Bed bugs hate heat, but love body temperature! Eww!!
They cannot withstand extremely high temperatures so all it takes to kill them is exposure to steam of at least 48°C which is why the Duplex range of commercial steam cleaners are a safe and effective way to eliminate bed bugs and their eggs.
As resilient as those nasty little bugs seem, upon direct contact with steam, bed bugs can die almost instantly. However, reaching every bug in all their hiding spots may take time and a thorough steam cleaning treatment can take anywhere from one to several hours, depending on the level of infestation and size of the area being treated.
Bed bugs can be treated with insecticide spray, however this has to be removed and neutralised before the bed and pillows can be used so a second clean may be needed to make sure the user does not get any adverse effects from the bed bug treatment. The steam application is chemical free, reaches better into narrow nooks and crannies, penetrates through fabrics and is not toxic so it provides a more eco-friendly solution to the problem.
It is important that the steam nozzle is applied slowly over the area to be treated so that the steam has enough time to heat and penetrate deep into the surface. Working from top to bottom steam can also kill bed bugs where they can lurk on curtains or blinds which should be steamed first, before moving on to the lower-lying objects such as beds, pillows, upholstered chairs, sofas and finally carpets and hard floors including all edges and skirting.
Once eliminated bed bugs can only re-infest if brought into the room on peoples clothing, but more usually luggage.