Stubborn Bed Bug Infestation? Try Heat Treatments

Have you been struggling to eliminate bed bugs from your home? It is common for homeowners to have a pesticide treatment applied, only to discover that a week or two later, the bed bugs have returned. You could try another application of pesticides, but there is actually a better route to go when you're struggling with a stubborn bed bug infestation. Heat treatment is more effective, safer, and easier to implement. Here's a closer look at this option.

What is bed bug heat treatment?

Heat treatment is exactly what it sounds like. You heat your whole home up to 117 degrees or hotter. (Many professionals recommend heating to a temperature of 120 degrees, just to be extra thorough.) Bed bugs cannot survive at this temperature for long. You hold the house at this temperature for about an hour. 

How do you get the house that hot?

Clearly your furnace won't get your home that warm. You have to rent a special heater. Some rental companies rent out bed bug heaters. You can also hire a pest control company to come to perform the heat treatment for you.

Is heat treatment safe?

Yes! You will want to remove any heat-sensitive items from your home, such as beauty products, chocolate, and paints. Obviously, you won't want to be inside the home during the treatment, and your pets will need to leave, too. However, heat treatment only takes an hour or two, so this is not majorly inconvenient.

What makes heat treatment a better option than pesticides?

Besides being safer when you have kids and pets in the home, heat treatment is more likely to actually kill the bed bugs. The trouble with pesticides is that they do not always reach the places where bed bugs like to hide, like behind outlet covers and in cracks along the wall. Heat treatment does not miss these places. Each and every bug will be heated up and killed.

The fact that you can return to your home straight away after treatment is also a benefit. With pesticides, you often have to stay out of the home for half a day or more.

Are there any downsides to heat treatment?

Heat treatment can be more expensive than pesticide applications. Then again, you only have to do it once. The cost of pesticide treatment can add up when you have to treat your house again and again. You can also save some money by renting a bed bug heater and doing the treatment yourself rather than hiring a pest control company.

If you're struggling with bed bugs, opt for heat treatment. It's the best solution and the way of the future. For more information, contact a company like Bed Bug Heaters Dallas.

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