Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

"Home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs can be one weapon used by home owners and apartment tenants to help get rid these pests. While we always suggest having a professional confirm the presence of bed bugs and for bed bug treatment. At the first sign of bed bugs it can be helpful to begin to kill bed bugs yourself. During the early stages of a bed bug infestation they are easier to spot and kill vs. later on when they have had a chance to hide in more cracks and crevices. Home remedies bed bugs include insecticides and bed bug traps."

Homemade Bedbug Insecticide

According to pest control technology (11/04), there are several readily available liquids that can be used to kill bedbugs as a homemade bedbug insecticide.

The lowest cost method is to use 91% isopropyl alcohol. This will kill on contact and can be inexpensively purchased at any local pharmacy or online from Amazon.com for under $5 for 16 ounces. Buy an inexpensive spray bottle to apply. Be sure to ventilate areas after spraying and allow all surfaces to dry before you place any blankets or other linens back on the bed or box spring. Also allow to dry before sleeping in the treated surface.

Apply to the cracks in a bed frame and other areas where bed bugs hide. When treating furniture, do it outdoors and then apply to all seams and cracks. If using alcohol on furniture, be sure to test to determine if product will stain wood.

Note that we do not suggest that these chemicals be used as they can cause fire, give off toxic fumes and are not as effective as products designed to kill bed bugs.

Another one of the home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs recommended by the USDA in is to use a mixture of soft soap and snuff or arsenic. This combination can also be applied to cracks and crevices.

Instead of home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs, you can buy an effective low cost mattress and furniture safe bed bug spray such as Sterifab for under $20. This is always the preferred approach for those that for financial reasons need to treat a bed bug infestation themselves.

Call a Bed Bug Pest Control Expert if you an afford it

We always recommend calling in an expert. To save money, we suggest calling a national network such as Service Magic (1.877.233.1145). Before being accepted to the network, companies are pre-screened and have to be licensed and insured. Compare this to local exterminators who can be found on our list of experienced local bed bug experts.

Home Remedies Bed Bugs

The following tips provide information on home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs. There are also some good products on the market that can be relatively inexpensive. For example, the best mattress bed bug spray, Sterifab, is under $10. The best crack and crevice spray, Phantom, is also relatively inexpensive.

The key to using homemade bed bug remedies or purchased products is to be thorough. Inspect every inch of a room, wash every item you can, place any item you can in the dryer, and throw out any clutter, and you have a fighting change. We strongly recommend buying a bed bug kit. There are two fundamental types, with purchase based on individual preference vs effectiveness.

Also be sure to purchase and use bed bugs mattress covers and bed bug box spring covers after treatment. This will trap any bed bugs and bed bug eggs you might miss.

Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?

It is important to identify all areas where bed bugs may be hiding. During the day, they hide in any available cracks, starting with the mattress seams, under the mattress label, box spring and bed frame. They also hide inside hollow bed legs.

As these areas fill up with bed bugs, skins that have molted, and bed bug feces and bedbug egg shells, bed bugs will seek other areas to hide. They will then move on to adjoining furniture, and the cracks between the floor and walls.

Home Remedies for Killing Bed Bugs Without Using Chemicals

Start by identifying areas where bed bugs are hiding. Look for marks on the mattress such as small brown fecal spots.

Picture Bedbugs Mattress Stains
If you live an apartment, bed bugs could spread to units above, below and next to yours. See our guide to bed bugs apartment for legal and apartment bed bug treatment advice. You may need to notify your neighbors of the problem, particularly if bed bugs are coming through the walls into your apartment.
Every week pack your blankets, sheets and other washable bedding and wash in hot water followed by 20 minutes in the dryer.
Make good use of your vacuum cleaner. The crevice tool in particular can be used to suck up any bed bug nymphs (baby bed bugs) and adults. Use a brush to nudge them out of mattress seams and crack and vacuum them up. You can also use a putty knife or playing card to nudge the bed bugs into an area where you can vacuum them up. You can also simply crush each bedbug with a paper towel or catch them with sticky tape.

Vacuum around and under furniture. Empty drawers that are next to the bed and be sure to vacuum inside, under and around all tracks. Dispose of the vacuum bag in the room being treating in a plastic bag that you tie and dispose of outside of the home or apartment.
Use heat as one of your home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs. The best way to do this is with a hand steamer. Preference is for one with multiple steam holds. Bed bugs and bed bug eggs are killed at 113慚.

As an alternative, use the hottest setting on the low air setting on a blow dryer. According to the NYC Guide for Property Owners, Manager and Tenants (free PDF download), You must hold the blow dryer on the bed bug crack for 30 seconds in order to reach the required temperatures.
If you spot clusters of bed bug eggs, which are small whitish oval pin head size specs, use clear package tape to pick them up. Place tape on top of each cluster and peal up. Dispose in a plastic bag, preferably one you can seal such as a ziploc bag.

Picture Bed Bugs and Bed Bug Eggs on Furniture
Seal any cracks and crevices with caulk. Any cracks in the wall, or along where the floor meets the wall are ripe for bed bugs to hide or spread from an adjoining apartment. Also tighten all light switch and cable plate covers. Take down any ripped wallpaper. The more hiding places you remove, the better.
Dispose of any clutter. Newspapers and magazines are all hiding places for bed bugs. If you do opt for treatment, clutter blocking walls etc can make a bed bug treatment program less effective.
Move the bed at least 6 inches from the wall and any nearby furniture. Make sure no blankets are touching the floor. Place homemade bed bug traps under each bed leg or buy inexpensive climb up interceptors. (see picture at bottom). These interceptors will help to keep bed bugs off of the bed (they aren't 100%, but they will help). Add a thin layer of talcum powder to the outer well on the bowls for added protection.

This is also a great way to determine if your home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs worked. Empty interceptors for three weeks straight mean no more bed bugs.

You can also wrap each bed leg with one band of 2 sided tape to slow the bed bugs down even more.

Home Remedies for Killing Bed Bugs that Do Not Work

Insect baits, while effective for killing other insects such as ants and cockroaches are not effective in killing bed bugs. This is because the "bait" is not interesting to bed bugs since they only feed on blood and are attracted to carbon dioxide when you breathe. Bug bombs also do not work as they do not penetrate deep enough into cracks to be broadly effective.

Boric Acid (Borax) is not an effective way to kill bed bugs so cross it off your list of home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs.

Also, bed bug bombs, cedar oil and other natural oils — claim to kill bed bugs, but only cause the bugs to scatter out of sight and hide in cracks in walls and floors.

Home Made Bed Bug Traps as Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

No trap will catch all of the bed bugs in a room. They are helpful for reducing the number of bed bugs, and if the trap is bed bug free after 3 weeks, there is a good change that your home or apartment is bed bug free.

You can read about 2 types of homemade bed bug traps here. An inexpensive option is to buy climb up interceptors for each bed leg (they come in packs of 4). These are small bowls that trap bed bugs before they can climb up the bed legs and get onto the bed and you.

Picture Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
Assembled Bed Bug Trap That Uses Carbon dioxide

Picture of Climbup Interceptor Bowls
or Make it Yourself as one of your
Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

Picture of Climbup Bed Bug Traps
Make one yourself as one of your Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

References Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs:

Stephen L. Doggett
Principal Editor
Department of Medical Entomology,
Institute for Clinical Pathology & Medical Research,
Westmead Hospital, WESTMEAD NSW 2145, Australia

New York City Department of Public Health

Closing in on Bed Bugs
Some History and Treatment Techniques
PCT