How do natural bed bug remedies work?
Natural bed bug remedies are often sought as alternatives to chemical treatments, offering a more eco-friendly approach to pest control. These homemade remedies, which include essential oils, diatomaceous earth, rubbing alcohol and heat/freezing treatments, aim to address bed bug infestations using natural methods. Understanding how these remedies work can help you decide if they are a viable option for managing bed bugs in your home.
Can you DIY bed bug treatments?
While DIY methods for bed bug control are often popular, they can have significant limitations and may not fully address an infestation. Exploring how various natural remedies work can help you understand their potential effectiveness and the challenges they might face in completely eliminating a bed bug problem.
Common Household Items vs. Bed Bugs
When you find bed bugs, your first instinct might be to grab whatever you have on hand. But do these household items stand a chance of getting rid of bed bugs?
Does Lysol kill bed bugs?
Yes, Lysol spray can kill bed bugs on direct contact because it contains alcohol. However, it's not an insecticide. It has no residual effect, meaning it won't deter any new bugs from crawling over the same spot. Since bed bugs are experts at hiding, you're unlikely to get them all with a can of disinfectant. Plus, using too much can irritate your skin and lungs.
Does baking soda kill bed bugs?
Some believe that baking soda dehydrates bed bugs by absorbing moisture from their shells. Unfortunately, there's no scientific evidence to back this up. A bed bug's exoskeleton is tough, and baking soda isn't abrasive enough to break through it.
Will talcum powder get rid of bed bugs?
Like baking soda, talcum powder (or baby powder) is thought to kill bed bugs by drying them out. While it can make surfaces slippery, making it harder for bugs to escape from a trap, there's no proof it can eliminate an infestation. The pests can simply walk around it.
Vinegar for Bed Bugs
Some people think that the strong odor and acidic nature of vinegar can repel bed bugs or even kill them on contact. While a direct spray of concentrated vinegar might kill a bed bug it hits, it won't penetrate eggs or effectively eliminate an infestation.
Do dryer sheets repel bed bugs?
There's a popular myth that placing dryer sheets around your home or under your mattress will repel bed bugs. The theory suggests that the scent of the sheets is unpleasant to the pests, tricking them into staying away. Unfortunately, while your bedroom might smell like a spring meadow, there's no scientific evidence proving dryer sheets are effective at repelling bed bugs.
Do mothballs repel bed bugs?
Mothballs are often touted as a quick fix for a range of pest problems, but when it comes to bed bugs, it’s a different story. Mothballs contain chemicals like naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, which are designed to repel and kill moths and their larvae in enclosed spaces. While these chemicals may create a strong odor that some pests find unpleasant, bed bugs are incredibly resilient and unlikely to be deterred.
Popular DIY Bed Bug Treatment Methods
1. Essential Oils for Bed Bugs
Using essential oils for bed bug control is a popular natural remedy, as some oils like lavender, peppermint or tea tree oil can repel or kill bed bugs on contact. To use essential oils for bed bug control, apply diluted oils to affected areas, focusing on seams of mattresses and cracks in furniture. However, this method may not be effective in eliminating a full infestation. Bed bugs often hide in deep cracks, crevices, and other hard-to-reach areas where essential oils can’t penetrate, allowing the infestation to persist.
2. Rubbing Alcohol for Bed Bugs
Rubbing alcohol is often used as a DIY method for bed bug control because it can kill bed bugs on contact. To use it for bed bug removal, spray it directly onto visible bed bugs or infested areas, but be aware of its flammability and quick evaporation. While rubbing alcohol may help reduce visible bed bugs, it is not effective in eliminating a full infestation. Rubbing alcohol evaporates quickly and doesn’t reach the hidden areas where bed bugs often reside, such as deep within mattresses, furniture, and wall cracks. This limits its ability to eradicate all the bed bugs and their eggs.
3. DIY Bed Bug Heat & Freezing Treatments
DIY heat and freezing treatments are sometimes used for bed bug control, as extreme temperatures can kill bed bugs. DIY heat treatments involve using portable heaters to raise the room temperature to around 120°F or higher, while freezing treatments require placing infested items in a freezer at 0°F for several days. While applying high heat or freezing infested items may eliminate some bed bugs, these methods are often inconsistent and difficult to apply evenly throughout an infested area. Additionally, improper use of heat or freezing methods can damage your belongings.
4. Bed Bug Traps
There are several different types of bed bug traps that could be used in your fight against these pests. Interceptor traps are placed around the bed to "intercept" the pest as they try to get to the piece of furniture. Monitoring traps are used to help detect the presence of bed bugs in a room. Glue traps have a sticky substance to help capture bed bugs. Bed bug traps are usually used as a supplementary method of control and not the most effective method for removal.
5. Vacuum
Vacuuming is a helpful way to disrupt bed bugs and their eggs. Be sure to vacuum all areas where bed bugs might hide, such as furniture, bedding, and baseboards. However, because bed bugs are tiny and often hard to spot, relying on vacuuming alone may not catch them all.
6. Washing Fabrics
Help isolate bed bug-exposed items by placing them in sealed plastic bags. Wash these items in hot water or freeze them to kill bed bugs and their eggs. Avoid bringing the bags into other areas of your home to prevent further infestation. While this may help with the fabrics, bed bugs can hide in furniture crevasses and other areas near the bed.
Benefits of Professional Bed Bug Control
Professional bed bug control services are typically more effective at eliminating bed bug infestations than homemade remedies because they use specialized equipment, advanced treatments, and expert knowledge to target bed bugs at every stage of their lifecycle. Professionals can thoroughly treat the hidden areas where bed bugs often reside, ensuring a more comprehensive and lasting solution. While DIY methods may offer temporary relief, they often fall short of fully eradicating the infestation. For thorough and lasting bed bug control, call an Orkin Pro.
Learn what Bed Bugs look like, and how to detect if you have a Bed Bug Infestation.
Find out how Bed Bugs infiltrate your home and where they are attracted to.
Learn about Bed Bug bites. their feces and how they can impact your health.
How Orkin Can Help with Bed Bug Treatment
Learn how Orkin handles Bed Bugs, homeopathic cures and the cost of Bed Bug extermination services
