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• Boot a Pest

  516-481-7378

  As the new six-legged plague has generated scare story after scare story, John Furman at Boot a Pest has earned a reputation for being “the bedbug guy.” What does he do to get the little bloodsuckers? A whole lot. Mattresses get steamed with dry vapor; multiple chemical treatments (usually around four) go into every crack and crevice. What makes the difference is his knowledge of exactly which chemical goes where, so they’ll penetrate without harming finishes, as well as his exhaustive hunt-and-kill method—unlike other exterminators, he turns furniture upside down to get into the joints and removes batting from box springs to get deeper into the casing. An average treatment takes two hours per room and costs $600 to $800 for the first room, plus $400 for re-treatments—though he says he’s never had to come back to any client a third time. That alone should allow you to sleep soundly.

From the 2009 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine