Safe Bed Bug Treatments: How Do I Know if I’m Treating Bed Bugs Safely?

The traditional  way to treat bedbugs is through the use of insecticides and pesticides specifically designed to kill insects. The problem is, many of the chemicals within insecticides are not only toxic to insects, they can also be harmful to humans, pets, and the environment. 

Unsafe exposure to insecticides can lead to headaches, dizziness, breathing difficulties, and vomiting. High levels will even change the hormone levels in your body and cause birth defects, so are especially detrimental to the health of pregnant women.

Clearly, using chemicals to kill pests in and around your home isn’t ideal. This goes double for the beds in your home. So, how do you know which bed bug treatments are safe?

Are Insecticides Ever Safe to Use?

Insecticides can be found as powders, liquids, and aerosols depending on the intended use. Any insecticide that is to be used to treat bed bugs in your home or office should be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This effectively adds a “seal of approval” to the product, indicating that it is safe to use provided you follow the instructions, as a product that has particularly high toxicity levels will not pass the review process of the EPA.

When insecticides are used as intended, as instructed by the label, it is unlikely that they will be harmful to the health of any members of your household, including your pets. But there’s always a risk when you choose to use them, and you’ve got to remember that your bed is where you sleep and breathe 6-9 hours a night. Do you really want it to be treated with chemicals?

What is the Best Alternative to Chemical Treatments for Bed Bugs?

It’s understandable if you don’t like the idea of your home being filled with chemicals in order to treat bed bugs. Thankfully, there is an alternative to insecticide treatment that won’t leave chemical residues.

Bed bugs can be eradicated simply by using heat. With the right equipment, affected rooms can be heated to over 120 degrees, and after only a few hours the bedbugs will be killed no matter what stage of life they are at or where they are hiding. Better still, your home only needs one treatment, because there isn’t anywhere to hide.

How Can I Safely Treat Bed Bugs Myself?

There is a good reason why so many insecticides are only available for use by professionals, they simply pose too much of a risk for use by a general consumer. Those that you can readily buy in stores are not as effective and often only temporarily deal with the problem. Over-application can be harmful to health, and under-application or application in the wrong areas could mean a further spread of bedbugs.

At Convectex, we have used our years of experience eradicating bed bugs to come up with a safe yet effective method anyone can use. Our easy-to-use, powerful heaters allow you to tackle every room and stage of a bed bug’s life yourself. You don’t have to hire an expensive team, put your health at risk, or find yourself treating week after week. To find out more about our DIY bed bug heaters, click here.

And there’s no need to worry if you don’t feel confident enough to do it yourself, we have a list of Certified Bed Bug Heat Treatment Service Providers so that you can get help from the professionals wherever you are.