If you’re currently fighting a bed bug infestation, rest assured you’re not the only one. Bed bug infestations tend to tick up after the holiday season, largely due to increased travel. While this is undoubtedly frustrating, there are steps you can take to get rid of bed bugs, with the most effective being professional heat treatments.
What Are Bed Bug Heat Treatments?
Bed bug treatments are the most effective way to kill bed bugs as they are extremely sensitive to temperature. As an added benefit, it avoids the use of harsher chemicals which could require you to move out of your home for a longer period. Here’s how bed bug heat treatments work:
There are three major components of heat treatments: heat, airflow, and monitoring. Bed bugs can’t handle high temperatures for extended lengths of time, creating an effective option for treatment. From full-room heating treatments to targeted treating methods using extremely heated steam on infested areas, bed bug professionals use multiple techniques that blend to eliminate bed bugs thoroughly. As the temperatures are slowly raised and maintained around 120 to 140 degrees, fans to control the airflow help the heat to permeate any crevices or hiding places that would allow bed bugs to hide and survive. With bed bug heat treatment equipment, such as sensors that can be accessed remotely to help monitor temperatures, heat levels are observed in all areas to eliminate any hiding places that bed bugs could seek out to survive.
How to Prepare Your Home for Heat Treatments
In order to maintain a level of heat high enough to kill all bed bugs and their eggs, bed bug heat treatments last for several hours. Despite being exposed for several hours to high heat, there is no permanent damage to the structure of the building from the temperature. Although most items in your home, like your furniture, will be safe during the treatment, certain items can explode or melt from exposure to the levels of heat needed to kill bed bugs. To ensure your belongings are unharmed during the treatment process, be sure to follow the instructions provided by your bed bug professional. It is also important to consult the professional about moving and storage of sensitive or delicate items such as:
- Alcohol, fresh food, and meltable foods
- All medications and cosmetics
- CDs and DVDs
- Heat-sensitive art pieces (Wooden musical instruments, oil paintings)
- Houseplants and pets
- Items made out of wax or meltable plastics
- Unsecured hanging pictures or decorations
- Light, delicate belongings that may be blown about and broken
- Pressurized containers (Carbonated beverages, hairspray, propane bottles)
Schedule Bed Bug Heat Treatments
If your house has a bed bug problem, it’s best to address the problem quickly.