Question about using heat instead of chemicals for bed bugs

I had an old school exterminator tell me last year that I was wasting money on chemical sprays for bed bug jobs. He said just use a steamer and a shop vac, nothing else. I argued with him for like 20 minutes saying heat alone doesn't kill eggs and you need residual. But after my third callback on a single unit in a building near downtown, I tried his method on a small job. Just steam and vacuum, no sprays. It worked. No callback in 6 months. I still don't fully buy it for big infestations though. Has anyone else tried going chemical free on bugs and had it actually hold?

2 comments

2 Comments

jake_chen16d ago

Get yourself a quality steamer with a wide floor tool and take your time on every seam and edge. The trick is to go slow enough that the steam actually penetrates the fabric and kills the bugs, not just the surface. I had the same doubts you did about eggs, but the heat and moisture from the steam seems to cook them just fine if you hit every spot directly. For big jobs I still fall back on a mix of steam and a non repellent spray like Temprid, but for small units in apartment buildings the chemical free method holds up better than I ever expected. Vacuuming is the real key though, you gotta get the carcasses and eggs out before they cause an allergic reaction or draw in new pests.

wilson.claire16d ago

Have you tried the steamer trick on box spring fabric where it's all thin and stapled on? @jake_chen I read somewhere that you gotta be careful not to melt the fabric or warp the wood underneath, but I guess going slow helps with that too.