Bed bug steam cleaner - which one to choose: a master class on working with the device and an overview of 6 popular models
For the destruction of bedbugs, chemical agents are used, a mechanical method of dealing with them, many folk methods are used to destroy and repel bedbugs, and they are also affected by temperature. The latter method is quite effective and harmless; when treating an apartment with hot steam, parasites die instantly. Steam treatment does not harm people and animals.
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What temperature is detrimental to bedbugs
Bed bugs tolerate temperature fluctuations from +5 to +40 degrees, but die at temperatures of +45 degrees and above. Insects are destroyed with the help of high temperature: places of accumulation are poured with boiling water, clothes and bedding are washed in hot water, all places in the apartment are treated with hot steam.
Is it possible to kill parasites with steam
Bedbugs hide in secluded places, steam passes through all the cracks and destroys insects. You can also steam clean bedding, carpets, window curtains, mattresses, pillows and blankets. Therefore, people use steam treatment to kill bedbugs.
The method is very effective, affordable and does not harm the health of people and pets. After such treatment, adult insects, their larvae and egg laying die.
What are Insect Control Steam Generators?
A special apparatus in which water turns into steam, and it consists of:
- electric heater;
- water tank;
- elastic hose;
- a set of nozzles for processing hard-to-reach places.
There are several models of steam generators suitable for home use. The more powerful the device, the better the result after processing.
The principle of operation of the device: how steam affects bedbugs
Pros and cons of this method of struggle
All objects in the apartment are treated with a steam generator, with a large number of them, insects or egg laying can be everywhere. Processing should be carried out very carefully, but do not forget that this method has its pros and cons.
Pros:
- When processing the room with a steam generator, no chemicals are needed. Work can be carried out in the presence of people and pets. After treatment, it will be necessary to remove dead insects, and no additional cleaning will be needed, as after treatment with chemicals.
- Hot steam acts on bedbugs and their eggs. Which is not always possible with other types of processing.
- With the help of a steam generator, hard-to-reach places can be treated: ventilation holes, cracks behind skirting boards, in the floor and walls. Soft items: pillows, blankets, mattresses, upholstered furniture.
- For processing, a steam generator can be bought or rented. No additional funds are needed for work, only water.
- Any premises can be processed, especially it can be used where chemical treatments are strictly prohibited, in schools, kindergartens, hospitals or other places.
Cons:
- Not all surfaces can be steam treated.
- It takes a lot of time and steam to process the entire apartment, so the humidity in the room can increase.
- Follow the instructions for using the steam generator, do not overdo it so as not to damage the surfaces to be treated, and so that mold from excess moisture does not start up inside the upholstered furniture or mattress.
- Not suitable for processing sockets, switches, household appliances.
- Treat the entire area very carefully so that there are no places left where insects can be.
Features of operation of steam generators
Before operation, read the instruction manual for the device. Assess the situation and draw up an action plan: choose the appropriate temperature regime, and, in a certain sequence, process the room and the pieces of furniture in it.
| What temperature regime is better to choose | For bedbugs, temperatures above +45 degrees are considered fatal. On the device, you can select the mode +70 or +80 degrees, this will be enough to kill insects. |
| cold steam | Cold steam will not be able to completely destroy bedbugs. But only by adding a chemical agent to the water, there will be a good result. Cold steam will penetrate into all the cracks and the bugs will die. |
| hot steam | High temperatures instantly kill parasites. Hot steam treatments are recommended when bedbugs appear, this method is especially effective in advanced cases, when they are literally everywhere. |
| dry steam | Dry steam penetrates into all hard-to-reach places and has a detrimental effect on insects. |
Basic rules for using the device
- Set the temperature on the steam generator.
- They carefully immediately process the pieces of furniture on which the person sleeps: bed frame, mattress, pillows, blanket.
- The nozzle of the device is directed to the joints of the frame, seams and folds on the mattress.
- Furniture and cabinets are moved away from the walls so that there is a passage.
- Process the back walls of the furniture and their inside.
- Skirting boards, walls, carpets on the floor and on the walls, and under them are poured with steam.
Which steam generator to choose to fight bedbugs: an overview of popular models
When choosing a steam generator for your home, it is important to pay attention to the following parameters:
- power;
- pressure, intensity and temperature of steam supply;
- time of readiness for work;
- water tank capacity;
- cord and hose length;
- the presence of nozzles.
Other steam appliances in the fight against bedbugs
Of the available electrical appliances, you can use to combat bedbugs:
- a steam gun, which is used to dry the room after installing stretch ceilings. The device is installed indoors, the temperature is set to +60 degrees and the room is left to warm up for 2-3 hours;
- a clothes steamer produces hot steam, it can be used to treat rooms;
- hot air gun, a device for removing paint from products, using hot air;
- boiling water from a kettle can be used to scald bedbug habitats;
- ironing things and bedding with an iron gives the same effect.