The steam cleaner has been a household favorite for many years now! Its power allows you to kill off the germs that may become present in certain areas of your home. With steam, you can clean carpets, tile, hardwood flooring, and much more.
Can steam kill bed bugs? Yes, it can! This is fabulous news for people who are having issues with these annoying insects invading their homes! One of the main reasons why steam cleaning works so well on killing bed bugs is because it heats up to 240 degrees Fahrenheit when in use. This hot temperature is perfect for exterminating the bug along with its eggs!
What Temperature Kills Bed Bugs?
It is important to know what temperature kills bed bugs. At temperatures ranging from 122 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, kill these insects! Elevated temperatures are more effective for eradicating an entire colony of bugs, rather than just one or two.
When steam hits 120 degrees Fahrenheit, it heats rapidly! This steam then condenses into water droplets that become airborne and impact the skin of the bugs directly. Steam first comes out of a cleaner’s nozzle when it is dry and clean before turning extremely hot around 100 degrees Fahrenheit! After the steam produces droplets, it comes out in the original form again around 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
This steam, along with the heat of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, can fry bed bugs and their eggs. Not only does steam kill these pests, but it dehydrates them as well. Bed bugs will die after merely 15 minutes at such hot temperatures!
The steam cleaner is efficient when it comes to killing off an entire colony. It penetrates every hiding spot that they may inhabit including cracks and crevices. The steam cleaner’s nozzle also allows you to get deep down into these tiny areas where bed bugs like to hide.
Tips for Killing Bed Bugs Using Steam
Steam cleaning offers a safe and efficient way to kill bed bugs. Therefore, you can use it as an effective method of killing them. Take the following steps for steam-killing bed bugs:
1. Prepare your steam cleaner by filling it with water and a steam cleaning solution. You should use one made especially for hard surfaces such as tile and grout. Add in some white vinegar, which works wonders for killing bed bugs!
2. Plug the steam cleaner into an outlet and allow it time to warm up before you start using it. The steam will first come out dry and clean before turning extremely hot! Do not worry when this happens.
3. Turn on the steam cleaner’s switch and focus on heavily infested areas. You may need to steam clean the entire room, even if it is small.
4. Steam-clean all of your bed’s sheets and blankets along with your mattress. These are common hiding spots for bugs. Try steam cleaning these items weekly or biweekly.
5. Allow freshly steam cleaned items to dry completely before putting them back on your bed or couch again. This is important because steam kills partially-dried bed bugs. When you put lying articles down too soon, any bugs that are still moist will have a chance to escape while they recover from steam dehydration.
Precautions
Steam cleaners emit very hot steam, which can cause severe burns. Take the following precautions for steam killing bed bugs:
1. Keep children and pets away from steamers while you are using them to kill bed bugs.
2. Always hold steam cleaners at least six inches away from your body when in use. This will help prevent accidental steam burns.
3. Use caution when cleaning around electrical outlets or other objects that may melt or that steam exposure ruins. When steam happens to drip onto an incorrect object, wipe it off immediately with a dry cloth so that no one gets hurt.
4. Never pull out your home’s electrical cords suddenly when plugged into power outlets in case you steam clean an object that is in contact with it. This steam can melt and burn the cords, resulting in a fire!
5. Turn off steamers before attempting to unplug them from outlets. That is unless you steam cleaned an object that was touching the outlet’s plug. Unplugging suddenly when there is steam nearby can result in burns or electrocution when your hand gets caught in it!
How Does Steam Affect Bed Bugs?
Steam kills bed bugs in three ways. First, steam will produce hot droplets that turn into steam again upon impact with the skin of pests directly. Second, steam penetrates tiny areas where bugs are hiding, killing them even when they are only hiding deep inside cracks. Third, steam dehydrates them by using heat that is at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit!
Bed bugs cannot withstand these deadly temperatures and die within minutes when exposed to enough steam exposure. This is why consider steam cleaning as an effective way to kill bed bugs without the use of harsh chemicals or pesticides.
Experts highly recommend steam cleaning your home even after you steam kill bed bugs. You can steam clean your entire house twice per week to ensure that no one living inside it will become reinfested. Steam effectively penetrates tiny hiding areas where bed bugs like to hide while drying them out at the same time!
As steam cleaners emit very hot steam, take the advice of turning off all of your appliances before steaming for between 15 to 30 minutes. This will prevent accidents from occurring related to steam or simply high heat damage.
Does Steam Eliminate Bed Bugs?
Steam will kill bed bugs on contact. The steam’s moisture kills them by dehydration. But steam alone cannot eliminate the entire population of pests that you are dealing with. You must steam clean your beds and furniture daily for a couple of weeks straight to steam kill bed bugs.
Steam can remove evidence of bed bugs from your home as well as dried insects and their fecal matter, eggs, larvae, and shed skins. That is when you steam clean weekly or biweekly.
Steamers can also penetrate tiny areas where bed bugs hide deep inside cracks as well as fabrics such as clothing, couches, pillows, cushions, mattresses, and so on. This ensures that you steam clean an area completely rather than simply steam killing the ones you see.
But steam alone cannot kill the entire population of bed bugs nor all their eggs. That is why do steam cleaning with other extermination methods such as steamers or chemicals that directly kill them. Steam keeps the infestation from getting worse.
Expert steam cleaners can also use ultraviolet lighting to determine whether your steam treatments have been effective in killing bed bugs. These lights emit wavelengths that are visible to insects but invisible to your eyes. They look for movement just after steam exposure and will show you when bed bugs die in contact with extreme heat and steam or not.
Does Steam Kill Bed Bugs?
Steam kills bed bugs. But it is not enough to make the entire population of these pests disappear. You must steam clean your beds and sofas daily for weeks to steam kill bed bugs. It can remove evidence of bed bugs from your home as well as dried insects and their fecal matter, eggs, larvae, and shed skins. That is when steam cleaning once or twice a week. It keeps the infestation from getting worse, however.
With the help of a steamer, you can kill bed bug eggs without risk. To do this effectively, you will need one that can reach 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintain this temperature for 90 minutes. Place them in an oven or other equally heated vessel with no doors.
Several items including furniture may have come into contact with these annoying pests before putting them on sale at your store. Ensure experts checked all potential sources thoroughly. They know what they are doing because once set, you do not want any more guests coming over just yet.
What Exactly is a Steam Cleaner?
Steam cleaners kill bed bugs by releasing steam at a temperature of about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. This steam penetrates small areas where bed bugs stay while killing them with its moisture. Steam cleaners go to your entire house twice per week to steam kill bed bugs and keep them from becoming reinfested.
Turn off household appliances such as microwaves, TVs, lamps, and so on before steaming for 15 to 30 minutes or so. Their high heat may damage appliances or simply burn people living inside the home.
Steam cleaners are a must-have for anyone who deals with bed bugs! They work by heating water to the boiling point. Kill any insects inside the appliance range of influence – including their eggs. The power is all in your hands when using this device. You can choose between weak or strong pressures depending on what kind of surface needs cleaning and how much time you have.
These are an excellent choice for eliminating bed bugs because they generate a lot of heat! Easily reach places that chemical pesticides cannot and thus eliminate these annoying insects. The small size steam particle helps ensure that all areas where infestation might occur get rid of them – even hidden nooks or crannies.
What Else to Consider Besides Steam to Kill Bed Bugs?
Familiarize yourself with three alternative things that you can also use in making bed bugs disappear. Find out about them below:
Vinegar
Steam it to kill bed bugs or just spray vinegar on them. Vinegar kills bed bug eggs by sticking to the surface of their shells. They dehydrate and die within a few hours without the ability to reproduce again.
There are many ways to get rid of bed bugs. But one that has been around for quite some time is vinegar. Bed bug experts recommend spraying it on their bodies after they become stuck. Kill them immediately or at least stop the attack from continuing. You can take precautions against this annoying problem. When all else fails, use vanilla extract instead.
Still considered one of the most effective ways to get rid of bed bugs, vinegar’s strong acidic properties are perfect for killing these annoying creatures! You will need to spray it several times before you can fully eliminate them from your home. This task should not become too difficult as long as no other obstacles are blocking its paths like furniture or walls.
Rubbing Alcohol
Here is a powerful solution to steam kill bed bugs: spray it on their body, let it dry, and steam. Repeat this process until you no longer see these pests around your house. Spray rubbing alcohol directly onto all of the insects inside the area where steam cleaning occurs.
It also eliminates bed bug eggs when they get in contact with its spray. Just pour some into a spray bottle and use it as needed after steam cleaning your home once or twice per week. This treatment provides residual protection against future infestations during the week. Keep them from coming back again right away after steam-killing their young ones.
The first way that alcohol kills bed bugs is by acting as a solvent. It eats away at their outer shell and can become enough for some, but not all of them. In addition to this powerful impact on species-level mortality, you will find it also possesses desiccant properties.
Hair Dryer
Hairdryers are the most cost-effective steam cleaners you can find that kill bed bugs!
The time necessary to deaden their body’s outer shell correspondingly weakens them when they get in contact with heat. Those who survive cannot reproduce again. High heat causes eggs to hatch much later than usual. It reduces the number of eggs available for reproduction. It kills everyone before they can reproduce – including future generations.
Yes, a blow dryer can kill bed bugs! But it is not an effective tool to get rid of these annoying pests. First off, all you need are temperatures over 113 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 90 minutes before they die. When the air conditioner is on too long, this may not become enough exposure time though. Most people do not have access to or want their house that cold. Secondly, use one with higher cubic feet per minute (CFMs).
The steam-killing process begins by killing them within minutes of exposure without leaving much debris behind. They die after steam hits their body and they dehydrate quickly! Water evaporates faster than them – this is not yet the end.
