Does Dry Cleaning Kill Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are very annoying pests that quickly turn into a severe infestation. If you see signs of bed bugs, you should seek help to eliminate them quickly and effectively. Do you want to know if dry cleaning kills bed bugs? 

Bed bugs without tiny insects that can be difficult to detect with the naked eye. They are brown, and their body is flat and swells when feeding.

Below you will find the information you need on this topic to eliminate bed bugs using dry cleaning.

How Does Dry Cleaning Affect Bed Bugs?

If you look closely, dry cleaning is not a laundry cleaning process; it is a technique that has a misnomer. Dry cleaning is a cleaning textiles and clothing process that uses a chemical solvent instead of water with laundry detergent.

It is a non-polar chemical solvent responsible for removing stains without interacting with the polar groups that the fabric has. Dry cleaning can kill bed bugs and is due to the chemical solvent they use.

There are many chemical solvents for dry cleaning, the most popular being perchloroethylene or PCE special for oil stains. This solvent has low toxicity to humans but is lethal to bed bugs.

Is It Dangerous to Wash Clothes Infested By Bed Bugs Yourself?

Probably The safest answer is usually to carry your bed bug-infested apparel to a dry cleaner. This’s, however, not always achievable. You might not locate a dry cleaner that accepts infested clothes, or perhaps there’s another good reason why you need to wash or perhaps dry out the clothes yourself. You will find a couple of pitfalls you have to look out for in this situation.

Does Dry Cleaning Actually Kill Bed Bugs?

Does dry cleaning kill bed bugs? The answer is yes; it will also depend on the type of solvent used for this type of cleaning. If you use PERC or PCE solvent, you will be able to effectively kill any bugs on your clothes. But over time, this solvent can damage the fibers, so many use a softer one.

Milder solvents like supercritical CO” and hydrocarbons are not as effective at removing stubborn grime or stains. It is also not efficient at killing bed bugs. If you use PERC or PCE solvent to clean clothes or sheets, your clothes will come out clean and free of bed bugs.

Put sheets and clothing in plastic bags that are tightly sealed to prevent them from re-infesting bed bugs in your home.

Does Dry Cleaning Repel Bed Bugs?

The answer is very simple; dry cleaning does not repel bed bugs. These types of solvents evaporate into the air and have no long-lasting effect on your clothing that can help repel these pests.

As you can see, if it kills bed bugs but does not repel them. You should not use these types of solvents very often because it can damage your clothing’s fibers.

Why Drying Cleaning Aren’t Enough to Eliminate the Bed Bugs?

You know that most bed bugs hide out under-mattress covers as well as bed linens, but they are able to thrive in other areas too. They could live in purses, shoes, backpacks, and old garments in a cabinet. In a few cases, they may be following in piles of newspaper, stuffed animals, and also some unclean items in which they’re free to breed. These items are possible living grounds for bed bugs, and if you don’t get rid of them, the bed bugs will breed and multiply.

Thus, although a dryer is able to destroy several of the bed bugs in the bed sheets, it will not kill off most of them. They are going to start to infesting your bed sheets once again. That is precisely why dry cleaning can never be considered a practical option to eliminate the bed bug infestations, particularly big ones.

How To Use Dry Cleaning For Bed Bugs?

Using PERC solvent in your dry cleaning will be effective in killing bed bugs. But it should not be your only treatment to remove these pests from your home. There are recent studies that ensure that this solvent can cause harm to human health.

Look for alternatives that may be safer in the long term for your health like essential oils and the dryer.

You can also use diatomaceous earth, which will help you to eliminate bed bugs effectively. It is made from the remains of fossilized diatoms in the ground, which dehydrates them when they contact insects’ skin. Use dry cleaning but not frequently.