Bed Bug Cleaning Mattress Cover

Bed Bug Cleaning – 3 Areas To Focus On 

Bed bug cleaning to get rid of bed bugs can be a long and expensive process.  Pest control companies offer different methods of treatment, including insecticides, fogging, ozone, heat treatments, and a combination of each, but most of these methods require bed bug cleaning before the pest exterminator arrives.  Here are 3 areas to focus on when you are cleaning for bed bugs.

  1. Vacuuming

    Proper and thorough vacuuming is essential if you are to reduce the number of pest control treatments.  First, you must use a vacuum with a HEPA filter or a HEPA filtration system vacuum cleaner.  Start in the area with the highest infestations and vacuum the ceiling, top corner of the ceiling and walls, walls, pictures (and behind the pictures), doors, trim, base of walls and floor, carpeted areas, and all upholstered areas.  In extreme cases, you may need to remove the switch plate covers and vacuum inside the openings.  Remove the sheets and comforter from the mattress and box spring and thoroughly vacuum all 6 sides of each, paying special attention to the seams and areas of accumulated bed bug feces while bed bug cleaning.

  2. Linens

    Washing clothing and linens may not kill the bed bugs, unless the water temperature is adequately hot.  Drying the laundry is generally recommended, but some garments are not recommended to be dried.  Dry cleaning uses a chemical process to remove dirt and soil, but the chemicals generally do not kill bed bugs.  Most pest control companies now recommend drying linens on high heat for 30 minutes or more.  However, most households have enough linens for 20+ loads of laundry.  Keep in mind that the heating elements in residential dryers were not designed for heavy usage, so drying laundry loads consecutively could burn out the heating element.  Place each bundle of laundry into a new 45 – 55 gallon trash bag and tie the bag.  Leave the bags in areas used less than other areas of the home.  Dry one load of laundry at a time and place the freshly dried clothing into a new 45 – 55 gallon bag.  After tying the bag, place another new bag around it.  This will ensure that no bed bugs can crawl into the bags that have been dried.  This is a long process, but doing a little each day will cut into the amount of time it takes for bed bug cleaning.

    bed bug cleaning laundry
    Bed Bug Cleaning Laundry
  3. Remove plastic from the home (if heat treatments are selected)

    Bed bug cleaning companies that use a heat method will generally heat the contents of the home up to at least 140 degrees for a minimum of 8 consecutive hours.  During that time, plastic may melt.  Removing plastic bags, plastic wrap, plastic containers, candles, ammunition, and all other combustible items will ensure that fires are less likely to occur from the heat.  If possible, leave these items in a locked shed or on a locked porch.  When the heat treatments are complete, the items can be returned to the home.

Bed bug cleaning can be a daunting task.  It involves a large amount of work and a lot of patience.  Most advanced biohazard remediation companies have experience in bed bug cleaning.  To locate a biohazard remediation company in the United States, visit ABRA at https://www.americanbiorecovery.org/.To find an advanced biohazard remediation company in Columbia, South Carolina that specializes in bed bug cleaning, visit Palmetto Commercial Services at https://www.palmettocommercialservices.com.

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