Does Heat Kill Fleas?

Fleas are tiny flat-bodied external parasites that’ll feed on blood from mammals and birds.

Fleas will mainly hide floor cracks, beddings and furniture – and thus it is challenging to control them. But, does heat kill fleas?

In summary, YES, heat will kill fleas, their eggs, and larvae – particularly heat from steaming, laundering, dryers, professional heat treatment (Entotherm), and flea heaters. So, let’s get into the details! 

Details: Does Heat Kill Fleas?

Completely yes, extremely high temperatures will destroy a life cycle of a pest at any stage.

1. Steam

This is a non-toxic natural way to kill fleas inn your house, if you have children and pets this is a good method for you. Steam cleaning is powerful in eliminating all pests and dirt, the high temperatures usually 100 degrees to 150 degrees is enough to kill the fleas.

1. Take your steam cleaner and ensure its temperatures are 100 degrees, more than 180 degrees can damage your fabrics. This may also be achieved in flea vacuums. 
2. Clean your furniture, rugs, carpet and sofas with it. Make sure you move slowly ensuring the heat penetrates at carpet’s base in the fibers and underneath the baseboards of furniture in your house.
3. One time may not be enough, make it a routine for three days to ensure total elimination of fleas.
4. Steam will not only kill larva and adult fleas but also all eggs will be killed by the high temperatures.
5. Apart from killing these irritating fleas, your carpet, furniture and sofas will be free from any other pest dwelling there. 

2. Laundering

This is an activity of washing items infested with fleas with some hot water and detergent in a washer. The bleach and the detergent will very well kill the fleas, larvae and their eggs.

Also the washing machine will make violent movements along with hot water to kill the fleas. So if a flea misses the washer it won’t miss death in the dryer due to its high temperatures. Here are some steps on how to launder your house items with fleas; 

1. Clean the clothes and beddings for about 15 minutes at highest temperatures which they can’t tolerate.
2. Repeat cleaning the beddings and clothes again for at least 3times. The extra cleaning will ensure the garments are totally clean and most fleas, larvae and their eggs removed before going to the dryer.
3. On the white clothes, use a bleaching agent; this is to ensure that the fleas skin get into contact with chlorine to be poisoned or destroyed. Make sure you soak your garments with a strong bleaching agent.
4. On the next step, take your beddings and clothes into the dryer. Set the drying machine to the highest temperatures. The drying process will absolutely destroy the remaining eggs, larvae and fleas.
5. Also the hostile air in the dryer will kill them even before the extreme temperatures cook them.
6. Repeat washing and drying procedure every week until you are totally convinced there no more fleas, larvae and their eggs completely in your home.

4. Light

Lack of moisture and extreme temperatures really affects the survival of fleas.To ensure there is direct sunlight and dried soils which are hostile environment for fleas ensure the following;

1. Cut off all the bushes and grass around your house, this will ensure there is no shaded spot around your house.
2. Clear all the garbage around your house to ensure they will find no warmth place to lay their eggs. This will create a hostile climate for them to

5. Fleas heaters

There are different heaters which one can use to kill fleas from house items; Zapp Bug heater and zapp Bug oven 2. 

Zapp heater is a portable smaller heater that uses heat centralized within it to eliminate fleas, larvae and eggs. 

Zapp bug heater is cheap, environmentally friendly with no toxic chemicals, easy to clean after use and its portable to any location.

1. Take your heater, unfold the oven and connect to a power socket.
2. Carefully choose support configuration-this heater is a modular support system that is made in a way to hold a variety of items. Heavy items like furniture and luggage needs block support which will allow heat ventilation around clothing and other small items. Note it’s important for air to move freely through the items you are to heat.
3. Switch on the heater plug into included digital timer. Then plug digital timer into electrical outlet. Select 6hours on digital timer and switch on the heater.
4. Put the items for treatment inside the heater on support blocks. Make sure the items will not touch the ceiling or the walls of the heater. Place a wireless thermometer inside the things treated and zip the top cover. Ensure the temperature reaches 120 degrees.
5. At least give it some enough time for the treatment to be effective.
6. After this treatment, take your items out of the heater, fold and pack your zapp bug heater.

Zapp Bug oven 2, the process is the almost the same. You will take your infested items in the oven and the high temperatures will kill all the fleas. It will kills all fleas , eggs and larvae in your items.

6. Professional heat treatment (Entotherm)

This is a non chemical method to eliminate pests through the targeted application of heat. It kills all life stages of an insect in one treatment, adult, larvae and eggs thus giving effective results.

How does it work?

1. Entotherm uses a movable system that delivers heat to any selected, infested area.2.
2. A movable institution supplies heated liquid through insulated pipes to heat devices that produce hot air at the fleas infested treatment location. 3.
3. The fabric of a house and the items in it are well monitored by the high temperatures between 140 degrees to 150 degrees.
4. The heat destroys the flea’s protein in their bodies and damages the waxy layers on the upper side of a flea hence causing water reduction in its body.
5. You will note after some few minutes all fleas will be absolutely destroyed by the high temperatures without any damage to your house items.
6. To ensure heat is well distributed, to measure and record the whole procedure, some heat sensors are assigned.
7. After the flea’s treatment, a report is given to show heat exposure at the correct temperatures for the correct time.
8. In some situations, a low toxicity pesticide may be used as to safe guard against fleas attack again in your home.

Conclusion 

Most people find it hard on how to make their home fleas free. Although there are so many home remedies to get rid of these parasites, they don’t completely kill fleas, eggs and larvae.

This gives a chance for another flea infestation to arise. It’s very productive to try and use heat to eliminate these fleas, simply because all adult fleas, eggs and larvae will be destroyed.

Follow the steps highlighted above and for once you will solve flea problem in your home. Make sure you read and follow the instructions on your heater’s manual. A home free of pests such as fleas is a happy peaceful home for you and your pets.