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How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs With Steam Cleaning
Everyone has heard the saying, ‘Don’t let the bed bugs bite,’ when they were being tucked in at night as children. Though seemingly a cute way of saying goodnight, it really does have truth to it.
Many organisms exist that aren’t spotted by the human eye, and bed bugs are definitely one of those creatures that are hard to see. However, their effects cannot be hidden.
These parasites are more than a simple nuisance; they actually feed off their host’s blood. This infestation causes bite bumps that are red, itchy and can even become infected if the onslaught is severe enough.
Getting rid of these pests can be a daunting task, but a hand held steamer quickly eliminates the unwanted visitors.
How Does A House Or Room Get Infested?
Unlike mosquitoes and other flying insects, bed bugs can’t take flight, even though they have wings. These pests can’t just swoop in and suddenly invade a place of residence. Instead, these pests rely on someone or something to transport them from one host site to another.
Often, people unknowingly carry them from one location to another. One of the most typical forms of transport is by travelers staying in an infested hotel. The crawling critters get into their luggage and then set up camp when the vacationer returns home.
These organisms can also find a new home when used furniture is added to a room. Bed bugs even move into a new location by latching onto the clothing of someone who visits an infested location. College students often allow these critters, without their knowledge, to hitch a ride back home with them for the holidays and family visits.
Another common factor for an infestation is moving into an already infested home or apartment. No matter how they get there, once brought inside, the pests eagerly move to other bedrooms by increasing their numbers.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?
As their name indicates, these creatures can be discovered in mattresses, inside the box springs or within a 15 foot radius around the bed. They also enjoy other places where people sleep such as a sofa or futon.
However, cases have shown that sometimes they invade sections of a home that are even farther away from the bed. Bed bugs will burrow and hide virtually anywhere that has tight spaces.
Base boards, in the back of dresser drawers and even behind light switches can provide a perfect space for these critters to live and breed. Because they are very flat, these insects like to reside in cracks and crevices.
These creatures may be hard to find, but they do leave liquid feces behind which can be spotted by dark spots on bedding or other hiding places. Also, they give off a musty, sweet smell that can be noticed in serious infestations.
Although relatively tiny in size, this pest is big enough to cause insomnia by just thinking about its presence crawling around on mattresses and furniture in a home. While these insects do not cause health hazards or transmit disease, they can increase their numbers rapidly. Steam cleaning will stop these invaders in their tracks and keep them multiplying.
Steam Cleaning Eliminates Bed Bugs
Killing bed bugs can be difficult because even if adult insects are exterminated, their larvae might still hatch and only magnify the problem. The greatest solution to ensure that all adults, larvae, and eggs are eliminated is to use a hand held steamer. Before steam cleaning with an attachment, there are a few precautions to consider.
First, steam must be 120 degrees Fahrenheit or higher to kill bed bugs and their eggs instantly. Use the attachment with the largest head that came with the steam cleaning machine or a hand held steamer.
Blasting thick, dry vapor steam makes the critters run away fast, only to be sucked up by the vapors. Using a small head on a hand held steamer will have the opposite result, since it will force the insects to scatter to other areas of the home, spreading the infestation beyond one section of the house or apartment.
Vacuuming, on the other hand, is not an effective way to get rid of a bed bug infestation. There is no extreme heat involved when vacuuming. Thus, these annoying parasites simply creep out of the vacuum and proceed to infiltrate the same room all over again, or make their way to any entirely new area of the house to infest and lay their eggs.
Fortunately, a normal handheld steamer can eliminate this vicious cycle. Producing heated vapors at over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a handheld steamer will eradicate bedbugs where they lay.
Additionally, the dry steam generated by a low moisture hand held steamer provides a lower risk of producing mold within the home. Steam cleaning will also remove dust mites and other microscopic organisms from the home that may pose a health hazard to residents.
