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.
As discussed earlier, vinegar, particularly white distilled, can kill bed bugs because of its powerful acetic acid content. However, the chemical only becomes a viable bed bug killer if it comes in direct contact with the said pest.
Vinegar kills bed bugs but does not kill eggs. It also needs to be reapplied, as it simply kills on contact and does not linger.
Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins. Both compounds are lethal to bed bugs and can flush bed bugs out of their hiding places and kill them.
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.
Heat is non-toxic, and can kill all bed bug life stages including bed bug eggs. However, heat treatment of any kind (except your home clothes dryer) is still relatively expensive and has no residual (long lasting) activity. The lack of residual activity means that bed bugs can re-infest again the day after treatment.
Here are a few tips on how to use vinegar for bed bugs: Get a mist bottle and fill it up with strong white vinegar. You can also mix it with lemon juice to increase the effectiveness.
Mixing a quart of water, 12 ounces of vinegar, and a tablespoon of dish soap, you can create a mixture that will rid your garden of annoying, buzzing pests. This mixture is also harmless to plants, animals, kids, and other garden bugs you want to keep around.
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.
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.
Though it is not harmful to pets like dogs and cats, it may have a toxic effect on reptilian pets. Bed bugs hate vinegar, but the worst it can do to them is repel them and force them to hide.
Baking soda works very effectively in killing the bedbugs by sucking the moisture present in these tiny parasites and this eventually causes their death. You will need half a bowl of baking soda and a vacuum. Put the soda in all the places affected by the bugs and vacuum all the soda after three days.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets. Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests.
Make an All-Purpose Insect Repellent
Lemongrass or citronella oil, and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, 1 cup water, ½ tsp. catnip oil. 1 cup alcohol or witch hazel and 10-20 drops of essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, or lemon eucalyptus.
Just like regular salt, Epsom salts won't harm the chitinous exoskeleton of the bedbugs and therefore won't dehydrate them. Also, it's important to remember that bedbugs only eat blood. Therefore they won't consume the salt and be poisoned by it either.
Baby powder doesn't kill the bed bugs, but the talcum makes the bed bugs slide, preventing them from exiting any sort of trap. Talcum powder provides a drying effect to bed bugs which works as an eliminator, but it does not have the capacity to kill these nasty pests completely.
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.
Bed bugs are easy to kill using heat. Their thermal death point is reported to be 114-115° F. Putting infested clothing in a hot dryer is an excellent way of killing bed bugs and their eggs. Heat can also be used to kill bed bugs and their eggs in furniture and carpeting.
Baby powder can be used to smother and suffocate bed bugs. A 70% isoprophyl solution will also kill bed bugs and their eggs on contact. Both of these methods, however, may require multiple applications to fully eliminate an infestation.