How to Heat Up the Room to Kill Bed Bugs

Waking up with big red welts on your arms and legs that itch like no other are not due to mosquitoes getting in your bedroom, but are most likely because of bed bug infestation. One of the harder and most unpleasant pests to get rid of, bed bugs are small, brownish-red, flat insects that feast on human flesh during the night. They hide out between mattresses and box springs, in pillows, blanket folds and among crevices in upholstered furniture, and inject a toxin into flesh that numbs it while they feed. Get rid of these pests through meticulous cleaning as well as hitting them with heat, one of the more effective methods for controlling bed bugs.

Space heaters
Room thermometer
Steam iron
Washer and dryer

Instructions

- 1
  Raise the temperature of the room that contains the bedbug infestation to at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit through your thermostat or by turning up your furnace. Close the door to keep the heat in the room, and make sure all windows are shut completely to avoid losing heat. Adult and nymph bedbugs must be in a room that is over 113 degrees F for 15 minutes to kill them, while eggs take 60 minutes to die at this temperature. If you are concerned about overheating your entire home, use space heaters to up the temperature in the room with the infestation. Check the temperature of the room with a room thermometer.
- 2
  Keep the temperature raised as long as possible, preferably for three hours if not longer. Add space heaters to the room to further raise the temperature if desired. Check your thermostat regularly to ensure the room temperature remains the same.
- 3
  Remove infested bed sheets and comforters and wash them twice in hot water, or at 248 degrees, for at least 20 minutes. Dry sheets and comforters on high heat as well.
- 4
  Go over both sides of your mattress with a steam iron to kill bedbugs.

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