No scientific evidence suggests that VapoRub (Vicks VapoRub) can keep bed bugs away.
First off Vicks Vapor Rub won't stop them from biting but it will lessen it- spray vacuum infested areas ONCE A WEEK TO LESSEN BITES- Change sheets every couple of days and wash in HOT water, check EVERYTHING- Dressers, Carpets, picture frames literally everything with cracks they can hide in.
If you have rubbing alcohol at home, you can not only use it to disinfect your body, but also utilize it to get rid of bed bugs.
Oils like tea tree oil, neem oil, lavender oil, cedar oil, and orange oil are effective to repel bed bugs. Mix with water and lightly spray at the area where the chances are high.
Vapor rub can repel insects, but does not prevent them from biting or stinging.
Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA's helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Always follow product instructions.
Other TRP channels respond to menthol and camphor, key ingredients in Vicks VapoRub (Neuropeptides, February 2010). This probably helps explain why Vicks eases the itch.
Encase mattresses and box springs in protective plastic covers. Vacuum frequently, especially in areas near where you sleep. Cut down on clutter in your home, which will eliminate some hiding places for bed bugs. If you live in an apartment or other shared housing, try to close off your unit.
Tea tree oil, renowned for its antibacterial properties, is like a natural bug repellent that bed bugs can't stand. Peppermint oil, with its invigorating minty freshness, overwhelms their acute senses. And eucalyptus oil, known for its refreshing aroma, is a formidable deterrent against these tiny intruders.
Get a mattress and box spring cover
An effective way to keep bedbugs that are hiding inside your bed from biting you is to invest in a good-quality covering for your mattress and box spring. The best option is to use a cover with a good seal that zips around your mattress and box spring.
Currently there are no insect repellents registered for use against bed bugs that can be applied to human skin. The Pesticide Specialist also explained that using outdoor products indoors is not only against the law, it may cause the bed bugs to spread out from one or two hiding places to several.
If bed bugs have one weakness, it's that they're intolerant of extremely high or low temperatures. Washing clothes and bedding at the highest possible setting followed by drying for at least 30 minutes at high heat should do the trick. You can also freeze clothing or other objects you suspect of being infested.
Beans and Legumes. Beans and lentils are rich in vitamin B1, commonly known as thiamine. Thiamine has a distinctive yeast-like smell that insects supposedly hate, so eating dishes consisting of lentils, beans and other thiamine-rich foods is believed to turn your skin into a no-biting zone for bugs.
Vaseline. If someone tells you that smearing Vaseline all over the frame of your bed will stop bed bugs from crawling up, you need to know that this is not a real solution. While it is true that bed bugs will stick to Vaseline as they crawl up the bed to bite you, they can get at you in other ways.
Just like neem oil, clove oil is a powerful insecticide that can repel bed bugs with its strong and spicy smell. Mixing it with water and using it as a spray can help you get rid of bed bugs.
Cockroaches. When it comes to bed bug predators cockroaches are at the top of our list. They not only eat adult and nymph bed bugs they also feed on bed bug eggs.
A citronella-scented candle is recommended to keep bed bugs at bay, as they hate the smell of it burning, but you can also use citronella essential oil more directly on your bed - plus you shouldn't leave a candle burning while you're asleep.
In 2009, EPA and CDC collaborated on a joint statement to highlight the public health impacts of bed bugs . 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.
Clothing to wear at work
Choose pants without cuffs and shoes that are smooth with no trim that bed bugs can hide under. Hang your coat or jacket on a wire hanger and hang it from a shower curtain rod. Make sure it doesn't touch anything else.
Although it sounds like a grim choice, it is best to continue sleeping in the infested area using the population reduction methods described above, until the bed bugs are eliminated.
While some people believe that the strong smell of VapoRub might repel bed bugs, there is no reliable data to support this claim.
That's why you should never put VapoRub in or around the nostrils — especially a small child's nostrils. And if VapoRub gets in the eyes, it can injure the clear outer layer, called the cornea. You can try other treatments to relieve a stuffy nose during a cold.
The active ingredients of menthol and baking soda relieve itching, soothe irritation and reduce inflammation. Witch Hazel. This product causes contraction of the skin, leading to a reduction in inflammation and a soothing sensation.
As mentioned earlier, many pests and insects, such as mosquitoes, ants, beetles, and squirrels, don't like the way Vicks smells.