Home Remedies for Bed Bugs

You’ve probably read or heard about the horror stories associated with the small insects that feed on human blood in the night. They attack when you are sleeping and are quite adaptable in most of the environments catering to humans. This is the life of a bed bug and contrary to popular belief – they surround themselves beyond unsanitary and unkempt conditions – even striking the ritziest of five-star hotels. While professional extermination is almost always the only way to eliminate the problem, there are a few home remedies associated with the dreaded bed bug.

Bed Bugs on Mattress

What are Bed Bugs?

Waiting until the night to attack their victims, the small nocturnal insect known as the bed bug belongs to the family Cimicidae, which is known to feed on blood. While humans are commonly referred to as the main sufferers of this pest, the bed bug also seeks out other warm-blooded hosts for their meals. With a past that traces back to ancient history, the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) has learned to successfully adapt to the same living spaces as humans [1].

With a preference to temperate climates, the bed bug is often found in warm temperatures, especially in locales such as Florida and the tropics of West Africa and South America. It is there that various species of the bed bug infest poultry, bats, humans, and other types of birds.

When the bed bug reaches maturity, it is reddish brown in color with a flattened, oval appearance. On their body, microscopic hairs give off a banded appearance. They possess no wings. Some people believe that bed bugs are so small that they cannot be seen by the naked eye. This is not the case, as some adults reach length of 4 to 5 millimeters (which translates into 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch). Their size is comparable to that of an apple seed. Since bed bugs are extremely shy and wary of others, an infestation of the insect is quite hard to pinpoint [2].

When feeding, the bed bug is typically active only at night with the most activity taking place an hour before dawn. Using two hollow tubes, the bed bug pierces the skin of their host and draws blood. One tube injects an anticoagulant into their victim, while the other tube is used for blood extraction. Average feeding times are about five minutes, where the bug then returns to their place of hiding. At the time of the bite, a victim is unaware, although late reactions come minutes to hours later.

In the home, the bed bug seeks many different places to hide during the day, including linens, drapery, headboards, desks, nightstands, artwork frames, mattresses, and clothing [3]. With the use of a flashlight, you may find a bed bug crawling about at night. Additional signs, such as blood spots help detect an infestation.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation [4]

The best way to detect a bed bug infestation is to call upon a professional, who will complete an inspection of your home. In case you wish to analyze your surroundings before hiring someone out of the Yellow Pages, some of the signs to seek out include:

a) Bug Bites:

Even though you may display bed bug bites on your body that occur during the night, this is not a sure sign that a bed bug was the culprit.

b) Blood:

The sight of dried blood (referred to as fecal spots) may appear on the box spring, behind the headboard, as well as about the seams of a mattress.

c) Bed Bug Skins:

A bed bug sheds skin during their nymphal stage, which looks like a hollowed-out bug.

d) Bed Bug Eggs:

About 1 millimeter in length, the eggs of the bed bug are rather difficult to pinpoint, but are still visible – resembling the shape of rice.

Risk Factors

Bed bugs do not feed on dirt, debris, or crumbs, meaning an unclean environment is not the primary target for the insect to dwell. Bed bugs feed on blood and it is advantageous for them to seek out places where warm-blooded individuals are present. This is why places, such as hospitals, hotels, motels, inns, and cruise ships are perfect living quarters for a bed bug.

When bed bugs find their way into a home, there are plenty of different methods to their madness. When guests of a hotel settle in for the night, bed bugs may climb into their luggage, where they are then transported to a new environment. Bed bugs also travel by way of used furniture purchased at a garage sale or thrift shop. The same is true with used clothing, as bed bugs are known to hide in the crevices and folds of material.

In multi-unit dwellings, such as condominiums and apartment buildings, bed bugs find their way throughout the premises by moving about the walls, cracks, pipes, and wires. New residents may bring bed bugs into a living space through their moving boxes, mattresses, pillows, and other belongings.

Negative Effects of Bed Bugs

The pathogens found in the bodies of bed bugs have been connected to plague and hepatitis B, yet no conclusions have been made as to whether or not the insect is able to pass on disease to humans. While the threat of disease is of no consequence, the bed bug is seen as a rather unclean visitor that affects the sanitation of a household. One is embarrassed to admit they have bed bugs in their home. Additional negative outcomes associated with bed bugs include:

a) Infection:

Those who scratch their bed bug bites may develop skin infections, which may leave behinds scars.

b) Red, Itchy Welts:

The sight of a cluster of bed bug bites is quite alarming, especially when they claim large stretches of visible skin. The back, legs, and arms are common places that bed bugs attack.

c) Stress:

A bed bug infestation is rather stressful with the potential to cause delusional parasitosis or even post-traumatic stress disorder in extreme cases.

d) Poor Reaction to Saliva:

A handful of people may experience anaphylactic shock, as they suffer an allergic reaction to bed bug saliva.

e) Extermination Costs:

Since bed bugs are very difficult to remove from a home or hotel, professional means of extermination creates extra bills for a family or business.

f) Offensive Odor:

A strong scent comes with the presence of bed bugs, as they emit an oil-like liquid from their bodies.

Home Remedies for Bed Bugs

When it comes to bed bugs, there isn’t much a homeowner can do to get rid of these pesky intrusions on their own. Before calling professional help, some have found slight success with the following home remedies for bed bugs:

a) Rubbing Alcohol:

While not a definite fix, spraying rubbing alcohol where bed bugs thrive may contain the problem by killing some on contact.

b) Fruit and Vegetable Insecticides:

Some insecticides comprised of pyrethrins and canola oil are sometimes used by those who wish to lay down a home remedy that is safe for children and pets.

c) Steam Treatments:

It is not uncommon to see some pest control companies use steam treatments to deal with mattresses and other pieces of upholstered furniture. While very limited effectiveness is associated with this type of remedy, it shows great promise in treating items with less than ½ inch of penetration. At home, one may use small steam cleaners to care for their mattresses and other bedding selections.

d) Dry Heat [5]:

Placing clothing, footwear, rugs, toys, stuffed animals, backpacks and other non-launderable items in the dryer for a certain length of time can conveniently remove bed bugs. When an average clothes dryer is run for five minutes at low, medium or high heat, they generate temperatures of about 140, 150 and 180 degrees (respectively). It is believed that when drying a bundle of infected clothes, high temperatures are able to kill bed bugs. It is suggested to run the dryer for more than 20 minutes.

e) Hot Sun:

Since temperatures over 113 degrees are said to kill bed bugs, it is suggested to wash and dry clothing and linens at high temperatures. When living in a hot desert climate, you may hang your bedding and clothes in the beaming sun to destroy lingering bed bugs.

Resources

  • Anonymous

    Try washing all the bedding every week in hot water, and drying on high, and them treating your mattress using a hot steam from an iron also on a weekly/daily basis (depending on how bad the infestation) until they are gone. It is my experience with pests, such as fleas and mice, the more difficult you make it for them, the more likely they will leave to find another place to live.

  • Dexter Mills

    Nice Post!!
    I really hate bed bugs, they irritate me very much and they seem to be everywhere. Thanks for publishing this article because i needed it.

  • bed bug spray

    Frequently remove your mattresses and place them in direct sunlight, the sun since temperatures of over 113 degrees Celsius are said to kill bed bugs. This home remedy can also be used to destroy any lingering bed bugs.

  • STEVEN WILEY

    OK, Enough
    THIS IS WHAT REALLY WORKS TO KILL AND GET RID OF BED BUGS
    Target sells mattres cover for bed wetting twin $9.99 Queen $11.99, they hang on the wall next to the sheets, sssssh
    put your box spring in them only and zip it up, leave it forever.
    Home Depot sells 1 gallon size Hot Shot Beg Bug liquid killer with a sprayer attached $9.99 ( New, Blue and White bottle )sssssh Spray the Hot Shot around the the floor board in every room in the house including the closets, spray under the bottoms of couches,chairs,tables behind t v’s the back of dressers and night stands, take the mattresses off the bed frame and spray the bed frame top and bottom the back of head board around door frames
    Dollar Store has spray bottles buy a spray bottle fill it half Rubbing Alcohol 70% or better and water and you spray it on your mattress in the morning and at night let it dry before lyning on it, spray your pillows & cases spray clothes and furniture, you can spray everything in the closet spray any luggage inside and out when returning from a trip
    keep your spray bottle handy use the rubbing alcohol mixture on furinture clothes liens any area even desk ares your computer stand, lien closet, spray your bath room, spray your self if you feel like somethings on you.
    rubbing alcohol is really propane and it kills bed bug on contact, You really need a vacumm because you gonna find them dead everywhere
    I beleive you have it from here , If you do nothing they get worst.
    You have to get to the point where you say NO MORE, Leave me and my family alone. And you spray until you get tired for as long as it takes, Look for eggs they lay them in dark places and when the bed bugs are all gone the eggs hatch and they back,Don’t give up
    Put a bounty on them have everyone in the house look for atleast 2 a day.
    Take a spray bottle with you on trips to spray your bed and luggage
    MAKE IT PERSONAL !
    Take Charge

  • Jenn

    I’m going CRAZY. I’ve never had a bug problem in my entire life, but my mother and I moved out of a wonderful apartment building closer to our city’s downtown core and it’s a SLUM. Cockroaches, bedbugs, mice, and almost everything is broken, and the neighbors are all into drugs in one form or another. As soon as we moved in, we started getting bit. We thought maybe it was mosquitos because it was the middle of the summer.. NO. Bed bugs. They’re driving my mother insane. Tehy’re really bad in her room. I can kill thirty of them, adults, adolescants and nymphs in a short time in her room, while in mine I see maybe half a dozen. I’m going to try the rubbing alcohol and pick up some bug bombs from Walmart. We were fumigated once, but it didn’t do much of anything.

  • Michele

    Just something that may help – use Florida Water and put a few drops in about 220 mL of water and spray on sofa covered with bed sheets washed regularly – inexpenssive. Florida water smells nice.

    Also – steam mattress – cover matress with mattress cover and box spring cover- vacuum – steam clean carpets. Keep all clothes in transparent plastic bags – so you can see them – but they are protected.

  • TheVenusProject.com

    Bed Bug Killing Methods and Appliances,Chemicals,Means..

    1) Diatomaceous earth is a tiny razor thus added to flours to kill the bugs. Make sure to buy the Food Grade.
    2) Silica powder
    3) Rubbing Alcohol (green)
    4) Dry Steam Cleaner 240 degrees.
    5) Vaseline Barrier.
    6) Baking Soda
    7) Boiling Water with Red Hot Chili Peppers.
    8) Sunlight
    9) Dryer and 50+ temperature washing
    10) Plastic bags
    11) Double Sided Tape
    12) Boric Acid ad Salt mixture
    13) Hair Dryer could work out to kill the eggs
    14) Sulfuric Powder. Sulphur Candle put on the floor and burn for 2-3 days by closing down the whole house or apartment. About 2-3 candles in each room.
    15) Plastic Air Bags
    16) Heat the Room to 140 degrees.
    17) Saran Wrap
    18) Double sided sticky tape
    19) Roach Spray
    20) Chalk
    21) Talcum Powder and Sand
    22) Pine Sol
    23) Petroleum Jelly

  • Four hoarseman

    Heres a recipe, cause people suggested arson was a bad idea.
    Try d- limonene industrial strength, automotive repair shops use it for cleaning parts.
    ( oil of orange extract) and if not try some hydrogen peroxide 35 or 50% .
    straight or slightly delusional. Diluted i mean . Boy theyll keep you up all right.
    I heard borax and shake the spray bottle to unsedementize the product.
    Enjoy eliminating hell! Praying will help

  • Etta Rae

    Ortho home Defense MAX Bed Bug Killer (Kills them where they hide!) is the best pesticide I found out about, it kills them on contact and destroys their nests. You can get it at Lowes for $7.97 plus tax, also using Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth is pretty good if you spread it lightly to ensure these nasty pests crawl right through it and dehydrate themselves. With the Ortho on the other hand, you have to be persistent and determine to get rid of these nasty little blood suckers for some nymphs may pop up. Just because you get rid of the adults along with the clutter of a nest you see them at, think of the eggs and the nymphs they harbor away in crevices along the box spring, headboard, foot board, sides of the bed, etc. Spray like clock work every day and vacuum. From that point on out after getting rid of the nest, those options are your best friends to prevent them from coming back re-infesting like mad. Stay at the top of your game is what I am doing and so should you! Don’t let these horrible parasites get to you and make you nuts and give up instead make them nuts and give up so they’ll leave your home for good. It’s the only way we’ll be rid of these nasty critters once and for all! Much luck to all may the humans and animals win against these bloodsucking demons! So far for me, it’s 100 – none in defeating these things, I’m winning and they’re getting cocky again and losing. :D

  • Jennie

    Bedbugs love perfume. They don’t like baby oil with peppermint oil in it. Cover yourself with baby oil and peppermint oil before bed. Use unscented products.

  • crystal

    Some one else mentioned the DE powder. Diatamaceous Earth powder. I brought them home from vacation. My son is the only one they attacked, but couldn’t figure out why my son had the whelks on him and kept getting more. I took him to the doctor and they thought he might have been exposed to chiggars. So, a month later still no better. Til one day, we were in the car and he noticed a tiny bug crawling on him, and acted like it was burrowing in his skin. So as soon as I got home I pulled back his sheets, but couldn’t see anything. Then I pounded on his matress and there they were. I immediately start looking and they are every where, in his room. They were even getting on his pet gerbils. This is when I read about the DE powder. I had to order it online, but I bagged his clothing one load at a time and washed on hot, dried one hour on highest setting. bagged all toys and everything and placed them outside in the sun (as heat kills them)and even left them out in a storage building for the winter too. They hate cold too. I sprayed a diluted amonia water mixture on them as it kills on contact, on those I could see crawling.

    After everything was bagged or washed, I powdered the entire room with the powder, left the room empty for a couple of months. My sons clothes were stored in the living room and he slept on an air mattress the entire time. It was a nightmare. I doused the matress with the powder (it was fairly new) and then put one of the bug protector covers on it. It also said to put down a barrier in the rooms connecting to the affected room, so the rooms that bordered it, I put the powder down on the floor around the barrier walls.I left it for over a month, as they can go a long time without feeding. also took off the electric receptacle covers and dusted in there too. All cracks and crevices were dusted.

    And this would take care of new hatchlings that searched for a feeding ground. It was time consuming and one of the most mentally challenging things I have ever went through. It really is a nighmare and you have no peace of mind. It worked, we got rid of the bugs and now every time I go to a hotel or on vacation, look closely before you even put your luggage on the floor, if they have them leave…. Get your money back and leave! Oh and put the bug sticky tape stuff under the bed posts. They will get trapped in it if they try to climb up it. I hope this helps and it is very inexpensive treatment….when they are newly hatched, they are sooo tiny the naked eye can barely see them. I never had any bigger one, thank God we got to them before they made it to that stage…Good luck to all…

  • Nana

    I’m so depressed cause this is my second time with these pests.I hate those damn bugs. Had them over a year ago and now they’re back.My skin is so dry from using alcohol. For itch relief buy some CVS brand Benadryl. Take two and it helps your itching and you’ll be able to sleep. Also, they sell the gel to put all over your body. Tomorrow I’m calling the Dept. of Agriculture and reporting the problem again. I take Warfrin because I have a rare gene called Factor V Leiden and my INR levels are hard to maintain in range which means I can develop a DVT(blood clot) I swear it’s cause of the the bb bites. This problem causes havoc on your life. I pray to GOD they bring back DDT.

  • buggy

    CURTAINS! Most people don’t realize, but they are usually in your curtains, too. Take one down, that’s closest to your bed. Take it off of the rod. Look where it was gathered, and at the seams. Even the edges where the curtain rod went through. That’s where I found some, besides the ribbing edges of my mattress and box springs. I have fought them for 2 years now. Then I also had discovered, when I went to take the pillow out of the pillow case, BAM! there were some bed bugs on the seam of the pillow. YUK! I will try some of that silicone dioxide!
    Thanks for the tips!

  • sarah

    Hello I have just about read all of your solutions and they all sound good.I had bed bugs since we went to a stupid yard sale near us in May of 2011 and it is now Sept of 2011 so its been five going on six months now.I dry all things from pillows to stuffed toys anything that can go in the dryer lol.I Vaccume everyday mop with lavender and bleach,I clean the couch every once a week they were in my room and ended up every where ugh so I looked online to see what else there was that I could use and the dryer sheet that is a good thing and moth balls they seem to not like that to much it chesed them downstairs to my couch. I dont have any upstairs so far and today I vaccumed the couch and found them and I sprayed them down with bedbug spray and it stuned them right away I taped all the ends of the beds and dont let anything drape to the floor they can crawl up to your bed I spayed all cracks and corners of every inch of the house and I put moth balls ever where in the house under beds behind dressers behind the couch and I even put them inside the couch cracks.

    I am so tired and I cant never get any sleep.I have bites allover me neck,back,back of my legs,arms,stomic chest.Im just thankfull my kids arnt getting biten yet Im in a prosses of turning all things off and winter is comming and just freeze them out lol I have two dogs and two cats now I have a question if my pets go outside most of the time can they bring the bugs in and can they take them out to somewhere else? I have’nt tryed the vasoline yet but it sounds affective and I am so tired of these dam things I feel like I was cursed or something lol.I was watching tv and a homeless shelter in my area was also infested with these shits and they called a extermenator twice and it didnt even get rid of them they are now in the prosses of frezzing there beds but they said that didnt work ether.I dont know I think we are just doomed or something lol I herd they dont like lavender herbs and I have some and I put some in the cracks of the couch as well.With having barely any money and the econamy going to crap what can a person do but die from this painfull itchy damnation.

  • mary

    People, I am an expert, please do not use bed bug bombers. they will only make the bugs leave one room and go to another. or in the wall and come back a few months later. or make them spread toyour neighbor if in an apt. how would you like it if your neighbor used it and then they spread to you? only hire a professional. thanks
    and yes getting rid of furniture helps too. but get professional treatment. its worth it.

  • Debbie

    OMG! This is awful! We don’t know how we got them as we have lived in this townhouse for 3 years with nothing like this every happening. I think the important thing to remember is that these bugs do NOT eat dirt. So, they should not be associated with dirty homes. They eat blood and are easily transferred. This needs to stop being thought of as a problem only poor people who don’t clean enough have. Even 5 star hotels wrestle with this problem! Let’s stop playing the blame game and just figure out how to get rid of them! Bug spray seemed to help, but not erraticate them..next going to try the alchohol and vaseline thing. Thank you for all the helpful tips!

  • Susannah

    We got rid of ours using home remedies, as we are very allergic to chemicals, scented products, etc. We live in a very cold climate, so we moved almost everything we could outside in the cold, wrapped in plastic bags, etc. Left for a week, or more for some stuff, but if it gets very cold, like -30 or so, it will kill bugs instantly. We also used diatomaceous earth, there are many brands, but we got ours at the pet store, as it is also used for fleas and other bugs. Sprinkle all around baseboards and under the bed in bedroom.

    We would find dead bugs under the bed every morning; vacuum up and re-apply the diatomaceous earth. Also, washed everything in hot water, dry in hot dryer. To all of you recommending chemicals, gasoline, kerosene, etc: rubbing alcohol, vaseline, and many other non toxic things will kill bedbugs on contact. The problem is finding the little beasties! Once you do find them, they are easy as pie to kill. But they hide. And lay eggs. Good luck all of you out there trying to deal with this problem: do not give up, just try everything you can think of. We have been bug free for 2 years, now, so trust me, it is possible!

  • Susannah

    OMG: to the person who suggested mixing bleach and ammonia: PLEASE PLEASE PEOPLE DON’T try this: it creates a poisonous gas which can send you or your kids or pets to the hospital or vet emergency! Fools!

  • Sara

    Help! A few weeks ago I noticed I was waking up with some red bumps…not tons, but a few here and there. At first I thought it was acne (which seemed strange since it was only a few red bumps, not really “zits”), but then intense itching started shortly after so I went to my doctor. She suspected scabies! It didn’t seem right to me, but hey, she’s the doc so I did the lotion treatment and started looking up everything I could online. That’s when the possibility of bed bugs came up, so I went to check my bed and I found 1 nasty bed bug!

    I’ve vacuumed like crazy for now and am considering my next step. I’m not in a position to pay thousands of $ for a pro, but I’m terrified I won’t get rid of these things on my own. What do you folks think? Since I only recently started being bit and I’ve found 1 bug (so far), do you think I’ve caught them early and can eliminate them on my own?? I’m kind of freaking out now and so worried I’m going to be doomed with them :(

  • Melody

    Bleach is a good remedies to get rid of these little blood sucking pests, spray bleach on the mattress & box spring…Spray carpets with bleach…spray couches, reclining chairs with bleach. To reduce skin irritation from the bleach be sure to allow the bleach to fully dry in the furniture carpets & mattresses; then once after the bleach dries, put on clean uninfected bedding, throws etc. Wash your clothing (Whites in bleach) and the colored clothing on normal wash; then dry on high heat in the dryer for 30 minutes. Be sure to spray Bleach in front of your door and place towels at the base of your doors to keep these bugs out!!!! Be sure the towels have just a slight dosing of bleach.

    When using bleach; Bedbugs do not like breathing in bleach, and it will suffocate them or they will go feed some where else. Bed Bug full Mattress covers are the best..any bedbug trapped within the cover will eventually suffocate and die, and this will decrease the biting. If you’re an alcoholic or drink Bedbugs that feed do not like the poison in your blood and will die on contact. Vacuum thoroughly, and use carpet cleaners to clean carpets and rugs to eliminate odor of the bleach! Sweep any hard wooden floors thoroughly. Keep person(s) who are infested with bedbugs out of your home so you don’t have to put up with the re-infestation and go through the problem all over again. Rubbing alcohol also works, and so does Bedbug repellent you can buy at WalGreens for under $10 a can. You can get Full mattress covers for $30 at Ross. Bedbugs like to travel through pipes and they are inside walls.

    Do you know that the bedbug is the prime enemy for a cockroach??? Cockroaches will kill bedbugs as a source of food; Cockroaches maybe nasty, and carry diseases; but they can help eliminate the bedbugs, so they are good for something. plug holes in entry ways in your home using wool or S.O.S. Grease cleaners. Make sure all Electrical sockets have plastic out lit socket covers when not in use; bedbugs tend to crawl through electrical sockets. You can use a Vacuum cleaner with a hose to suck up the bedbugs, and eliminate the eggs or droppings.

    You can use a steamer to steam your mattresses. Once the bedbugs are eliminated be sure to do a inspection every day of your furniture or clothing etc. If you see one grab it with a piece of toilet paper and flush it down the toilet right away. Check your furniture, drawers, desks, night tables, dining tables, couch crevices, reclining chair crevices, mattress crevices; that’s where these pets like to hide. you may get a black light to detect where they are at, so you can use the proper home remedies to kill them right away. Please keep on top of it, if you see one; there is more hiding, and kill them quickly before the infestation gets out of control. Good Luck Exterminating!!!!

  • Edna Rosa DeJesus

    I have been fighting the bedbugs with the DE powder which is Diatomaceous Earth…I also include in the powder some of cat litter crystals which I crushed down to powder in the blender…I use both the Diatomaceous Earth and the cat litter crystals which I crushed in the blender,half and half,and I placed it on all legs of the bed…I also put some at the door frame where if they come in from outside the will be toast…it will kill them…I also brought a product called BedLam at the pest control center,which is a bedbug spray bottle…People all we can do is keep up the cleaning process and pray every night before you go to sleep because they will always come back…but you can control them?

    Get the Diatomaceous Earth and the cat litter crystals and mixed them together…Dont forget to crushed the cat litter crystal in the blender…and mix some of it together…Place some of the powder where ever you need it and leave it for weeks…buy also bed bug spray at the hard ware store and spray the legs of the bed…Also throw you bedding into the dryer for 60 minutes and you will sleep…I also use alcohol both the clear one and the green one and I put it in a spray bottle and spray myself with it and I get a good night sleep…I spray my son also with alcohol and he sleeps like a baby…you can spray your bed also and sleep.God bless all of us and dont stop praying…

  • brady

    after spraying EVERYTHING WITH KEROSENE, lite a match, throw it in and run out the door. (take the kids and pets first) then build a new house out of aluminum foil. furniture? aluminum foil and cinder blocks. either that, or send terrorist signals to whoever is in charge at the pentagon and they will fire one of those drone missles like they did the other day in YEMEN, and that will destroy all bedbugs in your house.

  • Sheri

    We tried the alcohol and diathomoi..? powder. WE used the 91% alcohol and we got a sprayer from the lawn and garden department so we could put ALOT of the alcohol in it. It does kill the bugs on contact. If you turn your central heater on the highest setting, it will draw them out so you can spray the bastards as they emerge from their hiding places. We sprayed all pillows and then put them in the dryer for 30 minutes and then dusted them with the powder. We put the powder in all the cracks and crevices in the walls. DO NOT forget to take pictures off the walls in the infected rooms and look for signs of the bugs there. I was surprised how many we found in our artwork! Spray carpets and EVERYTHING with the alcohol then after the alcohol dries dust everything with the powder. The powder isn’t poisonous but is an eye irritant. We do plan on keeping up the alcohol spraying every morning until they are gone but between the powder and the alcohol and putting ALL clothes and stuffed toys and beeding in the dryer prior to use will help.

  • Vanessa

    To all that is suffering with these pain in the ass bugs don’t give up. It is a war but it is a war I pray can be won. I have been at war with these creeps for one solid year. I read many blogs and decided to put them all together and that it was time to let the war begin. The first thing I did was to call an exterminater and $2,300 later i still had bugs. They had to return several times by their fourth visit I gave up on them. I took everything out of the bedrooms, got big black garbage bags sprayed the inside with 91% alcohol mixed with green alcohol (really kills them instantly) and put everything in the bags tied them up and put thrm in the basement. Then everything that could go in the dryr was dried. Next I made the best investment I could make by buying a $40 steamer.

    After emptying out the rooms I steamed every single spot in the room, walls, ceilings, furniture, light fixtures, curtain rods, curtains, electric outlet, cable box, back of TV’s places you think nothing can get into a bed beg can so steam it. They can’t take the heat. This summer it was in the 100′s i closed every door and window in my house and turned on the electric heater then left for three hours. After steaming I vacumn the rooms and then put down Diatamaceous Earth powdwe everywhere. I have been doing this for about four months now and I have only seen one bug. So every week I follow this routine. I spray everything with the alchole first, steam, vacumn then put down the dust. It is a lot of work because I have a very large house but it is better then living with the bugs. But wish me luck I havn’t unpacked the bags from the basement yet, honestly i’m afraid to do it, I think i will do a bag at a time outside and steam everything before bring anything back intp the house. I also pulled my beds from against the wall and put vasoline heavy on the bed posts and pray.

  • Erin

    Alcohol kills on contact, but you really have to drench them in it. Or, drown them in it. They’ll be done in 10 sec or so. Also, avon bath oil, which is not great to sleep in, did decrease my bites substantially. Just be prepared to put it pretty much everywhere! Vacuum often and empty vacuum right away because they can crawl out.

  • Jamie

    We just got the Diatomaceous Earth to try because we have been sprayed 3 times by the pest control guys and after every spray they get worse and we get bite up from head to toe. I have done the alcohol in a spray bottle and spray it in closets and bedding and hidden places. Think im gonna try spraying everyone down with it at night to see if it helps. The thing that sucks if they have nested in your couches or beds you have no choice but to toss them out, we did not have any bugs what so ever until we moved to a different apartment in the same complex. The garbage can was against our bedroom wall and we think this is how we got the nasty little buggers from everyone who did have them tossing out their infested items. Its a fight and I am going nuts and my family is doing everything to get rid if them. I feel like they are on me all day and night eekk my skin crawls!!!! Also these essential oils work if your willing to spend some money on them,Palo Santo – $32.75
    Eucalyptus Blue – $12.75
    Cedarwood – $9.75
    I have had several people tell me what wonders they work but unfortunately we can not afford them right now. Look up the oils with bed bug in the title and it will tell you how they work. Also its a false add to stay clean and uncluttered to keep them away, we are a very clean house and still got them all the clutter does is give them more places to hide and nest but doesnt keep them away. Also adults can stay hidden for up to a year without needing to feed. They are so hard to get rid of because they produce so fast and I really want them gone. Happy bed bug killing to everyone good luck and I hope we can get rid of these nasty blood sucking life ruiners soon. Sad we are in a bed bug epidemic yet the government has done nothing to help get rid of them!!

  • melissa Aoki

    If you have bed bugs you have a 99% chance of having pin worms too. There are over the counter treatments but bed bugs also cause perinial/vaginal pinworms in which case requires an RX. You also have to treat your hair and body with lice shampoo. I belive trhe term for the condition is lous. I read over half of Americans have pin/thread worms and don’t know it. Bed bugs are highly unsanitary and pin worms are found in animal and human excretment.

  • Chana

    TEA TREE OIL . Buy it at Wal-Mart or a pharmacy . You can add 10 -12 drops to your shampoo or body wash and use every day . Tea tree oil is used for , lice , scabies, boils and even staph . It has been known to clear up MRSA! I read you can put it on a boil full strength. Mix in a spray bottle with water and spray everywhere!

  • Mags

    Diatamaceous Earth powder. You can find it on the net cheap.. we thankfully only had them in our bedroom. We put a mattress protector on and put DE all around our bed under the sheets behind the radiators and inside the light sockets and put a buttload around the legs of our bed. Nothing else worked. No traps, no alcohol, no sprays, no bombs. We used this when my son brought home a kitten that was flea ridden and fleas everywhere. We did this in the middle of summer and it was majorly hot here one week, we did not use the AC and we went on vacay. We came back and they were dead dead! 5 months free of them buggers.

  • randy & alicia romero

    me and my wife have been fighting bedbugs for over 6 months, although they don’t bight me they attack my wife and 2 out of four kids and our dogs, all this because i had to have these nice couches from a yard sale, i feel like crap, buyers beware…. finally i got a wild hair and desided to catch one and seee what works faster because the thousands i already spent had done nothing, so we catch one and put it in a glass sprayed it with alcohol…yes rubbing alcohol and in seconds my problems are solved it worked they dry up like the little scabs they are and so we are doing one room at a time because the fumes are harsh but manageable; WARNING AIR OUT THE ROOM DURING AND AFTER YOU SPRAY IT DOWN YOU MAY WANT TO WEAR A MASK OF SOME SORT…. be sure to lift all furniture and spray all of the carpet they hide in the carpets well and in baseboards…trust me it will work just do it faithfully and good luck…

  • sadmother:(

    Ive tried everything to get rid of these things i been dealing with this for about 4 months !!! i just had a baby she is 5 months old and im so scared of her getting bit!! I need help i know ppl are saying to move but i just had a baby and finances aren’t that great.. i just wish this nightmare was over.. I was sheets for my bed everynight just so i dont get bit but im so sick of this i need help please someone help!!

  • cah

    we have them… I can’t sleep…. for any of you that have had them in the past do they stay contained in the bedrooms? We have a two story house and basement.. we have only seen them in two of our bedrooms due to one child at college and he is not home so we found non in his room although I think they came from him! Thanks to college dorm infest. anyway we have sprayed a spray from home depot… and steamed everything in the bedrooms… they seem to be out of my daughters bedroom but I am still seeing them in our bedroom only a few… I can’t stand it… I have not slept in days. I wonder how some post that they left everything. I can’t do that we have a farm. I will steam everything again and hope I get them this time… plus I think I may order that de powder. Sorry everyone has to go thur this. anynew infor would be great

  • Patricia

    cedar cide works wonders. Oil from a Texas cedar tree.

  • zakhameed

    Crsytal soda kill them. I use that home washroom sink cleaner on them they died instantly.

  • Sharka

    Thanks to all… After reading many of these great tips, I am itching all over my body and see little brown spots everywhere… Now, I don’t even want to go to bed..ever again… I just may soak my self in my bathtub with a mixed solution of everything suggested here… No idea… Just scratching….. Asking my self “In who’s image the bed bugs were created..??”….. Anyway.. Thank you for the effort… :-D

  • The Daughter

    HELP PLEASE!!!!! My mom got infested by bedbugs, I’m allergic and she wants my boyfriend to come get rid of them for her. Any tips on how I can make sure he doesn’t bring them home???? I love my mom, but she’s not the most self-reliant person, and I REALLY don’t want to have to suffer because of that. ANY CHEAP TIP WILL DO!!!!!! PLEASE???????

  • Dina

    Bed Bugs are easy but time consuming to get rid of.All you have to do is mix 4 oz,of Murphy’s oil to a spray bottle of water and spray everything nightly, and I do mean everything… even baseboards and around your windows,dressers,tables everything. do this everynight for about 2 or 3 weeks and their gone, try and spray them on contact, look in the folds of your matresses do the top and bottom of both, and spray the entire bed railings, dont leave nothing unsprayed. murphy’s oil is cheap and goes a long way and best of all it works

  • Mr Realist

    “all i can do is pray that God blesses me with a mirical…PLEASE HELP ME DEAR LORD PLEASE!”
    Whats the point of praying to the one that created the bed bugs in the first place?
    Whats gods plan with creating bed bugs?
    Yeah he works in mysterious ways… There is no intelligent design behind bed bugs or for example parasites that lay eggs in living persons and eat them up from the inside. What kind of god would create anything like that??

    Praying never helped anyone except for the placebo effect but that doesnt work on bedbugs, get help from professional exterminators!!!

  • John

    Onse sure way. Use an exterminator that uses high temperature gas powered heaters the type used to heat a large space. They look like jet engines. Bring room temp to 140F for 30min. They will all dessicate no matter where they are. Make sure the room is evenly heated…no cold spots….make sure they verify the temperature with a hand held infra red detector. No pesticides, guranteed results, Hard to do for a house but it is done.

  • IHATEBUGS!

    It is the responsibility of the owners of an apartment building to provide professional services to exterminate bed bugs and cover the costs, not the tenants. ALL apartments must be done, including the basement within so many hours of each other. I spent over a year living this hell with bed bugs. It was never done properly and we had no choice but to leave. Everything untreatable was thrown out. There is no ONE way to kill them and depending on the stage of infestation it becomes almost impossible. Our walls were fumigated and heat treatments and still not gone. many years ago people would burn down there houses and now I see why. Good luck and hopefully you can prevent it before it reaches to this point!

  • janza

    I had been fighting the bed bug problem for almost twelve months and tried everything on the market. It cost me a small fortune. I finally tried this routine for three months and have not had a problem for over five months. I vaculmed the carpet everyday and steamed the carpet everyday, I them sprayed the carpet and furniture with a mixture of 2 parts savlon disinfectant 3 parts water,for a month. I repeated this every other day for two months. I still do this but only once a month and we have been bug free for over five months and nobody in the house has been bite.

  • TheMother

    My ex’s druggie son brought these into my house from a dive he was staying at; that was a while ago. But now, I have had it.

    I’ve tried sprays, bombs, exterminators, etc. I even have the best mattress covers money can buy, and that knocked them down to a much lower level for months, but they have since attacked from other areas (since I know they can’t get out of the mattresses).

    They keep coming back. These things have ruined our sleeping, and we are even afraid to have friends or relatives over for a visit, let alone staying over as we live way out in the country. There is no way I want the rest of my family getting bit by these things.

    After doing much research (multiple tens of hours reading every paper I can get my hands on without much hope of ever being allowed to use DDT, and I’m a relatively smart person), I have decided on the following course of action:

    First, do the obligatory clean, wash, clear, steam clean, spray with conventional store bedbug products and bombs. Then…after the first waves (which they’re used to by now)…

    Here we go. I have recently purchased 48 ounces of pure essential oils: 16 oz clove leaf (you have to use the leaf kind for this as it has much more eugenol in it), 8 oz peppermint, 16 oz neema, and 8 oz orange to make it all a bit more balanced.

    I also bought 25 lbs. of DE food grade that comes with a powder spray load and applicator, sold in a box.

    First, after the usual conventional attack, which by the way they recover from in only a few weeks…but I’m not waiting for that. In fact, only three days after…

    The DE goes down. EVERY nook and cranny conceivable and in every desk, around every bookcase, etc. On every bed frame, and even between, over and under every mattress, and window sill. Everywhere, as shown in how-to-apply videos. Not just willy-nilly, but everywhere just the same.

    Then, a spray of the essential oils I just mentioned. After mixing all of the oils together, I will fill a spray bottle halfway with it, topping off with water, and of course constantly shaking while applying.

    EVERYTHING gets it. Everything we don’t eat off of. The saltwater fish tank, obviously will be covered in plastic, and the pets and people out of the house. The carpet gets it, too; heat/AC vents, intakes, etc. (Of course, the windows will be open, and I will be wearing protective gloves, goggles, and a mask)

    And I know they’ll run. Right through the DE (it only works if they walk through it); put down at every baseboard, every exit, cranny, vent, in ways they MUST contact it. They will have no choice, to get away from this spray which they will not only hate but will kill them if it touches them.

    All the clothes will be outside in bags, as they will once again be run through the dry-wash-dry cycle. All drawers will be emptied, removed, and sprayed inside and out.

    No mercy.

    And when they come back in (and they will)…to get to us…they have to run right through the DE.

    Oh, and by the way…repeat everything in two weeks.

    I’ll let you all know how it goes. Of course, the house will smell like potpourri for a long time, but hey, there are worse things (bite bite bite all night night night).

    The above supplies (48 oz of essential oils and 25 lbs of DE food grade with applicator) cost $115.00. Much less than some of the other things I’ve tried.

    Wish us luck! I hope we’re not crazy…

  • Missviscous

    These are cheap and effective control methods … I have used them pretty successfully to stop being bitten and end obvious infestation but in both cases (two infestations, one three years ago and one right now, two different buildings) had to get exterminator to fully finish them off.

    BUT if you are very persistent, these would probably work on their own. I just read a life story from Paris in 1900 talking about bedbugs … before DDT .. and they got rid of them doing things like this.

    Don’t give up! You don’t have to throw out/spray/heat-treat everything you own!

    First steps:

    1. Bugs usually stay close to where you sleep/sit for many hours i.e. bed, sofa, if you work at home maybe office chair or desk, plus baseboards or small tables right beside those areas. So even if you have a lot of clutter (like me!) they probably will NOT be in other areas (bookshelf across the room, or kitchen, bathroom etc.) Ignore those for now — concentrate on obvious places.

    2. BED and BED FRAME:

    If your bed has legs (not boxspring straight on floor) Find a plain white or pale coloured sheet and lay it under the bed, lifting bed legs GENTLY, so you can see if anything falls off frame as you work.

    Take linens/blankets off bed and seal in plastic bag, then launder, or just tumble dry hot for 60min.

    Look carefully at mattress and bedframe in case there are obvious bugs and/or areas with little black spots that look like ink stains. Also look at wall around/under bed, especially baseboards, and any furniture near bed. Clusters of black spots show where insects are hiding.

    Live bugs can be killed with alcohol, Murphy’s oil soap and various contact methods mentioned by other posters. Spray anything that moves! Spray any areas with black spots!

    Do everything you can BEFORE moving whole mattress too far i.e. slide it along two feet and look at top and all sides, take care of anything you see, THEN lift and stand it on end to see the bottom of it. Bedbugs feel vibrations and will crawl away from the area if it is moving too much, plus can fall off onto carpet etc.

    Look at all seams, crevices etc of mattress and spray.

    After dealing with mattress: If you can take apart your bed frame, carefully do so. Any loose bugs should fall onto sheet. Stand parts of bedframe on end, and spray/wipe down with contact killer. Put back together; put clean sheets on.

    Ideally, put each bed leg in a stainless steel bowl and fill bowls with insect killer solution, or wrap bed legs in double sided sticky tape.

    3. CLUTTER AROUND/UNDER BED: Clear out and throw away or seal up anything stored around/under beds, sofa, anywhere you get bitten. Sealed things you are keeping have to be sealed for six months minimum, some people say 18 months. Then vacuum around the area, seal and throw out vacuum bag. (vacuuming does not do a lot as bugs tend to hide in deeper cracks/crevices, also the eggs are laid with sticky substance attached to wood surfaces and won’t vacuum up, but still a good idea for any loose/stray ones.)

    4. INSECT DUST: Dust with diatomaceous earth also called Crawling Insect Killer– works great — I bought some at garden section of Canadian Tire for 7.99 Works well but takes time (they crawl through and it gets into their joints and dehydrates them but not an instant kill; any eggs need to hatch and then crawl through it … this could be 2-3 week process before noticing results)

    How to dust with Diatomaceous Earth:

    Careful! This is not poison but can get into your lungs and be harmful as they are tiny very sharp particles. Very bad to breathe in.

    Shake up bottle with lid closed, then open the tip, hold bottle horizontally, and squeeze/puff it out into the areas where bugs are … it comes out in a cloud of very fine powder. Wear a dust mask if possible, or hold your breath, then leave room/apartment and don’t come back for at least one hour while dust settles.

    Not effective to leave it in “lumps” — should fall in a very fine “mist” of powder onto floors, bed-frame and any surfaces where they may be crawling. Luckily it is so fine you can puff it onto walls, into cracks, etc.

    Leave it down for 2-3 weeks. After you vacuum, dust everything again.

    5. CLOTHING: If you have clothes that are dryclean or cold water wash only, just throw them straight into dryer for 60 minutes without washing first. Tumbling clothes in dryer for 60 min on hot setting will kill everything, even eggs, and won’t hurt most delicate fabrics as long as they are DRY when they go in.

    (some synthetics like sheer nylon may melt, so be careful with those, but silk, wool, cashmere, cotton etc are fine)

    6. Glad Wrap your sofa:
    If infested and you can’t afford to replace it, wrap it thickly tightly and completely in saran wrap. This is a whole evening or whole day project, took me 7 hours and 8 standard size (in Canada 60m) rolls (5h, then had to re-do part, 2 more hours).

    How to Saran Wrap your Sofa:

    I took off seat cushions and wrapped each separately in 3-4 layers. Then wrapped the rest of sofa as one piece. Wrapped starting at each end (arms/legs) and working toward middle. This is tricky, it needs to be stretched tight around legs, plus need to leave extra loose wrap on “L” shape between back and seat because it will stretch and break when you sit down on it.

    Tips:
    a) Pat and smooth down each layer with your hand as you go.
    b) Look on YouTube for videos of furniture movers saran-wrapping furniture … not quite the same, but gives a basic idea of what to do.

    You need to do at least three layers over entire sofa. Try to stretch tight everywhere EXCEPT inside the “L” seat-back join of sofa (i.e. where your ass goes … ) in that area you need to leave the saran wrap loose but put lots of layers.

    Think about working on a diagonal or figure-8 whenever you can
    i.e. from front bottom leg around outside end to top back corner then back inside the arm toward front bottom leg …

    Did mine with trial and error, time consuming but can’t afford new sofa and don’t want to buy another used one in case of bugs!!

  • Shareeda From Michigan

    I noticed i had bed bugs when I went to help my 8yr old son in the shower and he was completly bit up from the mid torso all the way down to his toes! needless to say was pissed off! luckly it was close to bulk day so i threw out his matress wich was completly infested went completely crazy and did not sleep for about 3 days washing everthing washable in my home. bought him a new matress new pillows even bought a steamer! I steamed my matress his the couches! vacumed like crazy! Alcohol does work but it has to be 90% or better and only works on contact and does not kill the eggs DO NOT USE KAROCEN!! Thats just crazy! STEAM AND THE Diatamaceous Earth powder WORKS!! STEAM YOUR BEDS AND COUCHES. SPRINKLE CARPETS AND BASE BOARDS WITH THE POWDER. MAKE YOUR BED LIKE A ISLAND AND DONT LET ANYTHING HANG OFF AND TOUCH THE FLOOR OR WALLS. USE DOUBLE SIDED TAPE AROUND THE FEET O THE BED AND CHECK IT DAILY ALSO U CAN PLACE MATRESSES IN SPECIAL MADE COVERING THEY SELL THEM AT WALL MART BUT NO CHEEP $40 TWIN-$60 KING! COMBINE THESE STEPS AND U WILL SEE A HUGE DIFFRENCE. STAY ON TOP OF THE ISSUE CECKING TAPE AND VACUMING DAILY FOR ABOUT A MONTH WHEN U STOP SEEING THEM ON THE TAPE U SHOULD BE OK… GOOD LUCK!!

  • mom

    About a month ago I turned my daughter’s mattress and found the bed bugs in the seam. I panicked. The only thing in the apt. I could find was window cleaner which I sprayed the mattress seam with. I then tried to clean them off and flushed them. I don’t know how many were alive and how many was where they had shed. We have found a couple in the bathroom, and a few in her recliner in the living room.

    I have put mattress and foundation in plastic zip casings along with pillows. She has no bedding on ther bed other than a throw she sleeps under. We have sprayed all baseboards more than once with Flea and Bedbug killer. Also have sprayed around baseboards with alcohol. She did have whelps on her her prior to all this and now has not been bit since then. I packed up all clothes that were not in use along with pillows, stuffed animals and anything else did n’t have to have and put them in those bags where you suck the air out and have put them in outside storage building.

    Personally I want her to move to another apt. But she likes this one and wants to stay. There is another apt. in the building and a business underneath. Who knows where they come from. I’m sure they are still there.

  • JAMIE

    go to a dollar store and buy some “awsome”cleaner,its cheap,take your curtains and wash them right away! AND any clothing you have in your closets, bag em’up and get em’ washed right away!! and stuffed animals too. shoes, shower curtains,everything! search in cracks of anything and everything, furniture, even clothespins.

  • Corrine

    I just found bedbugs and its disgusting, but I know how I got them. I usually drive my car, but it was getting fixed so I had to use public trasportation and I believe thats how I contacted these gross things. I totally forgot about that…that if you use public transportation, you are easily able to get these creatures attatched to you that way.

    So if you use public transportation:

    Once you go home take off all your clothes put them in a bag. That immediately reduces your chances of getting these things. Then of course wash all your clothing.

    Believe me these bedbugs are on buses and the trains. It’s like I cannot believe I forgot about this…I just found these bugs and I am freaked out and grossed out I hope though that this tip can help any one of you out.

  • THIS IS WAR

    If you see ones that are alive, spray them with orange oil, like the stuff you use to polish wood furniture. Kills them DEAD on the spot.
    Just found out I had them 3 days ago. I’m a flight attendant and thought I was beyond vigilant with checking my many hotel beds, but apparently I wasn’t vigilant enough. Looks like one hitched a ride home with me in my suitcase(despite never putting my bags on the bed, EVER. Worst passenger EVER). Sad thing is my boyfriend and I started getting bites months ago, but were told by the dr that it was allergies probably caused by laundry detergent. We were checking for bedbugs all the time anyway like the paranoid entomophobes flight attendants are and still missed them. Thankfully our apartment building just treated the whole apartment with no cost to us. We’ve vacuumed everywhere repeatedly, to the point of overheating the vacuum cleaner, and I’ve been liberally sprinkling diatomaceous earth everywhere like a bed bug fairy of death.

    We also bought bed bug covers for the box spring and mattress ($45 each at Wal Mart. Go! Now!). I know that throwing away furniture is a big no-no, but honestly, we tossed our bed frame and bedside table, and then vacuumed the hell out of the apartment again after transporting them into the bin outside. After everything I’ve read, a good majority of people have said they inevitably throw out their bed frames and nearby furniture. I just decided to eliminate one for-sure issue. After every vacuuming session, we suck up a boatload of DE into the bag to ensure they are suffering til death in their dark, blood deprived hellhole. God, I hope this all works.

    Came home today to find a few dead ones. Miniscule triumph after an 8 hour duty day at the laundromat. Still have no idea how my wool uniform is going to survive a dryer for 40 minutes, I’m hoping a Dryel bag will protect it from shrinking. I’d throw it all away, except I still have to work and it will take 2 weeks for new uniform pieces to arrive. The whole lot is currently quarantined, tied up in double bagged heavy duty garbage bags.
    I will update our trials and tribulations as they happen. I am crossing my fingers for everyone.

  • Hilltopgambler3535

    We have steamedour home ,all of the furniture mking sure to get into ll of the crcks an crevesses. washed all linens and clothing in the house basicly any type of material.We have wrapped all of our box springs a nd mattresses in plstic nd sealing it with duck tape but for some reason we keep seeingthem about every two weeks on our couch. We steam it gain and we don’t see anything for two weeks then all of the sudden bam we see one again why is this?

  • Freaked Out Woman

    I Have OCD. I keep everything clean there is not one lint on my floor. We Just got our rugs replaced…to my surprise I think when they brought the new rugs in they brought some friends with them. We Never had bedbugs  NEVER EVER EVER and all of a sudden I see one in my bed and the couch in the living room. As I was sitting on the couch on my computer reading these post one had crawled on my shirt. I’m freaking out now i do not like bugs. As I start to itch now..I get up and look at my leg the little buggers got me good. After reading everyone’s post I just got my spray bottle filled 70% with bleach and 30% with water And just started spraying every where. I also rubbed my self down with green rubbing alcohol after showering. Please don’t do what I did for one I used to much bleach but if  you do open the windows…Ugh these things got me mad.. I can’t afford professional help.. So I have to do it myself hope one of these methods work…If the bleach don’t.

    #TeamKillTheBedBugs!!