The most effective bed bug treatment: spraying or heat?

What’s the most effective bed bug treatment? This is a question on a lot of homeowner’s minds who are dealing with these tricky pests. Getting rid of bed bugs can be a difficult process. But today, there are more effective methods for doing this than ever before. When it comes to how to get rid of bed bugs, the two main methods are heat treatment and the conventional spray method. But which one is better? Before we get to the pros and cons of each method, let’s first break down how they work.

Bed bug heat treatment can be an effective way of ridding your home of these pests. When you have professional bed bug heat treatment done, heaters are brought into your home to increase the temperature to at least 45°C or 113°F. These temperatures will kill bed bugs in all life stages in under 10 minutes. The heat is able to reach all areas of your home, including the furniture, floors, walls, clothing, etc. to completely eradicate it of pests.

The conventional way to get rid of bed bugs is using a spray. When this spray is applied professionally, it can be effective at ridding your home of bed bugs. Using a safe insecticide treatment, the bed frame and surrounding areas are sprayed. This treatment also includes spray dusting outlets and gaps in baseboards and vacuuming live/dead bed bugs, eggs, and shells. When you choose Brilliex Pest Control, this treatment is guaranteed for 90 days. If the bed bugs return during this time, we will make sure to come back and knock them out.

Depending on things like the severity of the bed bug infestation in your home, either treatment could be a good option. Many homeowners prefer the traditional spray method for killing bed bugs because it’s usually the most cost-effective option. For a low-level infestation, this can be the right choice. But in some cases, it isn’t as effective as heat treatment. Some homeowners are concerned about the type of chemicals used for bed bug extermination. But at Brilliex Pest Control, we only use treatments that are safe and proven.

One reason some homeowners prefer heat treatment over chemical treatment is that it usually takes more than spray treatment to be totally effective. Over time, certain species of bed bugs have become resistant to certain pesticides, so this is also something to consider. In some cases, certain materials or items can’t be treated with chemicals. In that case, heat treatment must be used.

Heat treatment for bed bugs poses several advantages. For starters, portable heaters can be set up almost anywhere to eradicate any and all pests in that area. Conveniently, the heat also kills bed bugs in all life stages, so you can be sure they’re all gone. Heat treatment may be more expensive than the conventional spray method, but this is for a good reason: it’s usually the most effective treatment!

With total thermal eradication, any and all bed bugs in the home are killed. This is the most effective treatment for bed bugs because once temperatures reach 45°C+, bed bugs are killed within seconds. There’s no way for bed bugs to hide or escape from the heat, so even the clever ones who try to hide can’t escape the heat.

With heat treatment for the whole home, heat is able to penetrate deep into furnishings, stored items, under carpets, and behind baseboards and door frames. At Brilliex Pest Control, we often like to combine conventional spray treatment with heat treatment. We find the combination of both of these bed bug removal methods are incredibly effective together. Before we decide which option is right for your home, we’ll complete an inspection. We’ll also talk to you about which option might make the most sense for you and your budget.

Remember, if bed bugs got into your home once, they can do it again. That’s why avoiding bed bugs altogether in the first place is optimal.

Here are some tips for keeping bed bugs out of your home:

• Use caution in hotels: Hotel rooms are a common place to find bed bugs because so many people come and go from the same place. Before you make yourself at home in a hotel room, do an inspection first. Use a flashlight to check under the mattress and around the bed frame looking for signs of the pests. You should also check places like behind paintings. Try to keep your suitcase off the carpet floor and stored on a luggage rack or on the bathroom tile instead. Check the sheets for small red or brown marks that could be from dead bed bug blood.
• Put new clothes in the dryer: Once you bring home clothing you just purchased, whether it’s brand new or consigned, run it through the dryer for 30 minutes to allow the heat to kill any bugs that might reside on the fabric.
• Regularly wash and dry the fabrics in your home: This is especially important for fabrics or materials that touch the floor. Run them through the washing machine regularly and then dry them thoroughly.
• Don’t wait until it’s too late: If you suspect you have bed bugs, call professionals immediately. Often, homeowners wait too long to call because they’re not sure if it’s actually bed bugs they’re dealing with, or they think they can handle it themselves. In this case, what often ends up happening is the bed bugs take over the home and it becomes a much bigger job to get rid of them. Here are some signs your home has bed bugs.

If you suspect you have bed bugs and you’re eager to eradicate these awful pests from your home, don’t wait! Call Brilliex Pest Control today and we’ll send pest control experts to your home to deal with the problem professionally and effectively.