ELIMINATING INSECT INFESTATIONS ON UPHOLSTERY AND BEDDING

The most common insect control issues associated with upholstery and bedding include: BEDBUGS, FLEAS AND LICE. Each of these parasitic insects create discomfort for your clients, and may be difficult to eliminate.

First, understand that a cleaner is not an exterminator, and the best course of action always would start with using a licensed exterminator, especially where local laws and regulations require it.

If you decide to help your customer with such treatment, here are some effective steps that you can follow, once the above comments have been taken into consideration:

1. Protect yourself (or your technician). Bedbugs and lice will not likely find there way from the fabric to you, but fleas do jump, and you can be infested yourself.
2. Vacuum the fabric thorough. The vacuum alone of your equipment will remove many of the living creatures.  Pay special attention to crevices, tufts, welt cord, trim, and other areas where insects may hide.
3. Apply Microban X590 or Sterifab to the fabric. Test any product you apply to fabrics for colorfastness. Be sure that the product also wets out crevices, welt cords, tufts, etc, as well as the overall fabric.
4. Allow the treatment to work a minimum of 15 minutes.
5. Clean the fabric with hot water extraction to remove carcasses, any loosely attached egg casings, etc.
6. Understand that fleas and bedbugs have eggs that are not effected by this treatment, and since there will be a new infestation after a hatching, be prepared to retreat the fabric in two weeks. Lice generally lay their eggs on their hosts' hair, and thus will not hatch again on the fabric surface.

In cases of severe infestations in a home, a licensed exterminator will ultimately be more likely to solve the problem.

For more information:

http://identify.us.com/bed-bugs/BedBug-FAQS/

http://identify.us.com/bed-bugs/BedBug-FAQS/how-can-you-tell-infested.html

http://identify.us.com/bed-bugs/BedBug-FAQS/what-to-know-about-insecticides.html

http://identify.us.com/bed-bugs/BedBug-FAQS/returning-from-a-visit.html