Do I need an industrial dryer? « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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Do I need an industrial dryer?

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Indybugs

newbite
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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 15 2009 16:08:17
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I'm new and terrified. Talked to the PCO who did an inspection today and he said that for clothes, an industrial dryer is necessary because home dryers heats insufficiently. Is this true?
spideyjg

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 15 2009 16:11:46
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See the tag above about dryer testing. Home dryers can be sufficient. He is wrong. BBs die real quick above 140 and my home dryer heats to over 170.

Jim
Indybugs

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 15 2009 18:43:17
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Thank you, Jim. It is so helpful to have information like this. Coupla questions: is an instant read different from a normal thermometer? And what is the actual bug-killing temp?
spideyjg

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Sep 15 2009 23:09:51
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Indybugs - 4 hours ago »
Thank you, Jim. It is so helpful to have information like this. Coupla questions: is an instant read different from a normal thermometer? And what is the actual bug-killing temp?

An instant read meat thermometer is just faster. Real nice for cooking and found in the kitchen section of a dept store.

While thermal death begins at 113, for like 90 minutes the general guideline is 60C or 140 for a faster kill for all stages. The higher the temp the faster the death. Boiling water is instant death.

Jim
antibedbug

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Posted 3 years ago
Wed Sep 16 2009 3:24:05
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I am not dealing with an infestation right now (*knock on wood*) but I just found out my neighbors have them and am putting all of my clothing in the drier to avoid problems. The drier in our building is pretty old, and since it is a shared drier, I was a bit paranoid about the temps. Fortunately, I have an excellent heat gun that I use for my pet reptiles and as I was drying my clothes, noted that the driers temps reached a max of almost 160 degrees F and a low of about 140 degrees F. I packed my clothes very loosely and ran each bundle through two 45 minute cycles (LOTS of quarters!). So...if our old drier can do it, yours should be okay too. Just make sure you pack all of your fresh, hot clothes in XXL Ziplocs...I bought mine at Walmart and they seal up really nicely. Good luck!!!