Washing your covers will not eliminate all the bed bugs hiding inside your couch. These bugs can be hiding inside the frame and cushions.
To cover all your bases, I recommend steaming.
Steam is an all-natural, budget-friendly option for eliminating bed bugs in your couch.
Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive temperatures that exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Since most steamers can reach up to 240 degrees Fahrenheit, they can be highly effective when employed against bed bugs.
To check your steamer’s temperature, use a thermometer, and place one layer of a towel over it.
Apply steam to the thermometer for 1-3 seconds.
If the thermometer reaches 150 degrees or higher, it is hot enough to kill bed bugs.
When steaming, focus on seams, edges, and folds in the fabric.
If you see bed bugs or activity anywhere else, steam there as well.
When steaming, make sure to move from top to bottom.
If you go from bottom to top, the steam will rise and cause any bed bugs to try and get away from the heat.
Steaming from bottom to top can cause bed bugs to retreat to areas you have already steamed.
When going over large areas, I recommend using a large head attachment.
When moving along the surface of your couch, keep a pace of about 1 inch per second.
At this pace, you will deliver enough heat to kill bed bugs without damaging the couch or fabric.
Finally, to reach inside crevices, use a smaller fine point tip or brush tip.
Doing so will allow you to inject steam into small crevices that would otherwise be hard to reach.
Remember to steam under your couch as well.
If the bottom of your couch is exposed, be sure to steam any visible bed bugs focusing on the seams, edges, and folds in the fabric.