The basic physics
Bed bugs are exothermic insects — they do not regulate their own body temperature, so their internal proteins always sit at roughly the temperature of the air around them. Like every animal protein, bed bug proteins denature (unfold) at a specific threshold. For the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) the published lethal thresholds are:
- Adults and nymphs: ~45°C (113°F) sustained.
- Eggs: 47–48°C (117–118°F) sustained.
Hold an environment above those temperatures long enough and every life stage dies. There is no escape, no metabolic defence, no genetic resistance to protein denaturation. That is the entire principle. Everything else is engineering — how to get a London flat or a Hertfordshire semi above 55°C and hold it there safely for hours.
The equipment we bring
- Industrial electric heaters. 5kW units, typically two to four per property, running off the standard ring main. Electric — not propane, not diesel — so there is no combustion in the property and no fumes.
- High-velocity ducted fans. Six to twelve per job, positioned to drive hot air into cavities and break up the cool layer that always forms at floor level and in mattress cores.
- Wireless temperature probes. Eight to sixteen sensors placed in the coldest expected spots: deep inside the mattress, behind the headboard, behind skirting, inside drawers, inside the wardrobe, low corners of the room. Live readings to the technician's tablet.
- Door seals and plastic sheeting. To contain the heat in the treated rooms without affecting the rest of the property.
- Power management and surge protection. A trained crew distributes load across circuits so the property's RCDs do not trip during the cycle.
The on-site process
- Pre-arrival prep. You have already followed the one-page prep brief: heat-sensitive items removed, clothing in the room (not bagged away), pets out, food and medication out. Prep is deliberately minimal — heat works through everything we leave in the room.
- Crew setup (45–60 minutes). Two technicians position the heaters and fans, lay out probes, seal doors and protect any heat-sensitive items we noted on arrival.
- Ramp up (60–90 minutes). Room temperature rises from ambient to the 55–60°C target. The technician monitors probe readings and adjusts fan position to eliminate any cold spots.
- Soak (120–240 minutes). The room holds 55–60°C. Inside a mattress the core temperature is now climbing through the lethal 47–48°C zone and staying there. Inside the headboard joints, behind the skirting, inside the bedside drawers — everywhere a bed bug or egg might hide — the temperature is past the kill threshold and held there.
- Confirm. The technician confirms every monitored point has been above 47–48°C for at least two hours. The temperature log is saved as part of your job record.
- Cool down (30–60 minutes). Heaters off, fans stay on, doors open. The property returns to a safe temperature.
- Walk-through. We walk you through the treated rooms, show you where bed bug evidence was concentrated, hand over the temperature log and the written six-month guarantee, and brief you on the 48-hour aftercare.
Why monitored heat matters
DIY heat treatments — domestic space heaters, steamers, dryer cycles — fail because they cannot reach and hold the lethal temperature everywhere it needs to be reached. The middle of a mattress can sit twenty degrees cooler than the room around it. A pocket behind the skirting can stay at 22°C while the air at chest height is 50°C. Without wireless probes you simply do not know whether the kill threshold has been hit at the points that matter, and the eggs will hatch out two weeks later. Professional thermal remediation is defined by the monitoring, not the heat.
What heat does not do
Heat kills every bed bug present at the moment of treatment. It does not stop a new bed bug walking in from a neighbouring flat through a wall void, or being carried in on tomorrow's suitcase. We finish every job with a targeted residual dust (silica or diatomaceous earth) in wall voids and sockets so that any incoming insect is killed on contact — that is the part of the protocol that protects against re-introduction. The six-month guarantee covers anything we missed; the residual covers anything new.
Where we deliver this service
We respond across London and the Home Counties on the same day. Click any location below for postcode-level coverage, response times and pricing for that exact area.
- CamdenNW1, NW3, NW5, WC1
- WestminsterSW1, W1, W2, WC2
- IslingtonN1, N5, N7, EC1
- HackneyE2, E5, E8, E9, N1, N16
- Tower HamletsE1, E2, E3, E14
- SouthwarkSE1, SE5, SE15, SE16, SE17
- LambethSW2, SW4, SW8, SW9, SE11, SE24
- WandsworthSW8, SW11, SW12, SW15, SW17, SW18
- NewhamE6, E7, E13, E15, E16
- BrentNW2, NW6, NW9, NW10, HA0, HA9
- EalingW3, W5, W7, W13, UB1, UB6
- CroydonCR0, CR2, CR7, SE25
- WatfordWD17, WD18, WD19, WD24, WD25
- St AlbansAL1, AL2, AL3, AL4
- Hemel HempsteadHP1, HP2, HP3
- StevenageSG1, SG2
- LutonLU1, LU2, LU3, LU4
- BedfordMK40, MK41, MK42
- CambridgeCB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5
- PeterboroughPE1, PE2, PE3, PE4
- Milton KeynesMK1, MK2, MK3, MK9
- High WycombeHP11, HP12, HP13
- RomfordRM1, RM2, RM3, RM5, RM7
- ChelmsfordCM1, CM2, CM3
- ColchesterCO1, CO2, CO3, CO4
- Southend-on-SeaSS1, SS2, SS3
- BasildonSS13, SS14, SS15, SS16
- MaidstoneME14, ME15, ME16, ME17
- CanterburyCT1, CT2, CT3, CT4
- DartfordDA1, DA2, DA9
- BromleyBR1, BR2, BR3
- GuildfordGU1, GU2, GU3, GU4
- Kingston upon ThamesKT1, KT2
- WokingGU21, GU22
- EpsomKT17, KT18, KT19
Frequently asked questions
What temperature kills bed bugs?
Adult and nymph bed bugs die at a sustained core temperature of about 45°C (113°F). Bed bug eggs die at 47–48°C (117–118°F). Professional heat treatment holds the entire treated environment above 55°C for hours, which guarantees the lethal threshold is reached even inside the coldest cavities — mattress cores, behind skirting, inside furniture.
How long is the treatment held at temperature?
Minimum two hours at the coldest monitored point, with the rooms typically holding 55–60°C for the bulk of a 4–8 hour cycle. Time at temperature matters more than peak temperature: a brief spike does not kill eggs.
Does the heat damage my belongings?
Almost never. We pre-brief you to remove heat-sensitive items: candles, vinyl records, aerosols, medication, chocolate, oil paintings, certain antiques and pets. Everything else — clothing, books, electronics, mattresses, furniture — handles 55–60°C without issue.
How does heat get inside a mattress or sofa?
Two ways: convection (the hot air diffuses into the fabric and stuffing over time) and forced air (we direct ducted fans into seams, under cushions, through bed frames and behind furniture). After 4–6 hours the core of the mattress is at ambient room temperature — which we have made lethally hot.
Why one visit and not several?
Because heat kills every life stage including the egg in a single cycle. Chemical sprays cannot reliably kill the egg, so they need a return visit timed to the hatch cycle. Heat eliminates the need.
Do you have to be out of the property during treatment?
Yes — for the treatment cycle itself, the room reaches temperatures that are unsafe for people and animals. Once we cool the property back down (30–60 minutes) you can return immediately. No chemical re-entry window.
Related guides
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