How Do Movers Deal With Bed Bugs?

[Synopsis: Bed bugs are a concern for movers and customers. Here are some ways to deal with them.]

We movers aren’t the only ones who are busiest in the summer…the warmest time of the year is also peak season for bed bugs.

Rarely if ever do we have time to inspect people’s homes – their furniture and their mattresses and their sheets and blankets – while we are trying to get them out of their old home and into their new one. But there are a few ways we can decrease the likelihood of those tiny critters getting into our own pads and blankets and trucks.

Mover Strategies

In this Global News piece, moving company AMJ Campbell explains how they wash and inspect the insides of their trucks every day, thoroughly wrap couches and mattresses where bed bugs are often found and keep their furniture pads neat and clean. We-Haul Movers, meanwhile, actually use bug-killing chemicals in their trucks, plus they change their blankets every two years.

Other strategies for eliminating the possible spread of bed bugs include using a space heater to bring the inside of the truck to a temperature that will kill any bugs or eggs that may be hiding (after the truck has been unloaded) and fumigating trucks and any other spaces that may be harboring the vermin (again, after the unload.)

What Some Movers Do To Prevent Bed Bugs

An industry has actually developed to deal with the problem. The Moving Doctor of Long Island, NY offers a program to certify moving companies as bug-free through a combination of fumigation, canine inspection and employee training in bed bug detection. Bronx-based iMoveGREEN disinfects their dollies and gets their trucks inspected by bug-sniffing dogs, and has plans to begin using commercial dryers to heat their furniture pads and kill any critters. The Wall Street Journal reports that companies like iMoveGREEN are now presenting their bug-free certification to their customers, as bed bugs become an increasingly prevalent concern among people on the move.

Some moving companies are even going on the offensive, telling customers whose homes show traces of bed bugs that they need to fumigate before the company will move them.

As the summer winds down and your evening hours (minutes?) open up, consider giving your trucks and pads a thorough cleaning with a special eye on those tiny little bugs that are causing some big problems.