by Sally Fox-PriceWill Heat Treatment For Bed Bugs Damage My Home?
As bed bugs become increasingly resistant to insecticides and chemical treatments, it’s becoming harder to eliminate infestations fully.
That’s why many pest control companies, including Mission Pest Control, use heat treatment alongside other methods to get rid of bed bugs.
This method can be highly effective, but you might be worried about how it will affect the items inside your home and your property itself.
Thankfully, heat treatment is a highly targeted solution, and when carried out by fully trained professionals like us, it can safely be used to kill bed bugs without damaging your property.
How Bed Bug Heat Treatment Works
Bed bugs survive inside tiny hiding places inside bedding, mattresses, bed frames, clothes, carpets and soft furniture. In some cases, bed bugs have even been found behind loose wallpaper or skirting boards.
With heat treatment, what look like oversized plastic bags are used to seal in rooms, sections of a house or specific items, such as furniture and fill them with hot air.
The area is then heated to the target temperature between 50°C and 60°C (122°F and 140°F), which is the optimum temperature to kill bed bugs.
When the area reaches the required temperature, the insects will be killed while the surrounding building and furniture will remain unharmed and ready for use again shortly. Learn more about bed bug death after treatment by reading our guide: How Long After Bed Bug Treatment Do They Die?
Your pest control technician will just have to remove the dead bed bugs inside the sealed bag, along with bed bug eggs, droppings and shed skins.
Heat treatment has to be undertaken throughout the infested area, which may encompass an entire room or floor of your property, to ensure there are no surviving bed bugs. Once this is done, the bed bug infestation will be gone for good.
There’s no time needed to allow chemicals to dissipate, like with regular bed bug treatments, so you can get back into your home relatively quickly and often on the same day, although larger infestations may take longer.
For more information on bed bug heat treatments, read our guide: What Is Heat Treatment For Pest Control?
Will Heat Treatment Cause Structural Damage?
Heat treatment will not cause structural damage to your property when carried out by qualified experts like Mission Pest Control.
That’s because the heat is highly targeted and buildings are designed to withstand high temperatures and other stressors.
As such, you don’t need to worry about property damage occurring following heat treatment for bed bugs.
Items That Could Be Affected By Bed Bug Heat Treatment
While your home itself won’t be affected by the heat treatment, some items inside it might be susceptible to heat damage.
Before your heat treatment takes place, your pest controller will discuss any items that might need to be moved. As a guide, here are some things that might be affected by heat treatment and how to ensure their safety.
Electronics
Any large electronic items that cannot be moved, such as TVs, desktop computers and fitted appliances, should be turned off, unplugged and allowed to cool down before the treatment takes place. They can then be covered with a dust sheet before the treatment.
Artwork
Artwork, particularly paintings, can melt or warp when exposed to high heat, so where possible they should be removed. Glue can also be damaged during heat treatment, leading to issues with frames and sculptures. For large paintings that are heavy and can’t be easily removed, discuss with our team to ensure their safety.
Musical Instruments
Musical instruments should be kept away from high heat to avoid warping, issues with their musical performance and other damage. For large instruments, such as pianos, make sure you inform your pest control provider, and they can shelter the piano from the heat.
Fish Tanks
Pets should be moved before heat treatment work begins to keep them safe, including pets that usually stay in place, such as fish. Fish should be moved to a different tank in a cooler part of your home. While you might be able to leave a large tank, you should remove all the water and any other living organisms, such as plants, and turn off any electronic parts, such as filters, and unplug them. If possible, it is best to remove the tank altogether.
Houseplants
Houseplants can be damaged by high heat or even killed in some cases, so you need to make sure they are moved to a cooler space in your home away from the heat treatment. If possible, place them outside in the garden or move them somewhere else until the treatment is complete.
Vinyl
Vinyl is sometimes used for more than just records. The material is also commonly used for wall decals, furniture coverings and surface wraps. Vinyl can warp and melt, so if you have any wall decals or other immovable vinyl in your home, speak to our team and we can work to protect it from the heat.
Candles
Wax candles can melt under heat treatment, and also soften or change chemical composition, meaning the fragrance oils don’t distribute or the wick tunnels during burning. That’s why it’s best to move candles to cooler areas of your home while heat treatment is taking place.
Cosmetics
Many cosmetic products, such as make up, could melt under the high temperatures needed to carry out heat treatment for bed bugs. Additionally, pressurised containers, such as cans of hairspray or deodorant, can be damaged and explode if exposed to high heat. Thankfully, bed bugs are not often found in bathrooms, as they prefer areas with hiding places and where human hosts spend a lot of time, so moving all of your cosmetics to your bathroom could help keep them safe.
Consumables
If you keep food in the room that is being treated, you will need to remove it, as this could melt or cook in the heat. Bed bugs are also rarely found in kitchens, so moving all food products to the kitchen area before the heat treatment begins can be a simple way to reduce issues. Also, if you keep any medicines in the affected area, you should also remove these to either the bathroom or kitchen.
How To Ensure The Safety Of Your Belongings During Bed Bug Heat Treatment
To ensure that your property is safe while heat treatment is taking place, you need to make sure that you work with an experienced provider like Mission Pest Control.
Our staff are fully trained and have extensive experience providing heat treatment for bed bugs and other insects, such as cockroaches, moths, booklice, carpet beetles, and more.
Before your appointment, our friendly team can provide you with details on how to prepare for bed bug heat treatment to ensure the safety of your home and items.
If you’re ready to get rid of bed bugs for good, then contact us on 01793 379333 or by emailing hello@missionpestcontrol.co.uk to book your bed bug heat treatment.