Is it possible to get rid of bedbugs with a steam generator and steam cleaner?

At what temperature do beetles and the like die?

Laboratory and field tests have proven the effectiveness with which superheated steam can effectively combat the spread of bed bugs. Insects die at a temperature of + 45 ° C, and at + 50 ° C their death occurs within a few seconds. Using this method, electrical appliances such as steam cleaners, steam generators and steamers have become popular in recent years, helping to improve pest control capabilities by killing bed bugs with steam. You just need to spray the insects with scalding steam; in extreme cases, for the first time you can use a household steamer or even just a steam iron. In the future, we recommend purchasing a high-quality branded steam generator designed for this purpose. To remove insects.

Temperature killed bedbugs

Important! High temperature and steam kill not only adults, but also eggs of parasites, which is a great advantage over other control methods. Linen bugs are very sensitive to temperature changes due to heat shock. Italian steam cleaners (Polti brand) have gone on sale in Russia. They are famous around the world for being equipped with steam sanitizers that heat steam up to 180°C to break down the sticky substance that binds eggs to surfaces and eliminate insect odors. Destruction of 100% of eggs.

The only problem is that not all furniture can be processed at this temperature. Before you start treating the apartment, you must find all the places where bed bugs accumulate, because if you leave at least one parasite alive, the reproduction process will begin again.

Specifics of fighting bedbugs using steam

Many consider this method ineffective, as evidenced by reviews from dissatisfied citizens. However, the ineffectiveness of the method is often due to a violation of the apartment processing technology. It is worth understanding that you most likely will not be able to get rid of bed bugs in one day. Some of the insects that will eventually restore the population will have time to hide. Therefore, the apartment will have to be steamed at least 2 times.

If the insects have already built nests, then most likely there are eggs in the room, from which harmful bugs will hatch in 10-12 days. Therefore, it is advisable to re-treat after 2 weeks.

How to disinfect

Bedbugs can easily tolerate temperatures from 5 to 40 degrees Celsius; they very easily adapt to any living conditions. Bedbugs experience months of “dryness” during which they do not have the opportunity to feed on your blood.

Steam from bedbugs
If you want to control bed bugs, you must find their hiding places. The beetles themselves, their shed skins and eggs can be recognized by the eyes.

It is not recommended to fight bed bugs solely with a steam cleaner!

Typically the procedure is as follows:

  • Spraying insecticides into cracks and crevices.
  • Next, insect repellent is applied to the walls and floors surrounding the infested items and the door frames are treated.
  • These insecticidal barriers prevent bed bugs from moving from an infested area to a clean area.
  • In addition, cold or heat helps against bedbugs: small items such as photo frames or books can be “treated” in the freezer. They should be exposed to temperatures of -18 degrees for two to three days.
  • The alternative is heat: to successfully control bedbugs, the temperature must be above 45 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes! Professional services can use special ovens to rid entire rooms of bed bugs.
  • Items that do not fit in the washing machine, such as mattresses, can be cleaned with a steam cleaner.
  • Some hotels use special bedding covers that they place over their mattresses.

Pyrethroid for bedbugs

Experts fight insects with pyrethroids, a group of active ingredients in insecticides. Since many insecticides cannot do anything against parasite eggs and only fight hatched bedbugs, they must work for a long time, at least six weeks (the so-called residual effect). This will ensure that any remaining bed bugs are killed when they come into contact with the treated surface.

Of particular importance: to eliminate the entire bedbug population, the success of bedbug eradication measures must be monitored weekly. In addition, experts recommend repeating the destruction several times within six months.

Important Tips

To ensure that the fight against bedbugs is successful and without harm to health, you must adhere to the following recommendations :


  1. To avoid getting burned, do not direct the steam stream at the skin.

  2. It is recommended to work with gloves.
  3. After treatment, you should not do wet cleaning for 5 days. This rule is relevant when chemicals were used in addition to steam.
  4. Clothing used for treatment must be washed at high temperatures.
  5. When bedbugs reappear, the algorithm for their destruction is repeated again.

Operating principle

A steam cleaner is a device that emits hot steam to disinfect surfaces, loosen stains, and kill small pests such as ticks and bedbugs.

Steam cleaner

Bed bugs may be tough, but they have no protection from the heat of a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners are a great, chemical-free way to get rid of bed bugs and other pests such as mites. It is enough to spray them with scalding steam to completely get rid of them.

The steam cleaner immediately kills bed bugs and their eggs and cleans the affected areas.

If you decide to use a steam cleaner, you need to be very precise and meticulous in how you apply heat in your home.

Here are some guidelines to follow:

  • DO use a larger nozzle for your cleaning tool
  • DO use dry steam or "dry steam" to prevent mold
  • DO buy a steam generator with a large water tank to prevent unexpected stops to refill the tank
  • Make sure that the area you are applying the heat to rises above 50°, otherwise your bed bugs will not be killed.
  • Use steam on furniture, baseboards, walls, ceilings and other hard surface areas
  • DO NOT use steam on electrical outlets.
  • DO NOT use a steam cleaner to kill bed bugs unless you have consulted with a professional.
  • Wear a respirator to prevent accidental inhalation of toxic fumes. Steam cleaners can vaporize chemicals that have been applied to the surfaces you steam.
  • DO NOT apply heat to objects that may be damaged by it.

How does a steam generator work on bedbugs?

A steam cleaner or steam generator against bedbugs helps in 100% of cases, because steam is destructive for pests. The devices generate such hot steam that if it hits an insect or its larva, the latter die within 15 seconds. Peak values ​​of steam temperature in devices can be 140-150 degrees (where it is possible to regulate this indicator), but usually it is enough to set the temperature to 70-80 degrees - this is enough to kill parasites.

Adult bedbugs and their larvae (nymphs)

The steam generator has a detrimental effect not only on adult bedbugs, but even on their eggs and larvae

The humidity in the room after steam treatment against bedbugs increases slightly; it can be easily adjusted by ventilation. In general, steam during processing has low humidity, and furniture and other surfaces will not have time to deteriorate after short exposure. The device will also help destroy bedbug eggs, which even poisons (insecticides) cannot deal with.

Steaming the room will help not only against bedbugs, but also against bacteria, fungi and viruses. Therefore, the benefits of such a procedure will be obvious.

For more information about what temperature is detrimental to bedbugs, read this article.

Treatment

There are several rules for treating a room that you should keep in mind to get rid of an infestation of parasites once and for all.

Use a steamer with mandatory confirmation in the instructions that it is intended to kill bedbugs.

Steam cleaning

  1. You need a steam generator that has at least four liters of water in the tank. Such devices are very expensive, more than 80 thousand, so it is better to rent a steam cleaner or buy a used one.
  2. Do not use steam cleaners on furniture or carpets. They do not reach the required temperature to kill bed bugs.
  3. Place the triangular fastener on the hose. Most steam cleaners have a wide, square nozzle that cleans upholstery and other surfaces. Connect this attachment to the end of the hose before turning on the unit.
  4. Don't use a carpet nozzle because the bristles will hold the actual steam nozzle too far away.
  5. Avoid using pointed or narrow attachments as this may cause bed bugs and their eggs to be dispersed throughout the room.
  6. Steam upholstered furniture, crevices and cracks. Fill the tank with regular tap water and turn on the steam cleaner. Clean all soft surfaces in the room, from the highest point to the lowest. This way, you can be sure that any bed bugs are swept down and not up. Bedbugs love to hide in soft materials and in all sorts of cracks and crevices.

Items that should be handled with particular care:

  • mattresses
  • box springs
  • furniture
  • skirting boards
  • binding tapes on carpets

IMPORTANT ATTENTION: pay attention to cables and sockets! Remove any covers from areas where you need to work before you begin.

  1. Move the steam cleaner nozzle slowly over the appropriate surfaces to ensure they are thoroughly cleaned. 30 cm in 30 seconds is a good pace. This way, each small spot receives enough steam to kill the bedbugs and their eggs.
  2. Remember that steam cleaning can be a long and tedious process, especially if you have large surfaces to cover. Take breaks if necessary, or have someone help you if you're worried you'll be working too shallowly.
  3. If you encounter a live bedbug while cleaning, hold the steam cleaner on it for about 30 seconds. This should be enough to kill him. Once it dies, you can pick it up with a paper towel and throw it away.
  4. Open the windows and turn on the fan when you're done. If you've really thoroughly steamed all surfaces, open all the windows in the room to allow air to circulate. If you have a ceiling fan, turn that on too. It's important to let everything dry quickly so it doesn't get moldy.
  5. Place the fan close to the items you've cleaned, such as on the floor if you've been working on carpet, or higher if you've cleaned a chair, mattress or innerspring.
  6. Repeat the process two to three times to ensure all bed bugs are dead. It often takes two or three passes to kill all the bed bugs so that no bed bugs are missed. It is best to repeat the cleaning after a few hours or the next day.
  7. Don't wait more than a few days between treatments because bedbugs multiply very quickly!

There is an option to increase the efficiency of the steam cleaner

  • The surface temperature should be between 70 and 80 degrees. This is the ideal temperature to kill bed bugs without damaging your furniture during cleaning. You can use an infrared thermometer to monitor the surface temperature of the pieces you are processing. Place the thermometer about 1.5 cm from the surface immediately after removing the cleaner.
  • If the temperature is below 70 degrees, you may need to adjust your steam cleaner or use a different one.
  • Surfaces should be damp but not wet. When you're done, your furniture shouldn't be left wet. To do this, you need to change your device settings accordingly.
  • If the object being treated becomes too wet, remove the moisture with a dry towel.

Tip: Some items are easier to wash and dry rather than steam, such as curtains and bedding. Gather all these items and place them in plastic bags. Seal bags tightly to prevent cockroaches from spreading to other areas of your home as they move.

  • Hire a professional to pre-poison the pests with insecticides. While a steam cleaner can kill bed bugs, it may not penetrate deep enough to really affect them all. If you work with insecticides, you will get bed bugs under control faster.
  • Since insecticides can be dangerous, it is recommended that you hire a professional to take on the job. He has the knowledge to select the right chemicals and use them safely.

What you will need:

  1. steam generator
  2. infrared thermometer
  3. water
  4. towels
  5. fan

Is it possible to kill with steam

Many people who are faced with an unpleasant situation are interested in whether it is possible to get rid of bedbugs with a steam cleaner?

Bed parasites hiding in carpets, bedding, and bedding can be destroyed by exposure to hot temperatures. If you don’t have a device such as a steam cleaner at home, you can ask your friends or rent one. Hot steam passes through the thickness of the carpet or other fabric, while the bedbugs have nowhere to escape from it. When they come into contact with it, they die along with the eggs.

To use a steam cleaner on a furniture surface, you need a tool with a small nozzle to release steam into small cracks, nicks, and crevices of the furniture. To ensure that bed bugs are eliminated, treatment should be repeated after two weeks.

Pros and cons of a steam generator

To ensure the safety of interior items and the person who uses the steam generator as a means of exterminating insects, you need to know:

Advantages and disadvantages

  • When working, do not set the steam cleaner to high humidity, so as not to damage wall coverings (wallpaper) and fabric materials;
  • there is no need to direct a strong stream of high-temperature air onto plastic and wooden surfaces, especially painted ones;
  • It is prohibited to use steam cleaners near sockets and electrical appliances, this may lead to a lack of electrical wiring;

ON A NOTE!

Before steaming, it is recommended to wrap a cloth around the steam generator nozzle to prevent insects and their eggs from being blown away by the directed air.

Disadvantages of killing bedbugs with a steam generator

  • the directed high-temperature air flow cannot penetrate very narrow gaps or penetrate dense fabrics;
  • Bedbug eggs can only be removed a short distance from the nozzle;
  • Steam consists of moist air and can damage furniture and some surfaces, affecting their appearance.

Benefits of Steam Treatment

The benefits of steam are an environmentally friendly and completely natural solution to exterminating furniture monsters.

The use of steam cleaners has no impact on the environment and occurs without the use of insecticides. Once rooms have been treated, they can be re-treated, or you can return to them and live your normal life immediately, without waiting.

Steam kills bedbugs

Even with the addition of a disinfectant, a steam jet ejector can operate in the presence of people.

This method is fast and effective, with the help of a jet of steam you can directly target insect clusters, you can reach hard-to-reach places in niches and cracks.

Due to its properties, the disinfectant can be an ideal complement to highly heated dry steam and can eliminate the unpleasant odor associated with insects.

A mixture of steam and disinfectants can be sprayed in the presence of people without problems. Thus, you remove not only bedbug eggs from surfaces, but also excrement left by insects.

Steaming bed bugs has many other benefits:

  • Steam cleaners are very common now, so you can buy them at any hardware store;
  • The method allows you to get rid of parasites in your home at a low cost;
  • This method is the safest if there are small children or people with allergies in the house (chemicals and insecticides are not used);
  • Hot steam treatment allows you to destroy insects on surfaces and objects that cannot be treated with chemical insecticides.

How does steam affect bedbugs?

Even in ancient times, people knew that blood-sucking insects are very afraid of temperature changes. For normal development, they need to maintain constant conditions (humidity, temperature), and only in this case will they multiply quickly.

Bedbugs instantly die from the action of a steam cleaner

Exposure to steam leads to the death of both the insects themselves and their nymphs. Raising the temperature in a hot room in the sun has a similar effect on bedbugs. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to expose all the furniture from the apartment to the sun and “fry” the bloodsuckers; besides, they will still remain in cracks, behind baseboards and in other secluded places. But steam treatment against bedbugs will not be difficult, although, of course, it has a number of limitations.

The steam generator can easily deal with bedbugs

Choosing a steam cleaner for bedbugs

We suggest considering global brands that you can purchase on Amazon with delivery to Russia.

Choosing a steam cleaner

Vapamore MR-100

  • Uses dry steam to kill bed bugs
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Large reservoir for long-term use

Atrix HEPA

  • The suction power is very powerful
  • Purifies air by suction
  • Comes with several additional attachments

Housemile Anti-Dust

  • Uses a carbon filtration system
  • Effective against dust mites and bed bugs
  • Easy to clean

Conair Extreme Steamer

  • Very light
  • Comes with 3 useful attachments
  • Holds a stream of steam for 15 minutes

Handheld steamer Sunbeam

  • Heats up in 45 seconds
  • Extremely portable
  • 15 minutes continuous use

Atrix Bed Bug Vacuum

  • Purifies the air with a 4-level HEPA filter system
  • Comes with multiple attachments
  • Picks up bed bugs with powerful suction

The Atrix Bed Bug Vacuum seems to be the most attractive. Why?

It has a number of attachments and very high suction power to pull bed bugs and their eggs out of cracks and crevices.

Vapamore MR-100

  • Capable of quickly creating very hot steam (210+ degrees)
  • Lifetime warranty on heating element, boiler and all internal electrical parts.
  • In addition to removing bed bugs, also clean your bathroom, kitchen and floors.

Cheaper models only have a 1 year warranty. It also has a maximum tank capacity for longer steaming times before requiring a new refill.

McCulloch 1275

  • For people who want an inexpensive steam cleaner option.
  • It has a slightly smaller water tank and a 1 year warranty.

What should you consider when purchasing?

Not all equipment is created equal. Before purchasing a bed bug steam cleaner or vacuum cleaner, you should first consider your needs.

Below are some questions you may want to ask:

  • Do you want something that can disinfect surfaces?
  • Where do you want to use it?
  • And how long do you want it to last?

Below are some factors to consider before purchasing.

Nozzles

Some steam cleaners and vacuum cleaners are portable devices that you can travel with. In many of these cases, the product does not come with any attachments.

Steam cleaner attachments

Baits are useful because bed bugs can be difficult to find and hide in hard-to-reach places. If you find bed bugs in a crack near the ceiling, how can you get them out?

Attachments can simplify the cleaning process and save a lot of energy when it comes to killing pests, such as curtains covering tall windows.

When purchasing steam cleaning attachments, try to purchase at least one larger brush head so that you can apply steam to a larger area. Smaller nozzles will focus too much pressure on one spot, potentially scattering bed bugs in all directions and possibly increasing the size of the infestation.

Strength and Durability

Steam cleaners and vacuum cleaners differ in their purpose and design. Some were created specifically for travel. These portable devices are not as durable as regular models. They are designed for a year or two. The larger model is more expensive, but can last for several years. They also hold more water or dirt and can be used throughout the home without having to refill with water or empty it repeatedly.

IMPORTANT!

Having a large water tank is especially important for steam cleaning jobs to avoid interruption of heat treatment.

Bedbug steam - instructions for use

Before processing begins you must:

  • Set the temperature on the device to 70-80 degrees
  • Turn furniture over or move it away from walls

It is important to start treatment from the places where there are the most bedbugs. Usually these are the places that are adjacent to beds and sofas where a person sleeps. Folds of furniture, mattresses, the bottom of sofas, places behind bedside tables - these are the areas where bedbugs and larvae sit during the day. Next, you need to steam over the baseboards, along the cracks in the floor in the bedroom, and over the places where the linoleum comes away from the floor.

Bedbugs like to settle and reproduce closer to the food source, that is, to humans, so they can often be found in the sofa

Then, using steam, you should treat bed linen, underwear, and other clothing where parasites may be hiding. Some surfaces will have to be irrigated with an aerosol, because they do not tolerate steam, and if there are any, you need to buy an insecticide in advance. In general, a combination of chemical disinfestation and steam exposure is most effective.

To destroy the eggs, but not scatter them around the apartment, you can stretch a piece of fabric over the steam generator nozzle. This way the eggs will definitely not be blown away.

After the procedure, you must follow these rules:

  • Do not clean (wet) for 5 days if an insecticide was additionally used
  • Wash the curtains (they must be removed before steam treatment)
  • Closely monitor the appearance of new bedbugs and, if necessary, immediately carry out additional treatment

Steaming clothes

The steam cleaner device is based on the formation of steam when water is heated by a heating element. The kit includes several nozzles that allow you to direct a stream of hot air directly to your clothes.

Steaming clothes

The steam straightens the fabric, disinfects it, and eliminates odors. But if clothes infested with bedbugs can be washed without damaging them, then it is better to use a washing machine, hot water and a hot dryer.

Correct operation of the steam generator

A steam cleaner is not only a repellent against bedbugs, but also an excellent unit for exterminating them. It is necessary to carry out disinsection from the most contaminated areas of housing. Such objects are often sofas, beds and other upholstered furniture. Be sure to go through the joints, folds and crevices of the products, since this is where these pests can huddle.

In addition, if you want to get rid of bedbugs once and for all, you should also steam the baseboards, floors and all cracks.

To be extra sure, it is better to treat your clothes, since unpleasant insects can also live in them. This is especially true for winter items. It is there that bedbugs can settle so quietly that it is impossible to do without using a steam generator. When disinfecting clothing, be sure to take into account the information on the labels. In some cases, the steam can destroy part of your wardrobe.

Separately, it must be said that steam will not always immediately help. This often applies to deep cracks. However, do not despair and think that the steam cleaner is completely powerless here. Don’t be tormented by the question: “Will he help in such a situation?” Of course everything will work out! But this will take more time, namely, disinfection will need to be carried out over several weeks.

Operating rules

The main rule: to get rid of insects, the flow of high-temperature air must be directed at the parasite itself, which dies after a few seconds.

IMPORTANT!

To enhance your bed bug control, you should choose a high-efficiency steam cleaner. With smaller devices the results may not be as effective.

To get rid of bed bugs using a steam cleaner, you need to know the general rules of use:

  • Treatment should begin in places where large numbers of insects accumulate: sleeping places (beds, sofas) and adjacent areas, seams in upholstered furniture and mattresses, etc.
  • The steam cleaner should produce a stream of steam and air above 50°C. First, work around the perimeter of the room to remove frightened insects from their hiding places. Then you can quickly kill them.
  • Separately, you need to treat the back walls of cabinets and other furniture, especially near the sleeping areas.
  • Bedbugs love to hide on clothing or in bedding, so you'll have to treat clothes from your closet.
  • “Steaming” is also necessary for curtains, carpets and other home textiles.
  • Before you begin removing bed bugs from upholstered furniture, you should read the instructions as some surfaces can be damaged by hot, humid air. Then you should use a special spray with a spray;
  • To reliably get rid of parasites, bed bug control should be carried out regularly (weekly) using a steam cleaner until the parasites are gone forever. Repeated treatments kill new larvae that hatch from surviving eggs.

Instructions for exterminating parasites in your apartment

What you need to fight bedbugs:

  • steam generator with a narrow nozzle;
  • extension;
  • insecticide in the form of a spray.

To remove bedbugs, you need to follow the instructions for their destruction :


  1. Move the furniture away from the walls, turn it over so that nothing interferes with the upcoming processing.

  2. Set the temperature on the device to at least 70 degrees.
  3. Direct the steam jet towards the treatment area. The distance should be about 25 cm.
  4. Take a ferry ride through hard-to-reach places. The maximum accumulation of parasites is observed in the folds and crevices of furniture, as well as from the bottom of sofas and beds. They lay eggs behind bedside tables, in dark and secluded corners of the apartment.
  5. Treat cracks in laminate, linoleum or parquet. There bedbugs hide during the daytime.
  6. Walk through the curtains. If possible, it is recommended to wash them or boil them at high temperatures. Be sure to steam curtains, carpets and all textiles in the house.
  7. Treat clothes and bedding.

Those fabrics that do not tolerate high temperatures must be disinfected using insecticides.

After steam treatment is completed, additional drying of items is not required . If there is high humidity in the apartment, you can get rid of it with short ventilation.

Reviews about the application

When Marina found bed bugs in her bed, she was simply scared, because she had always believed that domestic bloodsuckers only appear in dirty rooms. Faced with an unpleasant situation, she called a special service that performed professional chemical treatment. The smell in the apartment was incredibly disgusting. She washed all the clothes and curtains, but the smell of insecticide persisted. But the bedbugs appeared again. She was at first in despair. Salvation came with a steam gun that her husband bought at a hardware store. They steam-cleaned all the sofas and furniture, baseboards and carpets. The blood-sucking insects were defeated with the help of a steam generator and they all died, and the smell disappeared.

The beetles moved into Sergei's apartment from neighbors who carried out bedbug baiting. Fearing for the health of their little son, Sergei and his wife did not decide on chemical treatment, and did not rely on traditional methods. A friend suggested that Sergei use a homemade steam cleaner for bedbugs. Sergey steamed all the sofas and bedding, the positive effect appeared immediately. In the near future, Sergey plans to repeat the process of removing parasites with a steam cleaner to destroy everything.

Other steam devices for fighting

As you know, bedbugs die when exposed to high temperatures. Many people are interested in whether it is possible to kill bedbugs with steam from an iron? In addition to the steam generator, there are other methods of combating blood-sucking parasites.

The following methods are considered some of the most popular:

  1. A steam gun is a device that is usually used to heat and dry a room after installing suspended ceilings. To get rid of bedbugs, you need to install the device indoors, heat the air to a temperature of 60 degrees, and leave the room for 1 - 2 hours;
  2. a steam cleaner for bedbugs also effectively affects parasites;
  3. Machine washable items at temperatures above 60 degrees. The disadvantage of the method is that not every material can be processed at high temperatures;
  4. ironing bed linen and clothes with an iron at the highest level;
  5. using boiling water to poison parasites in cracks and behind baseboards;
  6. drying things in the scorching sun also effectively destroys bedbugs and eggs;
  7. a clothes steamer produces high steam temperatures, so it is also effective against bedbugs;
  8. A hot air gun is a special industrial tool, so for safety reasons, a fire extinguisher should be placed nearby before treating surfaces.

To get rid of bedbugs using a steam cleaner, you need to start treating the apartment from the areas most densely populated with parasites (upholstered furniture, mattresses, pillows, cabinets). You should also thoroughly treat the floors, including baseboards and crevices. Do not forget that all things in the apartment need to be treated with steam, including curtains, carpets, cabinets, bedside tables, summer and winter things. Bedbugs camouflage themselves so well in the folds of things that it is simply impossible to see them with the naked eye. It is important to understand that steam treatment alone may not be as effective as desired. It is necessary to disinfect the premises for several weeks in a row to completely get rid of bloodsuckers.

Processing Features

First of all, it is worth noting that you need to prepare several attachments in advance. Depending on the nature of the visit, you need to use either a flat nozzle (processing a mattress, for example), or an elongated one (processing holes between the baseboard and the floor).

Before we start fighting bed bugs, we determine where they accumulate. If you start treating the room from those places that are only slightly infected, you will only succeed in scaring away the insects, which will begin to crawl into all the cracks.

After treating the most infected areas, you should steam all the furniture in the room, wardrobes, carpets, and decorative elements. It is advisable to wash items from wardrobes at temperatures exceeding 600C or treat them with the same steam generator, which will take much more time.

Then, we use a steam cleaner to treat all surfaces in the room that may be contaminated: floors, walls. If the floors are made of wood, then they need to be processed carefully. If the steam contacts the wood for too long, it may warp. And if you treat the surface with steam for a short time, you will not be able to achieve the desired result.

Advantages and disadvantages

Each method of controlling parasitic insects has advantages and disadvantages. The temperature method is no exception. First, let's talk about the positive aspects of using a steam generator against bedbugs.

Advantages

The advantages of treating an apartment with a steam generator include the environmental friendliness of this method. In fact, the apartment is treated with water, which is absolutely harmless. There is no need to leave the room while the room is being treated with steam, which cannot be said about disinfestation using toxic drugs.

Another advantage of treating an apartment against bedbugs with steam is that it saves time. This heat treatment option will take several hours. And if we talk about freezing an apartment, which is also a variation of the temperature method, then it will take at least a day.

You should not ignore such a factor as cost. Insecticides that help get rid of bedbugs are quite expensive. And if there is no equipment for spraying pesticides, then you will have to pay to call specialists. When treating a room with steam, water and a steam generator are used, which undoubtedly costs money. But, this equipment has a wide range of uses, which makes its purchase very profitable.

Flaws

The disadvantages of this method of fighting bedbugs include:

  • low efficiency with a high degree of infection of the premises;
  • the impossibility of processing interior items that deteriorate when in contact with water (some fabrics, books, etc.);
  • the impossibility of processing electrical appliances, inside of which parasitic insects can hide.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with: Poison for rats with a mummifying effect

Steam generator for bedbugs

Fighting bedbugs in this way, along with its advantages, also has some disadvantages.

Advantages:

  • environmental friendliness and safety due to the fact that the generator uses only water;
  • a relatively budget and affordable method, again due to the fact that the consumable material is water. Moreover, the device will serve you further. You will be able to clean them and wash their clothes;
  • steam will not damage bedding and accessories, unlike insecticides;
  • The room is processed fairly quickly.

Minuses:

  • it is impossible to achieve steam penetration into the narrowest cracks or through too thick upholstery;
  • Due to high humidity, the device cannot process objects that deteriorate from water, for example, books;
  • Electrical appliances should also not be exposed to steam.

What is a steam cleaner

The performance of the device depends on the power. The device is easy to use:

  1. The container is filled with water.
  2. After turning on the steam generator, the heating element heats up in it.
  3. High pressure is created inside the unit. After pressing “Start”, steam enters the hose and escapes out of the nozzle.

When destroying parasites on the steam generator, change the nozzles. This allows you to treat any nests of bloodsuckers, even those located in hard-to-reach places. Mattresses and other large surfaces are treated with flat nozzles. Steam is supplied to cracks, crevices and other miniature gaps through nozzles with narrow holes.

A steam cleaner or, as it is also called, a steam generator, is not special equipment for combating bed bugs. This device has a wide range of applications. It is mainly used for general cleaning of the apartment or cleaning things. But this device also copes well with disinfection.

In appearance, the steam generator resembles a vacuum cleaner. It consists of a container for water, which turns into steam during operation of the equipment, a heating element, a flexible hose and a set of nozzles. There are steam generators on sale equipped with water tanks of different sizes.

The mechanism of action of a steam cleaner is simple. When the equipment is turned on, the water heats up and turns into steam, which comes out of the nozzle under pressure.

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