Bedbugs and Wool, Silk and Delicate Fabrics: Wandsworth

Most of what sits near a bed can go through a hot wash and a hot tumble dry, and that is still the best thing to do with it. But every wardrobe has a few things that would be ruined: wool knits, silk, a good coat, a wedding dress, a hand-made quilt. This guide covers what to do with those without either damaging them or leaving bedbugs in them.

Read the Care Label First

Before deciding something is too delicate, check the label. Plenty of cotton and synthetic clothing that feels delicate will take a hot wash and a hot tumble dry. Where the label allows a hot tumble dry, use it: the dryer is what kills bedbugs, more than the wash.

Things that usually cannot take it include:

• wool, cashmere and mohair knitwear;
• silk shirts, scarves, dresses and ties;
• lined tailoring such as suits and coats;
• leather, suede and anything beaded, sequinned or embroidered;
• heirloom quilts, lace and old linen;
• some curtains and cushion covers.

Bagging: What It Does and Does Not Do

Sealing delicate items in strong plastic bags stops anything inside them from getting out, and stops anything outside from getting in. That makes bagging useful for items in the room being treated. It does not kill bedbugs, because they can go a long time without feeding, so a bag that is opened too soon simply releases them again.

Bag items from the affected room before treatment, seal them properly, and keep them sealed until we tell you what to do with them. Do not move bagged items into another bedroom; a hallway cupboard or a room nobody sleeps in is better.

Heat in the Room

With heat treatment, the whole room and most of what is in it is raised to a temperature bedbugs cannot survive, so clothing can often be treated where it hangs. What has to come out first is the list of heat-sensitive things: aerosols, candles, medication, vinyl, some electronics and plants. Delicate fabrics are a judgement call: some are fine in the room, and some you may not want to take the chance with. Tell us about anything valuable or fragile when you ring and we will say whether it stays or comes out. The heat treatment page for Wandsworth covers the rest of the visit.

Chemical Treatment and Clothing

Chemical treatment puts a residual insecticide into the seams, frames and skirtings of the room, not onto your clothes. So with this route, delicate fabrics need dealing with separately: washed or dried where the label allows, bagged and sealed where it does not, and kept off the floor so the edges of the room can be reached. The chemical treatment page for Wandsworth explains how the visits are spaced.

Dry Cleaning and Professional Cleaning

For a coat or suit that cannot be washed, professional cleaning is an option. Take it in a sealed bag and tell the cleaner why, so they can decide how to handle it. Do not hang it back in the wardrobe of an untreated room when it comes home.

Ask Before You Risk It

The worst outcome is ruining something irreplaceable to deal with a problem the treatment would have solved anyway. If you have a rug, a wall hanging, antique upholstery or a family piece you are worried about, ring us before you do anything to it. Upholstered chairs have their own guide on dining chairs and upholstered seating, and our London guide on preparing for heat treatment covers the rest of the room.

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