If you are unfortunate victim of a bed bug infestation, please feel free to use this as a guide on how to get rid of bed bugs in your home. We at Thermal Flow have heard plenty of horror stories from customers about how difficult it is to eliminate these little parasites for permanently. We understand — after all, bed bugs can hide about anywhere in your home, including:
- In upholstery, fabric, and bedding
- Inside mattresses and under furniture legs
- Behind light switches and baseboards
- Even in picture frames!
And once they hide, they can spread quickly by moving through the walls of your home. All of this makes them extremely difficult to treat!
Our applications staff has vast bed bug experience, including thousands of bed bug heat treatments; and we’re happy to give you recommendations and equipment you can count on to solve the problem the first time, for good.
Heat Kills Bed Bugs More Effectively than Chemicals
We know there are a variety of chemical products out there labeled for bed bug treatment. However, we believe that heat is a more efficient method of getting rid of bed bugs the first time around. Why?
First of all, heat is safer than pesticides, and can be toxic to family members and pets if used improperly. With heat, there’s no need for potentially dangerous chemicals in your home. There’s also no need to empty your rooms to prepare for a heat treatment. That’s because your furniture and bedding can be safely and easily treated with heat, and with proper airflow, heat can be driven into these objects. Using heated air is also beneficial because it can reach covered areas and hiding spots that chemicals can’t. Finally, these heat treatments can be done yourself, or by trained professionals.
Here’s the process we recommend:
Step 1: Take measurements of the largest room you plan to treat.
Step 2: Multiply the length by the width to get the square footage of your space.
Step 3: Use a bed bug heater with enough power to handle the size of your space and a high temperature air mover to ensure heat penetration throughout your entire space.
Step 4: Heat the room to what we call the “kill temperature” — above 120 degrees F.
Step 5: Shift furniture and clothing in drawers to help eliminate cold spots
Step 6: Allow the room temperature to rise to 130 or 140 degrees F, and then hold that temperature for 4-6 hours.
Some additional measures you can use to get rid of bed bugs in your home include, washing and drying your clothes, linens, and other fabric items in hot cycles. This is especially useful if you have a higher concentration of clothing and other goods in your space. Clutter is the ultimate enemy of ALL bed bug treatments. We also suggest inspecting your vehicles, as bed bugs can easily be dropped off in your vehicles, and brought in after a successful treatment. Vehicles can be heated as well. If it’s summer time with temperatures in excess of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, you can simply place your vehicle in the sun with the windows rolled up. Temperatures inside enclosed vehicles will easily reach a lethal temperature for bed bugs and their eggs.
Post-treatment: If you are aware of how bugs were introduced into your home, you must avoid the source if at all possible. If you had brought them home from a friend or family member’s residence, do not return until they have fully eliminated their problem. If you can’t avoid the situation, then we recommend changing out of your clothes immediately when you return home, and throwing them in a dryer on a high heat cycle. Bed bugs are hitchhikers, which is how they get into your residence in the first place. We also recommend vacuuming up bed bug carcasses to assist with monitoring and/or determining if any new activity occurs.
Our Most Popular Bed Bug Solutions for Homeowners
In addition to full packages that give you everything you need to pull off a successful one-time bed bug extermination, Thermal Flow Technologies also offers a line of electric heaters that are affordable for non-professionals and easy to use. The heaters differ in power and square footage capacity, so it’s important to have accurate measurements of your space. 
Our most popular home solutions for how to treat bed bugs include:
- The 180sqft Electric Bed Bug Package which is smaller in size and good for treating a single room. For smaller infestations and living spaces, this heater is the way to go. It’s also perfect for ambulances, tractor trailer cabs and other vehicles!
- The 300sqft Electric Bed Bug Package, which is good for larger living spaces. It can cover up to 300 square feet of space, with 8’ ceilings.
- The 400sqft Electric Bed Bug Package for Homes, which is a custom package requiring an electric stove or dryer outlet to partially power the heater. This package packs a punch covering up to 400 square feet of space!
Please note that all of these electric bed bug heater packages for DIY home bed bug remediation carry a manufacturer’s warranty of up to a year. The recommendations and general steps of preparation above are meant to be a guide, and Thermal Flow Technologies will not be held liable for any damage resulting from performing your own bed bug heat treatments.
How Can Thermal Flow Help?
If you would like additional information about how to get rid of your bed bug problem for good, the experts at Thermal Flow are just a phone call away. We’re happy to recommend products, go over your options with you, and give you tips from the pros.
