Our flea heat treatment guide explains the preparation and procedure involved in this control method.
There are several ways through which fleas can be exterminated. However, this article will focus on one strategy: heating houses to kill fleas.
As you read on, you’d find out if this method is worth applying. Often asked questions will also be answered. These questions border around the pros and cons, their efficacy in flea extermination among others.
In the end, you should be able to make informed decisions about your flea problem. In addition to that, you are guided as to how you should go about the whole process of killing fleas with heat.
Your doubts and any mystery regarding the adoption of heat treatment for flea control should be fully addressed at the end of this article.
If you are looking for what exterminators charge, here are the average prices for treating fleas with heat.
Does Heat Kill Fleas?
Anyone experiencing a flea problem wants the quickest and most effective solution. This involves brainstorming the best possible strategy to adopt.
Since we are discussing heat treatment, the first question you’re likely to ask is, ‘Is heat treatment for fleas effective? Well, the answer to this question is a resounding YES!
At the same time, there are several things you’d need to know as well.
Fleas are easily linked to pets and animals. While this may be true, fleas won’t restrict their feeding activity to pets alone but will also suck your blood as well. These pests love to use the cover of your pet’s fur to hide when feeding, but only a few live on pets.
Also, your surroundings are packed with fleas and their eggs. To disrupt a flea cycle, you’ll need to introduce a drastic measure such as heat treatment.
What temperature kills fleas’ heat? Heat treatment for fleas requires sustained high temperatures as these pests can’t survive from 95°F (35°C) and above. Immature fleas have been reported to be killed by heat in the range of 56°F (13°C) and above.
The treatment area will cover your entire home and surroundings.
Types of Heat Treatment for Flea Infestation
There’s no one-size-fits-all in flea heat treatment for a house. In other words, various kinds of heat treatment work for different situations.
Heat can be applied in a variety of ways. This includes the introduction of steam, hot laundry, and professional heat treatment. Let’s explain these briefly.
i. Steam Cleaning
This is an effective method of treating flea-infested carpets, rugs, couches, and other furniture.
It is a non-toxic way flea can be gotten rid of without posing health risks to anyone. With steam cleaning, the stage of development does not matter.
This super hot steam destroys fleas and their eggs.
Although using a steam cleaner will get the job done, don’t expect fleas to be exterminated on the first application. You will have to repeat the process continues until there are no signs of a flea presence. You shouldn’t rush the process either.
Steam cleaners will need to be moved slowly for sustained steam emission. This is more effective and lessens the possibility of fleas surviving an application. Do this repeatedly on carpets, rugs, couches, and furniture for the best results.
Getting the job done yourself can be stressful and overwhelming. This is especially true if your house or property is large. If this is going to be a problem for you, consider going for commercial steam cleaning services.
After killing fleas by steam cleaning, follow up with vacuuming as it reduces the chances of fleas surviving the ordeal.
ii. Entotherm
This is another type of heat treatment usually administered by flea professionals.
It involves the use of advanced technology which includes thermal imaging. This method of heat treatment is more precise and saves you from damage to furniture or other properties.
While treating for fleas, another type of pest problem may be developing. As such, this process won’t just kill fleas but other pests too.
Entotherm is a professional treatment that is quite expensive, compared to other flea heat treatments. Nevertheless, you get the satisfaction of a job well done.
iii Hot Laundry
Tumble drying is another name for this type of treatment. It involves using a high-temperature cycle on your washing machine to wash infested fabric materials.
Certain fabrics will get damaged at extreme temperatures. For these, you should use other means of treatment.
The tumble drying process should be set at a maximum temperature. The resulting heat kills off not only fleas but their eggs too. However, for this to happen, you must allow your laundry to last a sufficient amount of time.
How sufficient? Enough to kill all fleas and destroy eggs attached to fabrics.
iv. Hot Box
Use a hot box for infested items that cannot be inspected in detail.
Such items may have tight spots and crevices which may contain fleas, larvae, and eggs. These could include small furniture, shoes, etc.
How does this box work? A hot box comes with adjustable temperature control.
Temperatures can be set as high as 122°F. The sustained heat given off is lethal to fleas. Only put in items that won’t get destroyed by the heat.
The use of a hot box comes with its attendant risks. Read the operation and safety instructions carefully before using it.
DIY Flea Heat Treatment Procedure
There are aspects of flea heat treatment which are best handled by professionals.
Conversely, you may decide to get the job done yourself. Flea heat treatment under this option includes several strategies. We’ve made the previous mention of two of these strategies. These are the hot laundry and steam cleaning methods.
Steam cleaning involves commercial cleaning too, but we are more concerned with steam cleaning methods you can carry out yourself. Steam cleaners can be bought in local stores for domestic usage.
When cleaning your carpets or rugs, be wary of fleas burrowing through to escape the heat. When steam cleaning, you shouldn’t be in a hurry. You’ll need to have patience when doing this.
Steam cleaners should be allowed to release sufficient steam over a surface area. This way, heat should be able to penetrate and kill fleas hiding beneath the rug or carpet.
-
Control Humidity
Though we are talking about heat treatment, you should also consider reducing the humidity within infested areas.
Flea heat treatment coupled with humidity control gives the best results. A dehumidifier will suffice. The resulting conditions will be adverse for flea egg and larvae development.
-
Risks Attached to Treating Fleas With Heat
During heat treatment, there’s the likelihood of damage resulting from the application. Furniture damage is the most common of these. This situation wouldn’t be too serious if the treatment is properly done.
The best way to prevent damage is to allow a professional to handle the job.
Professionals use advanced tools that enhance accuracy. This way, heat is delivered directly to the target (fleas) without much damage to your precious furniture and gadgets.
-
How Long Does it Take to Kill Fleas With Heat?
If you prefer the DIY approach, then heat treatment should be applied correctly. When using a tool like a steam cleaner, it should be moved slowly over infested surfaces. This should be sufficient enough to kill fleas. Professionals, on the other hand, understand the process much better.
So, how long will it take to kill fleas with heat treatment? It all boils down to what gets the job done. On average you need not temperatures not less than 95 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of 48 hours.
The time it takes to kill fleas will also depend on repeat treatments. One-time heat application is unlikely to get the job done. The best approach is to have repeated treatments until there’s a noticeable improvement.
-
Cleaning up After Heating
Whichever method is used for getting rid of fleas, cleanup will be necessary.
Remember we said heat treatment should be repeated until there’s an improvement. Cleaning up after each heat treatment is very important. Consider vacuuming your home after each round of heating.
Vacuuming sucks up dead fleas and larvae. It also destroys flea eggs. This way, you are tackling the problem and improving your home’s hygiene.
-
Is Flea Heat Treatment Safe in Cars?
This is something you’d want to check with your service provider. In this case, a professional pest control service.
There are risks associated with heat application in cars. We recommend using other alternatives as well as discussing with an expert in this area.
By seeking out expert opinion, you are adopting the most reliable strategy to handle your flea infestation problem.
Some Caution
It has been established that heat treatment is an effective way to exterminate fleas. However, an improper application can result in fires. This is likely to arise from the use of the wrong equipment or its improper use.
Therefore, you have the obligation of reading the instructions on heating tools carefully.
More importantly, consider hiring the services of commercial heating services. Some pest control services have units that offer such. With this option, you don’t have to worry about safety due to the confidence that comes with the professional handling of such jobs.
Flea heat treatments are of various kinds. There are those which can be handled easily by inexperienced individuals. While this is true, some level of knowledge is still required like the one you’ve read here.
On the other hand, are professional heat treatments. This type of service involves experienced hands. It is safer to use the latter due to the expertise and guarantee that comes with such heat treatments.
The focus should be on getting the best service through the reliable use of heat to control fleas. Most of the options given above have been tried with significant success. We trust you’d get the results you seek from what you’ve read so far.