ext_49173 ([identity profile] sparr0.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] davis_square2012-10-16 01:03 pm
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Killing bed bugs with heat

Since moving to MA I've heard a lot about the scariness of bed bugs and why people don't often take used mattresses or cushion-y furniture. I heard and read a few unsupported claims that you could kill bed bugs with heat. I contemplated how I would heat an entire mattress up to extreme (non-inflammatory) temperatures. However, I recently found http://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/, which seems like a relatively trustworthy place to get such information, and apparently all it takes is 113F (45C) for 1 hour!? This is mind boggling. I can seal a mattress inside a plastic bag and slide it into the sealed bed of my truck on a sunny day to easily accomplish that.

Why isn't this a more commonly known/implemented solution?

[identity profile] pywaket.livejournal.com 2012-10-17 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
This.

The assertion about bedbugs being a "poor person problem" has been proven false.