Beds bugs are one of the hardest insects to tackle. They don’t cause any disease in pets or humans but no one can live with them. They usually bite at night during sleep which can be very irritating. If your beds are living spaces of bed bugs, you might face embarrassment if you have guests in your home.
The worst thing about these critters is that they can invade your home even if you keep it clean. A single pregnant female bed bug present on your clothes can cause a full-blown infestation in no more than a few months.
One of the ways to get rid of these nasty pests is to leave your home temporarily for a few months. Once they will stop having their blood meal for a few months, they might starve to death. But leaving your home in this hope is not a wise idea.
So, the only way to handle them is to use the best steam cleaner for bed bugs. If you are living a miserable life with these bed bugs, you should go for a quality steam cleaner to kill them all. We have put together some great steam cleaners that are trending in the market. So, go on and read further to choose the right steam cleaner for your bed.
What to Look for in a Steam Cleaner for Bed Bugs
Keep in mind that not every steam cleaner out there is made for exterminating pests. A steam cleaner that will meet our outlined criteria will be the ideal choice for fulfilling your cleaning requirements. Steam cleaners are an effective, chemical-free method for bed bug extermination and are equally effective for cleaning furniture.
Heating Time
Everyone wants to finish this undesirable job of killing bed bugs as soon as possible. The sooner they are removed the better. In general, a steam cleaner takes about 15 minutes to heat the water to generate steam. So, look for a model that can produce steam in less than this time to quickly finish your task. In this regard, steam cleaners with multiple heating elements, higher wattage, and direct injection are preferred.
Heat Output
The most crucial thing to look for in a steam cleaner is its capability to make hot steam. Try to go for a steamer with an output temperature of at least 94 C surface temperature to clean the mattress. Make sure that the heat output of the steam cleaner is higher than the required temperature to exterminate bed bugs. It is important to note that some heat will be lost while steaming. When considering steam cleaners, ensure the heat output is sufficient for your needs, similar to the requirements for steam cleaning mattresses for allergen reduction.
Attachments
The steam cleaner should be versatile and able to work on various surfaces and floors. You can effectively treat more areas if the cleaner comes with more attachments. Look for steam cleaners with versatile attachments, useful for various tasks, including steam cleaning for furniture care.
Capacity
Steam cleaning bed bugs take a lot of effort and time and you don’t want to waste energy on refills. So, try to get a steam cleaner that has a large water capacity to allow you to steam clean for a prolonged time. It means you will need fewer breaks to refill the cleaner. A larger water tank capacity allows for extended cleaning, much like the need for steam cleaning grout.
Steam Adjustment
Steam adjustment is always a handy option in a steam cleaner. You don’t need high-pressure steams to kill bed bugs on open surfaces. You only need high-pressure steam to go deeper and terminate bed bugs hiding in tight spots, fabrics, and crevices. Adjustable steam settings are vital for targeting different infestations, much like the precision needed for safely steam cleaning grout.
Steam Pressure
As the bed bugs usually reside and hide in crevices and fabrics, you need high steam pressure to make sure that the heat reaches up to those small spaces and tiny spots. These pests rarely stay on the surface, therefore you need as high steam pressure as you can get from a steam cleaner. Anything starting from 40 PSI will work but it is recommended to go for the model that can give you 60 PSI pressure.
Do steam cleaners kill bed bugs?
Yes, steam cleaners can easily kill bed bugs if done in the right way.
To remove bed bugs from your mattress:
Keep the steam at an angle of 113 degrees for at least 1 and a half hours.
Cut the time to 20 minutes at an angle of 118 degrees.
A Steam cleaner must have at least one gallon of water capacity.
You can use the steam in crevices and cracks to a depth of no more than 3’’.
Now you must be wondering if you can do this job with your conventional carpet cleaner. But that is not the case here because its water cannot get the required temperature and hence, it is not hot enough to kill bed bugs. Remember to take all the necessary precautions and read the instructions carefully before steam cleaning your mattress. You will be playing with extremely hot water and you might end up damaging your mattress or yourself if the cleaner is not used in the right way. And yes, never use the pinpoint pressure as in this way, you will blow the bed bugs instead of killing them.
Features of Effective Steamers
What makes a steam cleaner the perfect product for accomplishing mattress cleaning duties? These features are:
Hot Steam
A typical steam cleaner’s temperature can go at least up to 82 degrees C to generate steam. But many cleaners can go far higher than this mark. Pests and their eggs cannot survive at such high temperatures and will instantly die. If the temperature of the steam is less than 82 degrees C, some of the critters might die but most of them will survive.
Broad nozzles
Although narrow nozzles are great for reaching crevices and cracks, the bed bug killing process can be hectic and tiring if done with steam cleaners having narrow nozzles. Because they have to clean the same area over and over again due to less steam outcome. Additionally, chances are that you may miss some places and areas as well. In this way, bed bugs won’t come in contact with steam and they will live. So, it is advised to choose a model that has a broad nozzle or a triangular nozzle. These nozzles generate wide enough steam that can exterminate the bed bugs before to prevent them from scuttling off.
Quick Evaporation
As we are playing with water while steam cleaning, there are chances of mold growth. The best steam cleaner will generate steam that is quickly evaporated and hence, reducing the chances of molding. Therefore, you can enjoy perfect cleaning with no sign of mold.
Price
The market is full of different models with different price tags. The prices are increased with the increased number of features and specifications a model offers. But that doesn’t mean the most expensive model is the best one. The best cleaner is the one that fulfills your cleaning demands. Therefore, instead of wasting money on an expensive model, invest in a steam cleaner that can perfectly meet your needs.
Warranty
Ensure that the company guarantees and offers product support when you bought it the first time. Warranty is essential for a situation like your device becomes faulty due to any reason.
Advantages of using a steam cleaner for killing bed bugs:
Check out some of the advantages of using a steam cleaner to clean your mattress and make it bed bug-free.
- A steam cleaner for bed bugs can give you the right temperature (at least 82 degrees C) that is required to terminate bed bugs. Just move it once over the place and it will instantly kill all the bed bugs that will come in contact with it.
- An ideal steam cleaner leaves no untouched spot, so you don’t have to clean the spot again. A single roll of the cleaner is enough to kill all the bed bugs on the surface.
- You can even kill bed bugs from tight spots, corners, and crevices using narrow nozzles of the steam cleaner.
- You can kill the hardest and tough to kill bed bugs from fabrics and other surfaces using the broad nozzles of the steam cleaner.
- You don’t need to use harsh chemicals to kill bed bugs, you can do that with natural steam produced by a quality steam cleaner. It will surely keep us safe and secure, but not the pests.
- Such a high temperature of the steam cleaner can easily sanitize and clean any surface. Not only bed bugs, but they can also get rid of dirt, dust, and grime from dirty places.
- It provides outstanding steam cleaning without any mark of mold in the home.