Heat treatment for bed bugs may be the most effective way to get rid of bed bugs, but it’s also the most expensive. That said, it’s not expensive because it’s the best and the marketplace charges a premium for it. It’s expensive because:
- It’s more difficult to perform than applying a spray (carrying heavy heaters in and out of homes and up and down stairs)
- It takes a big chunk of a technician’s time in their work day
- It requires a lot of training for a professional to learn how to do it properly in order to be effective for the customer
- It’s usually guaranteed by the company
- It requires costly equipment to perform!
Considering Renting Heaters to Perform Bed Bug Heat Treatment Yourself?
The desire to rent “bed bug heaters” is growing because of how costly it can be to perform heat treatment for bed bug extermination. Websites are popping up that offer in-home bed bug heating equipment, “bug zapper” heaters, and more. The truth is, in some instances, rentable bed bug heaters might work to kill bed bugs in your home. We can’t deny that bed bugs die in heat – if they are forced to stay in an area that is rapidly heated to 120-130° F, they cannot outrun the heat, and they die.
We may be a professional bed bug exterminator, but we know heat treatment isn’t affordable for everyone who has a bed bug problem. Keep these considerations in mind that we train our staff to be mindful of if you decide to rent a heater and perform your own DIY bed bug heat treatment.
- Is the heater the right size for the space being treated? Make sure you know the size of the area you need to treat, and check the heater’s specifications and power requirements to verify you are using the right tool for the job.
- Does your home meet the electrical requirements to power the heater? What will you do if the heater overloads the circuits and cannot operate? (For big heaters, they can use a lot of power, which is why many companies like ours use our own generators.)
- Is the heater you are renting designed to heat the space RAPIDLY? To eliminate a bed bug infestation effectively, an area must be heated above 130 very quickly to where bed bugs – some of the Earth’s most adept survivors – cannot run from it.
- Is the heater designed to permeate all of the objects and features within the room or space being treated? For instance, some rental websites will indicate that a heater is forced-air but not powerful enough and is only effective at treating a low-clutter space.
- Is it going to really be less than professional heat treatment, which is also often guaranteed? Many rental companies charge $200-$300 per day or more for heater rentals. Add sales tax and delivery fees to that amount. Then consider the amount of days of the rental, time off of work to be able to perform the treatment, electrical power costs, etc. and you can quickly get to the $1000 mark – which is not much less than most professional heat treatments.
