Dry cleaning is a common method for cleaning clothes and other items that cannot be washed in a conventional washing machine. While dry cleaning is effective at removing dirt and stains, some people may wonder if it can also kill bed bugs.
The dry-cleaning process usually treats garments with heat. If this heat treatment gets every part of the garment up to 120 degrees for at least a minute, no bed bugs or eggs will survive. Feel free to ask your dry cleaner at what temperature your garments will be treated and for how long.
Whether dry cleaning can kill bed bugs depends on the method used. Traditional dry cleaning that relies on PERC solvent is not useful against bed bugs. PERC is a chemical solvent often used in dry cleaning, but it doesn’t have insect-killing properties.
However, there are newer methods of dry cleaning that may be effective at killing bed bugs. One method, known as “dry steam cleaning,” uses a high-temperature steam to kill bed bugs and their eggs. The steam affect directly to the infested items, which can include clothing, bedding, and other textiles.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Cleaning
Another method, known as “carbon dioxide (CO2) cleaning, uses a combination of liquid CO2 and detergent to clean and sanitize items. CO2 cleaning can be effective at killing bed bugs, as the high pressure and low temperature of the CO2 can freeze and kill the pests.
It’s important to know that not all dry cleaners use the latest methods to clean items infested with bed bugs, and these methods may be more expensive than traditional ones. Also, make sure to correctly identify and treat all infested items to get rid of bed bugs entirely.
If you think bed bugs in your home, you need to use a thorough approach to control them. You can use insecticides that the EPA has approved for use against bed bugs. Also, try heat treatments, vacuuming, and sealing cracks and crevices to stop bed bugs from entering your home.
