This FAQ explains how a steamer can be a useful and cost-effective tool in helping you get rid of bed bugs in your home. Steam can be used to kill bed bugs on contact. Many professionals use it, often before applying residual pesticides and dusts, and sometimes in lieu of pesticides (where necessary). You can also use a steamer yourself, but we recommend doing your research. This FAQ provides information, links to further information, and examples of steamers and other tools. Essential information on technique for killing bed bugs with steam can be found in the following articles: Overview of advice culled from professional articles and forum discussions on killing bed bugs with a steamer: Many if not all of our experts, and many DIY-ers on the forums feel that steam is useful in the fight against bed bugs. Do your research first (see links above). Steam is a contact killer that can kill both bed bugs and eggs. Dry vapor steam is of the utmost importance: all steam methods increases the likelihood of mold growing in the home, but steamers labeled as producers of “dry steam” significantly reduce the mold potential.
You can steam most furniture, floors, baseboards, walls, ceiling, etc. Do not try to steam electrical outlets. Steam and electricity are not a good mix. Many PCOs offer steam services, or you can do this yourself yourself as a complement to what your PCO is doing—but you should coordinate with the PCO about it. Heat may break down the chemicals the PCO is using, thus undermining their residual effect. (Some PCOs use steam only and no pesticides. This would likely take a lot longer and require more repeat treatments.) You should wear a respirator as noted in this BIRC article (click for PDF). Truthfully, we should be wearing respirators any time we paint a wall or handle any chemicals like pesticides, herbicides or bleach. But steam, specifically, is going to vaporize any chemicals on surfaces, be they pesticide or household cleaning products, etc. PLEASE NOTE: the respirator is not the same as a basic dust mask. It is specifically labeled for “paint and pesticide vapors.”
I was able to purchase one at my local hardware store for 30 bucks.Steam must hit bed bugs directly. If you are purchasing a steamer, the manufacturer should list a temperature at the tip of being over 200F. It may also be possible to purchase an infrared thermometer (aka infrared laser thermometer) to check your steamer temperature at tip. Stephen Doggett’s Revised Bed Bug Code of Practice (see above) says: As with all equipment, the steamer must be properly maintained and the operating temperatures should be regularly checked with the aid of an infrared thermometer. Immediately after steam treatment the surface should be recording at least a temperature of 70 to 80 degrees C (=158 to 176 degrees F) Steam is dangerously hot. Don’t forget to stay focused and safe. This should be used as one piece of the integrated pest management puzzle. Professional pest control assistance and coordination with your landlords and neighbors (if applicable) is still essential in order to get rid of bed bugs in your building.
Key things to look for in a steamer: The most economical dry vapor steam cleaner we know of is in the $300 price range: Vapamore MR-100 Dry Vapor Steamer from USBedbugs. A number of Forum users have reported positively on the Vapamore MR-100, and the specifications look good. As a bonus, US Bed Bugs sells it for under $300 with free shipping. Mangycur used the Vapamore for several years, and had some frustrating experiences detailed here. If you’re able to go up to the next price range, KillerQueen recommends the Vapor Clean Pro5 (formerly TR5) for consumers and uses a Pro6 himself (formerly TR6 see this post). The main difference between the two is that the TR6 (designed for heavy duty use) offers continuous fill. The Vapamore Pro5 or TR5, selling for about $599 as of April 2014, is about $200-300 less than the Pro6/ TR6, and will steam continuously for 1.5-2 hours. or Bed Bug Supply. Bedbugger experts Franco Casini in Italy and David Cain in the UK have long used and praised the Cimex Eradicator, a Polti steamer designed to kill bed bugs.
It’s extremely hot and efficient at doing so. It became available in the US as of 3/2015, and is state of the art, if pricy ($1495 as of this update). Here’s a video of Franco demonstrating the Polti Cimex Eradicator. “With a maximum tip temperature of 356 degrees Fahrenheit, this is easily the hottest steamer we have ever tested. There is also significantly less water vapor emitted by the Eradicator than by any other steamer we’ve seen, which means more heat penetration ability and less cleanup after the job is done.” This is the hottest tip temperature we’re aware of at this price point or lower, and that makes for more efficient and thorough bed bug killing. Although it doesn’t have continuous fill like some other models do, the 2L capacity means you can steam for up to two hours without stopping. The Cimex Eradicator may see some stiff competition from another Italian steamer newly available in North America: the Armato 9000 Commercial Bed Bug Steamer, which offers a tip temperature of 284F, 90-PSI steam pressure capability, a tank capacity of 1.1 gallons, and continuous fill — which means you can keep working and topping up the water.
This steamer retails for just under $1000 from Bed Bug Supply. S mentioned using the WhiteWing Steamer in this thread; needtosleep also used it. The WhiteWing is not widely available now. (Though for that price, you probably want to go for the Cimex Eradicator, which wasn’t available in 2008.) One pro recommended Amerivap steamers (specifically the Amerivap Steamax, which is available from Do My Own Pest Control for about $900. Readers often ask about dry vapor steamer rentals. In the past, the firm Simplex in Québec rented the Polti VAP 2000, a dry vapor steamer, for $46 CAN per weekend — the link to this offer no longer works and has been deleted, but readers in Québec may wish to try calling the company. wchicago reports that Clark-Devon Hardware in Chicago rents out the White Wing Steamer. We’d welcome tips on other sources of professional dry vapor steamer rentals worldwide. Mangycur used an AO R95 paint / pesticide respirator mask from her hardware store.
Collette, a reader, shared her success story about using steam to kill bed bugs in her home. You can read it here. Many thanks to Mangycur who wrote most of this FAQ, providing the helpful and succinct overview, suggestions about shopping for a steamer, and information about respirator use above. Thanks also to everyone else who contributed information to this FAQ, including hopelessnomo, needtosleep, bugbasher, pleasehelp, Winston O. Buggy, Lieutenantdan, and S. Please add additional links, suggestions, corrections in the comments below. Here’s a video from Bed Bug Central’s Jeff White on using steam to kill bed bugs: And here’s a second video from Jeff White, about how to determine if your steamer is effective in killing bed bugs: Disclosure: please note the links and banners above may be affiliate links, which means that if you shop through these banners and links, the store gives the site a small commission based on sales, at no additional cost to you.