed bug seminar?

Finally, Crawledon rightly reminds Bedbuggers in the same thread that you can bring your questions about bed bugs to the event, and ask the speakers, and that New York vs. Bed Bugs will have a presence at the Greenpoint event.

New York vs. Bed Bugs is the first and only organization that we know of which is working to pressure NYC to do more to help stop the spread of bed bugs, and get help to those who need it.

Find out some simple ways you can help with that by going to the New York vs. Bed Bugs website, or talking to some of the founders at this event! Similar Posts:

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