Killing Bed Bugs with Heat

Bed Bug Heat Treatment: What to expect

There are three ways to kill bed bugs with heat, a Packtite bed bug oven, Low Vapor Steamers and Full Thermal Remediation where your entire home or room and all the possessions in it, are heated to aproximately 140 f for several hours until all bed bugs are dead.

Imagine two technicians bringing big fans and heaters inside your home and heating it slowly to about 140 degrees for several hours. If you had bed bugs in the morning, you may find they are gone that same evening. Heat is extremely effective and it is the least toxic remedy for bed bugs.

Thermal Heat treatment kills bed bugs and eggs in your entire home and possessions by heating the interior to 140 degrees for a period of four hours or more.

If all precautions have been followed, heat treatment is very effective, and quick. Check your local directories for pest companies that offer heat treatment. Call several to compare prices, warranty, and follow-up inspections. Unplug everything electronic, and remove items that can melt such as candles and aerosol cans which can explode if pressure builds up due to heat. You could leave a small tea candle in each room to see if it does melt during treatment, maybe in a drawer, which might reassure you the thermal treatment was done correctly.

Bed Bugs and Laundry

Your dryer and washer are useful tools in killing bed bugs in fabric, clothing and bedding. Most dryers get hot enough after two cycles to kill bed bugs and eggs. Bed Bug Eggs take longer to kill with heat than live bed bugs do.

Wash Once and Dry Everything Twice

You can put dry bedding into a dryer for two full cycles, but washing first will prevent live bugs from accidentally being shaken off and finding their way into the front of the lint trap in your dryer where they can survive and reinfest bedding and clothes as you remove them from the dryer.

Wet clothing and bedding may not get hot enough on the dry first cycle to kill bugs and eggs. That is why two cycles in the dryer are suggested, to ensure every wet item is heated high enough and long enough to kill bed bugs and eggs.

The PackTite Bed Bug Oven

The PackTite can change your bed bug experience from frantic to "in control." You can put your shoes, hats, purse, laptop bag, books, papers, album cases (not vinyl records or anything that can melt) into the Packtite. This allows you to leave your house knowing your objects have no bed bugs on them. After bed bugs, it allows you to go antique, garage sale and thrift shopping with confidence you can heat your purchases and they will be bed bug free.

Ovens and Microwave Ovens

Never attempt to treat anything, ever, in the oven or the microwave. This is a serious fire hazard and cannot be said enough. Books and magazines may have glue that melt or ignite and cause a fire in your home. Never cook anything that's not food, in the oven or microwave. We get this question a lot!

Killing Bed Bugs with Steam

Vapor steamers leave less water behind preventing dangerous mold. It is strongly suggested you wear a paint and pesticide respirator when using steam cleaners in your home. Steamers are useful for treating molding, baseboards, furniture (test first), bed frames, mattresses, rugs, and cars. Vapor Steam Cleaners can reach temperatures of 240-360 degrees or higher, and can cause dangerous burns, so use caution.

They are very useful in the fight against bed bugs and many pest companies now use steamers as a non-toxic and effective tool against bed bugs.

Things you can steam in your home include sofas, door jams, carpets, baseboards, drawers and furniture, windows, your car. It has turned out to be a pretty handy thing to have around, post bed bugs.

IMPORTANT: Do not use steam on areas that have been treated with pesticides as it will vaporize and remove the pesticides, and you risk inhaling the vaporized chemicals. Always test on a discreet location first as heat can melt paint, strip finish, melt glue damage prints and wood, and cause real damage to possessions or you, be careful, you may be sleep deprived.

The most effective steam cleaner will be a Vapor Steam cleaner with attachments and a hose. Some features that make a nice bed bug killing machine are:

A decent size water tank, you have to let it cool down before refillsingif the water runs out because the tank is really hot and pressurized

Lo-Vapor steam (leaves less water and moisture on surfaces)

Hoses and various attachments

Adjustable pressure. The steam should be at the lowest setting in most cases to avoid blowing bed bugs deeper in to cracks or just blastingthem to another spot

A long electric cord is nice

Start with the mattress making sure to treat the seams, labels and any other attachments. Next, move to the chairs and sofas taking care with cushions, seams and buttons. (sofa cushions can be put in a PackTite if you have one and can take up to six hours to treat). Pull out beds should be treated just like any mattress or bed frame, with detail.

Move slowly when steam treating resting for a count of 5 or for 5-10 seconds along every surface. Be sure the steamer is set to the lowest pressure setting so as not to blow bed bugs away where the heat won't reach them.

Do not steam electrical outlets. This is a fire and electrocution danger. Do not allow the steam head to make contact with wires.

It is common for heat treatment to also be accompanied by residual pesticides around the baseboards. Ask your PCO if they will use residuals, what they will use and how long it will last.