The first problem is that many cleaners—like vinegar and dish soap—don't actually work (unless you were to somehow find and drown all the bed bugs hiding throughout your home). The next problem is that the cleaners that do work—like bleach and Lysol can ruin your upholstered furniture and carpeting.
Yes, vinegar does kill bed bugs, but it has to be a strong solution of vinegar. Vinegar contains an acid called acetic acid. This acid is made from the complete fermentation of alcohol. The acetic acid in vinegar can cause damage to a bed bug's nervous system on contact, and will eventually kill them.
Lemongrass is an effective home remedy used for keeping bed bugs at bay. The compounds in lemongrass will not only repel bed bugs, but also kills them off by increasing the acidic condition inside the insects. Spray lemongrass in affected areas until your bed bug problem is no more.
The acidity of vinegar is potent enough to disrupt the insect's nervous system and kill it. Vinegar is often used as a contact type insecticide, which means that you need to spray it directly unto the spotted bed bug to make it effective. Vinegar offers short term and limited effects on your fight against bed bugs.
Steam – Bed bugs and their eggs die at 122°F (50°C). The high temperature of steam 212°F (100°C) immediately kills bed bugs. Apply steam slowly to the folds and tufts of mattresses, along with sofa seams, bed frames, and corners or edges where bed bugs may be hiding.
Bed bugs are generally considered to be nocturnal and prefer to forage for a host and take a blood meal during the night. They also will come out in the daytime or at night when lights are on, in order to take a blood meal, especially if there were no human hosts in the structure for a while and they are hungry.
Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that baking soda works to kill bed bugs. Baking soda is said to dehydrate bed bugs. While baking soda may kill off one or two bugs, it's rarely strong enough to get rid of an entire infestation.
Hygea Natural Bed Bug Laundry additive is a necessary step when dealing with bed bugs. Bed bugs are known to hide in mattresses, covers, clothing, furniture, outlets and anywhere away from your eye. Use to treat bed bugs from clothing, linens, drapes and other washable, machine-safe items.
To make your homemade vinegar spray for bed bugs and eggs, all you need is vinegar and a spray bottle. Just fill the bottle up with plain natural vinegar and put the lid on tightly. Then spray the entire perimeter of the area you have a bed bug infestation with the vinegar making sure it's fully saturated.
Can you kill bed bugs with hydrogen peroxide? Hydrogen peroxide can kill bed bugs on contact. However, it is not as lethal to bed bugs as other chemicals such as isopropyl alcohol. Unfortunately, hydrogen peroxide also stains linens and clothing because it is a bleaching agent.
Steam treatments are optional but recommended, because they will kill all life stages of bed bugs, including the eggs, and can be used in places where insecticides cannot. That makes steam a good partner to use with most insecticides, which won't kill bed bug eggs and can't be applied to certain areas.
Desiccants (chemicals that dry things out) can be particularly effective in some situations since they work by drying out the bug (which means the bed bugs can't develop resistance). However, t hey may take several months to work. If using desiccants, be sure to use only products registered by EPA as a Pesticide.
Heat – Bed bugs use sensory structures on their antennae to detect body heat. Body Odor – Bed bugs are also attracted to the various odor molecules produced by our bodies. Body odor is also why bed bugs are twice as more likely to be attracted to dirty laundry than to clean laundry.
Most Vicks products include trace amounts of menthol as a primary ingredient. Menthol, like the aforementioned linalool, is naturally produced from mint plants. Therefore, bed bugs will react to the scent of Vicks the same way they would react to the scent of lavender.
Deodorize the Room
Unpleasant odors lurk in the carpets, rugs, and upholstery. To remove these musty smells, fill a dish with half an inch of white vinegar and leave it out in the room until the smell dissipates.
Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids: Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common compounds used to control bed bugs and other indoor pests. Pyrethrins are botanical insecticides derived from chrysanthemum flowers. Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins.
A cluttered home provides more places for bed bugs to hide and makes locating and treating them harder. If bed bugs are in your mattress, using special bed bug covers (encasements) on your mattress and box springs makes it harder for bed bugs to get to you while you sleep. Leave the encasements on for a year.
Myth: Bed bugs won't come out if the room is brightly lit. Reality: While bed bugs prefer darkness, keeping the light on at night won't deter these pests from biting you.