Dry Vapor Steam Cleaners, Industrial Equipment, Cleaning Products & More

The Following Videos Will Give You A Better Idea Of What We Are Up Against. Below That We Will Offer Some Powerful Instant Solutions!

 
         Bed Bug Facts & How To Kill Them!                  

         The Good News Is You Can Do Something NOW Using Household Items!
         This section  will  give you some steps you can take right now to help you
          through the night. Instant answers for a difficult time. Our goal is to help!

Bedbugs or (sometimes Cimicidae), are small parasitic insects. The most common bedbug type is the Cimex lectularius. For most of us the term usually refers to species that prefer to feed on human blood. All insects in this family live by feeding exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals.
 

Bed bugs are active very late at night and hide during the day. They most often feed sometime before dawn. After mating, females lay white, oval eggs (1/16-inch long) into cracks and crevices. An individual female bed bug can lay from one to five eggs a day and 200-250 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs hatch in about 6-10 days and the newly emerged bed bug nymphs seek a blood meal right away. Nymphs are as small as the head of a pin. Immature nymphs molt five times (i.e., they shed their outer exoskeleton in order to grow) before reaching adulthood.

Bed bugs need to feed at least once before each molt, (shedding of their skin) although they could feed as often as once a day. There may be many  generations born each year. All ages are found in a reproducing population. It is important to know that Immature bed bugs may live for several months without feeding while adults may survive as long as one year WITHOUT a meal. Simply leaving the home for a few months will not starve them out. Under normal circumstances, adult bed bugs will live for about ten to twelve months.
 

Yes, there are many ways to kill bed bugs. The problem is that most require large amounts of toxic chemicals. Heat is the only way we know of to kill bedbugs instantly without harsh chemicals. Note that in some cases of begbug infestation you may want to use both steam and chemical sprays. Some of our Dry Vapor Steam Cleaners come with a built in Chemical Injection System. With a flick of a button right on the wand handle, you can inject heated insecticide into a crack or onto a surface. Although this option is available, the steam is generally all you will need. Some people like to kill instantly with steam and then leave a chemical behind. Example: Steam the crack of a floor instantly killing anything in the crack. Then to make sure no other bugs come to take the place of the ones just killed flip on the hot chemical injection and spray some insecticide in the crack. The VC-5000-Ci and the Super Vapor 6 both have chemical injection systems and super heated Dry Steam Vapor. The chemical injection is nice, but super heated dry steam all you need to kill bed bugs, their larva and their eggs. We offer several industrial quality steamers with specialized attachments perfect for killing bed bugs.

OTHER: Need Mass Area OUTDOOR Systems for bed bug elimination?  For heavy duty super heated wet steam outdoor applications check out our wet steamers. These industrial, government, municipal, military scale units put out a LOT of super heated, 325° F water. This can be useful for soaking down infested couches, furniture and other items outdoors. These units also include chemical injection if you want to add an insecticide to the flow. Possible uses for sanitizing at a dump or town collection center. See all industrial WET Outdoor steam systems here. We have over 80 steam jenny pressure washers and wet steam generation units available at great discounts. Best online Jenny selection anywhere!

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Step #1: Picking The Right Steamer
There are several steamer packages we offer for bed bug eradication but there are a few we think will do a better job. Some have higher wattage, some have hot water injection and some offer on board chemical spray systems. By the way, during our research period we discovered that some companies are selling junk steamers and even producing videos on how to use them. One example was this guy using a small hand held steamer to do a mattress. Frankly, I have to say it was hard to believe my eyes. This guy was claiming that you can simply point this little toy steamer at the mattress and wave it around like some magic wand and the bugs would die. This is not reality. You have to move the steamer over the surface in order to deliver effective heat. Our commercial / industrial grade JRI steamers have specialized attachments just for this purpose. You want a true dry vapor steam cleaner with at least 1600 watts of power. 1800 is even better. By the way, we do sell the little hand held steamers, but we would never consider marketing it for this kind of job. At Just Renew-It! Industrial Supply LLC we believe in Honest First.

Below are our top choices for steamers. They are listed in order, best first. All the steamers listed here will work very well but some have faster steam regeneration, others have chemical injection, and various wattages. Our ideal is 1600 to 1800 Watts. 1800 Watts is as much power as you can get out of a common 15amp household power outlet. This MAXIMUM wattage gives you maximum steam regeneration and power. For those that want the extra edge, consider a chemical injection system. You can actually put a bug killing agent in the injection system and with the press of a button, inject it into cracks around the home. This will give your extermination efforts a residual effect. that means, after your first steam pass, the chemical will keep on killing other bugs you might have missed. Again, super heated dry vapor steam is all you need. This is just an option and not required for the killing of bed bugs.

 

WHAT IS A DRY VAPOR STEAM CLEANER?
Simply put, a "Dry" vapor steam cleaner puts out virtually no water. A gallon of water typically can last a full hour of non stop sanitizing or cleaning. When you point the steam nozzle into the air you will see a large plume of steam yet, virtually no water will hit the ground. The term dry refers to the fact that it does not put out water solid, but rather steam vapor.  This super heated "dry" steam vapor is great for disinfecting surfaces like mattresses, carpets, drapes, walls, cracks, furniture and even unplugged electrical devices. When done right the super heated, sanitizing, bed bug killing moisture given off by a dry vapor steam cleaner can dry in most cases in just a matter of minutes. Dry steam is the perfect all natural, safe and healthy way to kill bedbugs, bacteria, viruses, dust mites, scabies, and other unwanted biological contaminates. It also makes a fantastic cleaning tool around the home or on the job. Read more about vapor steam cleaners here.

UNDERSTANDING CHEMICAL INJECTION & HOT WATER INJECTION:
All the Dry Vapor Steam Cleaners listed above include super heated dry vapor steam standard. Some offer Chemical Injection and some offer Hot Water Injection while others only have a dry steam feature. All will work well, and kill any bug including bed bugs on contact.

CHEMICAL INJECTION: (5000-Ci, Super Vapor 6)The chemical injection systems (5000-Ci & Vapor 6) have a chemical jug on the back of the unit that allows you to add your favorite detergent for cleaning or sanitizing. You may also add a earth friendly insecticide or other insecticide. USE CAUTION: Always ventilate room and wear appropriate chemical face masks and safety wear when using this injection feature with an insecticide!  The Chemical injection systems puts out hot chemical mingled with the steam flow.

The chemical injection, on both the 5000-Ci and the Super Vapor 6 have activation buttons right on the gun handle. This allows you to instantly switch from steam only to a steam /  hot chemical spray mix without putting down the wand. This might be especially useful for spraying cracks and crevices around a room, furniture or bedding. The chemical will NOT kill the bed bugs or any other bugs faster then steam. The steam will kill the instantly when used correctly. The chemical will however allow you to leave behind a residual killing agent. This can help kill bugs you missed later on. The chemical or detergent you load in the chemical tank should be in a thin, 100% liquid form and non flammable or explosive. This chemical is passed through the steamer and heated before it leaves the nozzle tip. It comes out in a sputtering spray / spitting action and comes out hot mingled with the steam. Be sure the chemical is safe with this application method.


HOT WATER INJECTION: (4000-C, 5000-Ci, Super Vapor 6) The hot water injection systems (5000-Ci, Vapor 6, 4000-C, 4000-S) either take water from an external tank as on the 5000-Ci or Super Vapor 6 or it takes water from internal tanks or tank such as on the VC4000-C or VC4000-S.  The units with INTERNAL hot water injection systems take water from the boiler system when the hot water injection is activated. This can cause your steamer to run out of steam water if it is used often. The EXTERNAL injection systems like the VC 5000-Ci or the Super Vapor 6 take the water from a separate water tank and they do not take from the boiler. This can give you a longer run time when cleaning or exterminating. The external tank used for the hot water injection is the same tank used for chemical injection. With an external tank system (5000-Ci, Super Vapor 6) you can use either chemical or water, but not at the same time. You simply fill your injection tank with either water or chemicals.


CONTINUOUS FILL: (4000-C, 5000-Ci, Super Vapor 6) A continuous fill steamer (Dual Tank System) allows you to add water on the fly. In other words, when the steamer is low on water you can add water WITHOUT shutting it down. You can then immediately pick back up where you left off working with virtually no down time. With continuous fill you will NOT have to wait for the boiler to heat back up again. How it works: A continuous fill steamer has two tanks, a boiler and a refill tank. When you add water you are simply filling the refill tank. The boiler is trickle fed from the refill tank thus insuring that the boiler is always kept full and ready for service. When the refill tank runs low you will hear a loud beeping sound and the unit will stop steaming until you add water. This feature is useful in saving you from having to wait for the unit to warm back up between refills. When refilling the easy non pressurized refill tank the units separate sealed boiler is kept full and hot and is instantly ready for use.
 

SINGLE TANK STEAMER: (VC3000 Series  VC4000-S) A (ST) single tank technology steamer, such as the VC-4000-S or VC-3000 are much like they sound. They have a large single sealed boiler. This technology is powerful and tends to be extremely dependable as its internal components are few in number. Its simplicity of design makes it rugged and dependable. The down side if any, to a single tank unit is that when it runs out of water you will have to release the steam pressure, open the pressure cap, fill it and wait for it to warm back up. This process will take about 30 minutes. The Good news is that the 4000-S can run in dry steam mode about 90 min NON STOP steaming on the HIGH setting! With hot water injection on this time is greatly reduced but hot water injection is not often used for pest control. If you plan on using the hot water injection often, be aware, you will run out of water quickly. If you plan on using the hot water injection very often consider the continuous fill systems like the 4000-C or 5000-Ci. All that being said, the 4000-S is a great system for bed bug extermination and other pest control issues. Don't forget, these units come with a range of included accessories that make then useful in hundreds of applications from bed bug removal to tile and grout cleaning, from window and glass cleaning to jewelry cleaning.  Note that the VC 3000 has a much lower wattage and does not have hot water injection. Though it is a good hot steamer, the lower wattage and smaller water tank makes it less suited for large scale bed bug removal. See the individual product pages for more information.


 

Dry Vapor Steam Cleaners KILL Bed Bugs ON CONTACT when used correctly:
There is NO question that a true JRI Commercial Dry Vapor Steam Cleaner kills bed bugs on contact virtually instantly when used right. All that remains is a detailed set of instructions on how to do this. Well, lets do that now. Below is a simple guide on how to steam your bedroom. The process is really very easy. Remember, steam kills bed bugs fast but to do this, you have to steam where they are. Read our Detecting Bed Bugs section for learn where they live. The best way to accomplish this is to systematically steam the whole room starting with the most likely areas of contamination, your bed area.  We will explain item by item how to sanitize your bedroom. This same approach can be used around your whole house. Our desire is to produce a simple demo video showing this simple process. We hope to do this in the coming months.

Some people question whether they should have a pest control company handle it or do it themselves. The answer to this is that this is not an "either or" decision. You can do it yourself now OR you can do both. Personally, even if I did chose a pest control company I would want a steamer so I could repeatedly attack the problem wherever, and whenever I wanted to! I'm not the kind of person that would want to wait around getting bit while a pest control company schedules me in for a visit. Steam gives you the ability to take action immediately, anytime of the day or night.
 

Easy Bed Bug Vapor Steam Extermination Instructions

1. You should remove all clutter from the bedroom or room to be treated. You should strip your bed and wash the bedding and any clothing at the hottest setting on your washer machine. Dry all items on the highest/hottest settings as well. Don't use a close hanger, but rather use a dryer. The heat will help sanitize the material. NOTE: If you are going to a laundry matt please be considerate, use the steamer to steam your bedding and other items first. Then place them in large plastic bags and close tight. This is to avoid spreading the problem to other people via the laundry matt. Remember, we are all in this together so lets love our neighbors and do the right thing. Now that the clutter is removed and the bedding stripped and washed lets begin. Oh, by the way, before you bring the bedding back into the home, BAG & tie the bag. to help prevent recontamination.
2. Fill your steamer with water, plug it in, turn it on and let warm. Use no attachments at first, just the hose and gun. Once warmed, lets turn down the steam flow. Using the little black knob on the right of the steamer, turn down the pressure about 1/2 to 2/3's of the way. Do this by pulling the steam trigger and adjusting the steam flow by eye. The idea is to have a slower flow of steam. A slower flow mixes less with the air around you and remains hotter as it hits the surface. It also allows you to steam without blasting the bugs across the room. You want to kill them, not send them across the room to find a new hiding spot.
3. BEGIN STEAMING: Start with your bed. Use the gun without attachments to steam along the seam or piping of the bed. Be sure to blast in both sides of the seam. Also visually inspect for eggs, droppings and or shed body parts. Take your time. Do not race across the mattress, you want to give the steam a chance to heat the area. A good speed for the seams would be maybe 10 to 15 seconds per length of bed seam. Once the top seams are done put on your large bed bug attachment. Begin steaming the bed surface by pulling the attachment across the whole mattress top in even patterns. If you see a bug running, feel free to go get him! A good speed on this might be 5 to 10 seconds per stroke from top of the bed to the bottom. Do the sides in the same manner. Now stand the mattress up and do the bottom and box spring the same way. Next, with no attachment on or with the single hole attachment, go ever every nook and cranny of your bed frame. Steam every crevice! They like to hide. Once the bed is done steam the whole floor around the bed.
4. If you have hard wood floors attach the included cloth to the steam mop attachment. See steam mop video here. Sanitize the hard floor. If you have a rug, use either the steam mop head without a towel, OR use the large bed bug attachment and steam the carpet in patterns. Don't forget to get the edges where the carpet meets the wall. Now, systematically work your way out from the bed. Move night stands and other objects away from bed.
5. Using a detail attachment or no attachment at all to blast steam into every crack in your night stand. Remove drawers and steam everywhere you can. Big cavities and deep places in your furniture that you can't reach with the gun, allow steam to fill the void and flow for a minute or two. The idea is to get it good and hot in there, well over 120 degrees. Once done, place that night stand or piece of furniture over by the bed. Repeat this process for the whole room. If you are concerned about your bed being re-contaminated by potential running bugs, place the legs of the bed in bowls of simple cooking oil. This will create a barrier the bugs wont be able to cross. A great idea that should be done either way.
6. Using the cone attachment, (optional) to steam outlets and light switches. Remember, they like to hide in small spaces. If you don't have the cone attachment just use the nozzle or large triangle attachment.  BE SURE TO TURN OFF MAIN BREAKER TO THE ROOM FIRST.  MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF! You can test to see if the power is off by plugging something in or trying the switch. Steam each outlet and switch. It is a good idea to even take the switch and outlet covers off but it is not absolutely necessary. Steam or remove all items like alarm clocks, radios and TV's. They often hide inside electronics. If you steam a TV be sure to let dry over night before using. Also note, there is always the possibility, though not likely, that the moisture will damage an item like a TV or other electronics. You can isolate small items like alarm clocks or even TV's from the rest of the room by putting a thick layer of Vaseline petroleum Jelly around the object. Bed bugs can NOT cross Oil or Vaseline.
7. Be sure to steam head boards, screw holes, floor boards and if they have any cracks and don't forget the wall cracks. Use your imagination, if you were a bug, where might you hide? Imagine it, then steam it! This may sound like a lot, but it works. The great news is that it is 100% NON toxic, has no harmful effects and it works. It is all about how good of a job you do.
8. Repeat treatments as often as needed. The beauty of having a steamer is that you can retreat any time you want virtually for free! Keep your bed in bowls of oil until the problem is over. Re-steam your mattress set, frame and head board. Place legs in oil, sleep well! TIP: Don't let your bed covers hang on the floor. This will defeat the purpose of the bed legs being in oil.
    

 

Bed bugs are developing resistance to various pesticides including DDT and organophosphates. Note: Bedbugs will never become resistant to simple dry steam heat! Temperatures above 120 degrees F. kills bedbugs fast. Super heated dry vapor steam kills them INSTANTLY!   Some bed bug populations have developed a resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. Although now often ineffective, the resistance to pyrethroid allows for new chemicals that work in different ways to be investigated, so chemical management can continue to be one part in the resolving of bed bug infestations. There is growing interest in both synthetic pyrethroid and the pyrrole insecticide, chlorfenapyr. Insect growth regulators, such as hydroprene (Gentrol), are also sometimes used. Populations in Arkansas have been found to be highly resistant to DDT, with an LD₅₀ of more that 100,000 ppm. DDT was seen to make bed bugs more active in studies conducted in Africa.  Bed bug pesticide-resistance appears to be increasing dramatically. Bed bug populations sampled across the U.S. showed a tolerance for pyrethroids several thousands of times greater than laboratory bed bugs. New York City bed bugs have been found to be 264 times more resistant to deltamethrin than Florida bed bugs due to nerve cell mutations. The spread of insecticide resistance may be rapid.
 

Other traditional methods of repelling and/or killing bed bugs include the use of plants, fungi, and insects (or their extracts), such as black pepper, black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), Pseudarthria hookeri, Laggera alata (Chinese yángmáo cǎo | 羊毛草), Eucalyptus saligna oil, henna (Lawsonia inermis or camphire), "infused oil of Melolontha vulgaris" (presumably cockchafer), fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), Actaea spp. (e.g. black cohosh), tobacco,  turpentine, wild mint, narrow-leaved pepperwort (Lepidium ruderale), Myrica spp. (e.g. bayberry), Robert geranium (Geranium robertianum), bugbane (Cimicifuga spp.), "herb and seeds of Cannabis", "opulus" berries (possibly maple or European cranberrybush), masked hunter bugs (Reduvius personatus), "and many others." In the mid-19th century, smoke from peat fires was recommended.

Basket-work panels were put around beds and shaken out in the morning, in the UK and in France in the 19th century. Scattering leaves of plants with microscopic hooked hairs around a bed at night, then sweeping them up in the morning and burning them, was a technique reportedly used in southern Rhodesia and in the Balkans. Prior to the mid-twentieth century, bed bugs were very common. According to a report by the UK Ministry of Health, in 1933 there were many areas where all the houses had some degree of bed bug infestation.

With the arrival of potent pesticides, famously DDT in the 1940s, bed bugs almost disappeared in western countries. However, bed bug infestations have resurged in recent years, for reasons which are not clear, but contributing factors may be complacency, increased resistance, bans on pesticides and increased international travel. The current wave of bed bug infestations across America has spawned a need for fast bed bug removal solutions. One of the most potent of which is heat. Dry vapor steam cleaners are a very effective way to combat bedbugs. A multi solution approach seems to be a good option. Use of silica (DE or Diatamatious Earth) chemical prays, oils and steam work well. However, when you want to blast into cracks, and kill on contact without damaging surfaces steam an the ideal tool.
 

HELP GETTING THROUGH TONIGHT: More detailed information coming soon! We recommend ordering a dry vapor steam cleaner as soon as you can afford it. Also consider calling in a pest control expert. For now, strip your bed, wash and dry everything on the highest heat settings possible. Next, encase your mattress in a plastic liner. Clean & Sanitize your bed frame and mattress set as best as you can. Don't forget the head board! Place the legs of your bed in bowls of oil. This will make a very effective barrier! Bed bugs can not cross oil. Vaseline is another great tool. You can spread a thick layer of Vaseline on any surface to make an instant no bug zone! Again, these bugs can not cross over this sticky jelly. You may use double sided sticky tape on your ceiling to prevent them from crawling over your head at night. This may damage the paint when you take it off later so use caution. Your best bet for sanitizing your mattress, rugs, bed frame and and home is a good dry vapor steam cleaner. More tips coming later.
                                             

BEFORE YOU TRAVEL:
While packing for your business trip or vacation plan on bringing the following. A strong yet small flash light, a magnifying glass and a crevice tool to poke at tight spaces. These items will help you in detecting bed bugs before they detect you! Bring a couple of zip lock baggies to store all your toiletries. Bring an extra zip lock baggie for collecting any bed bugs found. This will assist in getting a room refund and convincing management they need to take action. Also bring several large trash bags big enough to totally encase your luggage. This will help block bugs from making a home in your luggage. Bring enough to discard the bags at each new hotel you stay at. Also, if possible, don't hotel hop any more then you have to. Every time you stop at a new hotel your risk increases. This may seem like a lot to consider but being prepared and knowing what to look for can also bring you peace of mind. In fact, it may make your vacation more relaxing knowing you have done all you can to protect your family and home.

AT THE HOTEL:
When you enter a hotel room put your luggage and any items you have brought with you in the bathtub. Of course, inspect the tub first! Check the curtains, the tub rim and anywhere else bugs might hide. Leave the light on in the bathroom as the bugs will be less likely to be active if they think its day time. You should also bring large plastic bags that are big enough to put your entire luggage in. Place in bags, close tight and leave in the tub while you inspect the room. Remember, once hitch hiker bed bug can cause you a world of trouble and thousands of dollars extermination fees. See our do it your self bed bug removal steamers.

NOTE:
Inspect your hotel room for ANY signs of a bed bug infestation. Never leave this step undone! Bed Bugs have nothing to do with good cleaning habits on the part of your hotel. This means, that even the most exclusive hotels, from one star motel to five star hotels can have bed bugs. SIGNS: If the room has a large infestation you may be able to smell a musty, sweet odor similar to syrup or cola. Most times it wont be this bad but look for this. Bedbugs leave behind fecal matter (droppings) on sheets, mattresses and the like. These spots will be brown or reddish spots. The color comes from digested human blood.

Lift, Look, Examine!
Bed bugs like to live close to their meal. That means the bed is the hot zone or dinner plate, depending upon how you want to look at it. During the day these nocturnal bugs vanish as they hide in any crevice they can find. You will be able to find them in many places including on or under mattresses, box springs, sheets, grooves in furniture, screw holes, around and in upholstery, hollow things like some bedposts, alarm clocks, wall sockets, base boards, air conditioning units, behind pictures and anywhere they can hide from the day light. When you hunt you are looking for either the bugs, discarded body shells, fecal matter, small white oval eggs, and also baby bugs that can be very small.

Hunting:
Start your hunt at the bed. Look behind mattress by the head board. If clear search the rest of the mattress. Next pull off the sheets. Check the piping around the bed edge. Lift the mattress look under. Get on your knees and look under the bed with a small flash light. Look close in all the small corners and cracks of the bed frame. Use a pick, small screw driver or other object to poke into small holes. The idea is to find sleeping bugs hidden out of sight. Look close at the base board where the rug meets the wall. Examine the night stands, pull them out and check behind and under. Work your way out from the bed and inspect the rest of the room in the same manor. Remember, the bed is the hot zone BUT bugs easily live up to 15 feet away.  If you see ANY Signs of bed bugs we suggest you leave the room and request a refund. If they wont refund you, remind them that their reputation is on the line. Also, if you see a bed bug,, you can capture it and put it in a zip lock baggie. This is pretty good evidence for hotel management. Not only will it help you get your refund but it will convince them that they have a problem and provoke them to take immediate action. Remember, we are all in this together. If you spot bed bugs, don't keep it to yourself! Your act of telling management can save someone else months of horror. If management for some reason doesn't listen, call the local health department.

After Hunt:
Now carefully inspect the hotels luggage rack. If clear, you may store your luggage up on the rack and out of the bathtub. KEEP YOUR LUGGAGE IN BAGS. Also do not put your cloths in the dresser drawers. If possible, pull luggage rack away from the wall. This will reduce the likelihood of an insect crawling up the wall and getting on your stuff.  Now, you have done all you can.

During Stay:
Try to relax but keep your eyes out. If you wake up the next morning with mosquito like bites or welts on your body, they be concerned. If not, enjoy your stay and simply keep your eyes open. Don't hotel hop of you can help it.

During Stay, Bed Bugs Found!
What Now? This is less likely if you have taken the time to examine the room BUT, it could. What do you do?  Well, first, don't freak out. Keep your head about you, after all, they are just a few bugs. Gather your cloths and take them to the hotel laundry. Wash them carefully on the HOTTEST setting. Dry them on the HOTTEST setting and then place them in a new trash bag and seal it. Now, go back to the room, gather your stuff, (only what is absolutely important to you) and discard the rest. strip out of all your cloths you wore for laundry and final clean up and bag them. Shower if you can, and put on your freshly washed cloths. Exit the room. Go directly to management and tell they everything that happened. Make sure that any luggage you have gets bagged again before putting in your car.

Examine Before Leaving
If all went well on your stay, be sure to carefully inspect your luggage while repacking and check again when you get home. We recommend that you steam your luggage and other items with a good dry vapor steam cleaner to insure any bed bugs that may be hitchhiking will be killed. Some recommend unpacking in a clean, uncluttered room like a garage or utility room.  Remember, bed bugs are easy to kill with the right tools. They die at temperatures as low as 113 degrees Fahrenheit! JRI's pro line dry vapor steam cleaners produce temperatures of well over 210 degrees F! That is about 100 degrees MORE then is needed. That is more then enough to kill any bug and cook their eggs. Dry steam also is safe to use and puts out virtually no water.

Travel Option:
Rather then using a hotel, consider staying with friends or family. Another option our family enjoys is using a camper. Your camper will always be safe and camp sites are often under $50 a night. This is for the most part, the only way our family will travel. To expensive? Maybe, but you can probably pick up a small camper with AC, bathroom, shower and master bed room used for only a couple of thousand dollars. Compare that to $200 a night and the risk of bed bug contamination. You can also rent an RV. Just be sure to inspect it as you would a hotel room. This is not an option for everyone or every situation but worthy of consideration.
 

Don't Panic! Hopefully you just found one or two. Whatever the case, be prepared to kill or capture these little guys during your inspection. See Detecting Bed Bugs section. If you have a Dry Vapor Steam Cleaner you are all set to safely kill them instantly. If not, perhaps some spray pesticides will work. See Surviving The Night section for fast temporary solutions that you can use tonight.  If you are using chemicals be careful about your bedding. Most chemicals are very toxic, don't forget, you have to sleep there! If you have one of our Steam Cleaners make sure it is warmed up and near by before you start your inspection. Simply hit the bedbug or bed bugs you just found with a soft flow of the super heated steam. See section on killing bedbugs with a Dry Vapor Steam cleaner for more detailed information on this simple process. Once the bedbug or bugs are dead, collect them in a clear jar or ziplock baggie. This may help you to further identify these bugs later, that is if you are not already sure of what you have found. The dead bugs can also be good for showing your pest control expert or land lord. If you have found a bed bug, we strongly recommend you begin steam treatments right away and / or call a professional in to destroy these little guys before it becomes a full blown infestation. NOTE: Even after a professional has done his or her part, it is a good idea to continue to inspect and treat with various methods including natural, safe dry vapor steam for month after the last sighting.
 

To start with, get a good flashlight and be prepared to look into small crevices. If you wear reading glasses get them. Also get a magnifying glass, this will help with tight spaces. Use a pick, small screwdriver or other thin firm object to probe cracks and crevices. The flashlight and these other tools will help you look into tight spaces that are normally to dark and to small to see. Look for the actual insects but also keep an eye out for their shed body shells and their dark reddish/brown droppings and blood stains or whitish oval eggs. The best way to determine if you have an infestation is to look for bed bugs where you sleep. Also check where you typically set down luggage (or shopping bags) when you enter the residence. Your luggage and places where your luggage may be stored are often some of the first areas these bugs enter the home. In bedrooms, look particularly around box springs and  mattresses. On the mattresses be sure to bend the cloth piping or sewed seems around the edge of the mattress. Also fold back any buttons and on the box spring, peel back the thin cloth on its bottom. Bed frames, tufts, folds, and buttons on mattresses should all be checked carefully. One bedbug is to many! They reproduce fast. Check furniture, such as desks and chairs, behind wall paper edges, clocks, outlets (where you plug stuff in) and pictures, cracks in wood floors, and under the edge of carpet. While bed bugs are most commonly found in bedrooms, infestations can also occur in other rooms, including: bathrooms; living rooms; and laundry rooms. Look for dark blood spots on sheets and bedding, this may indicate bed bug feeding. Bed bugs will sometimes excrete while they are feeding. This results in darker (reddish or brownish) spots or smears placed on bed sheets, pillowcases and mattresses, or in nearby areas. This material is composed mostly of digested blood and the stains care very characteristic. Remember these insects are small (1/16” to 1/4”) and very flat, so they can move into very tight corners and cracks. In some infestations, they were found under picture frames, in between the glass and the frame! Be prepared to do some close inspection and when in doubt, consider having the inspection done by a pest control service.
 

Bed bugs are elusive and usually nocturnal, which can make them hard to spot. They often lodge unnoticed in dark crevices, and eggs can be nestled in fabric seams. Aside from bite symptoms, (Bites often look like mosquito bites or welts) signs include fecal spots, blood smears on sheets, and molts. Bed bugs can be detected by their characteristic smell of cilantro, coriander, almonds or over-ripe raspberries. Bed bugs can be found singly, but often congregate once established.

 Bed bugs usually remain close to hosts, commonly in or near beds or couches. Harborage areas can vary greatly, however, including luggage, vehicles, furniture and bedside clutter. Bed bugs may also nest near animals that have nested within a dwelling, such as bats, birds, or rodents. The eggs of bed bugs are found in similar places where the bed bugs themselves are found, and are attached to surfaces by a sticky substance. Bed bugs can be detected by their characteristic smell of cilantro, coriander, almonds or over-ripe raspberries.
 

Some pest control companies have trained dogs to sniff out bedbugs. Though this is a great idea, usually with a little effort you can find them yourself. Bed bugs can be detected by their characteristic smell of cilantro, coriander, almonds or over-ripe raspberries. Bed bug detection dogs are trained to pinpoint infestations, with a possible accuracy rate of 97.5%, based upon tests conducted under controlled conditions by researchers. The success rates in these tests may not reflect real world success rates of a pest companies’ dogs, operating with many more variables in the field. Dog detection can often occur in minutes where a pest control practitioner might need an hour. In the United States, about 100 dogs are used to find bed bugs as of mid-2009. A few companies are experimenting with high speed gas chromatography to detect bed bugs and other insect vermin.
 

Natural enemies of bed bugs include the masked hunter (also known as "masked bed bug hunter"),  cockroaches, ants, spiders (particularly Thanatus flavidus), mites and centipedes. Biological pest control is not very practical for eliminating bed bugs from human dwellings. Most people find the natural enemies of bedbugs almost as unpleasant to have in their home as the bed bugs. Dusts have been used to ward off insects from grain storage for centuries, including "plant ash, lime, dolomite, certain types of soil, and diatomaceous earth (DE). Of these, diatomaceous earth in particular has seen a revival as a nontoxic (when in amorphous form) residual pesticide for bed bug abatement. Insects exposed to diatomaceous earth may take several days to die.
 

The saying "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." is common for parents to say to young children before they go to sleep. Most people have just about forgotten that this innocent, almost mythological saying came from a very real and unpleasant reality. Unfortunately, this ugly reality is back with a vengeance! Bed bugs were mentioned in ancient Greece as early as 400 BC, and were later mentioned by Aristotle. Pliny's Natural History, first published circa 77 AD in Rome, claimed bed bugs had medicinal value in treating ailments such as snake bites and ear infections. (Belief in the medicinal use of bed bugs persisted until at least the 18th century, when Guettard recommended their use in the treatment of hysteria. Bed bugs were first mentioned in Germany in the 11th century, in France in the 13th century and in England in 1583, though they remained rare in England until 1670. Some in the 18th century believed bed bugs had been brought to London with supplies of wood to rebuild the city after the Great Fire of London (1666). Giovanni Antonio Scopoli noted their presence in Carniola (roughly equivalent to present-day Slovenia) in the 18th century. Dusts have been used to ward off insects from grain storage for centuries, including "plant ash, lime, dolomite, certain types of soil, and diatomaceous earth (DE) or Kieselguhr". Of these, diatomaceous earth (DE) in particular has seen a revival as a nontoxic (when in amorphous form) residual pesticide for bed bug abatement. Insects exposed to diatomaceous earth may take several days to die but die they do die. The nice part about DE is that in the correct form, it is food grade and safe for human use. Bed bugs were a serious problem during World War II. General MacArthur commented that bed bugs are the "greatest nuisance insect problem ... at bases in the U.S"
 

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