Bed bugs are small in size but can cause significant discomfort at home, in the car, and place of work. You need to take drastic measures to ensure that you are safe from the bed bugs before they get a chance of multiplying. Vinegar has been highly recommended as an effective remedy for the notorious household pests. But does Vinegar kill bed bugs? You can read on to learn more.
Effects of Bedbug Bites
Bed bug bites do not have severe effects on your health. The bite brings an itchy sensation on the skin. The bitten spot is likely to turn into itchy and painful bumps. A single bedbug might go unnoticed, but bites from several of them can interfere with your sleeping patterns and quality of your skin. Bedbugs are also embarrassing as they deliver a vibe of poor hygiene.
Does Vinegar Kill Bedbugs?
The answer is yes it is one of the most effective home remedies for bed bugs. When a bedbug comes into contact with vinegar, the acidic content makes its immune and nervous systems weak, making it easy to kill and eradicate from your household. Unfortunately, it does less to eliminate the insulated bedbug eggs. The surviving bugs are pushed into the open by the scent of Vinegar so that you can kill them with the Vinegar or another option.
Which type of Vinegar Should I Use to Kill Bedbugs
The main types of vinegar in the market include white vinegar, red vinegar, apple cider vinegar, malt vinegar, grape vinegar, and rice vinegar. The white vinegar is efficient in killing bedbugs as it happens to have the highest acidic content. Compared to the other types, white vinegar is readily available and cheaper, making it easy for you to bring it home. Apple cider vinegar can also kill bedbugs, but it happens ato be more efficient in soothing bedbug bites.
Can I Use Vinegar to Soothe Bedbug bites?
Bedbug bites are irritationing and can make you very uncomfortable. The unfiltered apple cider vinegar is the best type for treating bedbug bites. You can apply the liquid on the bitten surface to ease the itchy feeling and inhibit inflammation in the affected areas. Individuals that are prone to migraine attacks should use small amounts of Vinegar.
How to Kill Bedbugs using Vinegar
Conduct a Thorough Inspection – Bedbugs are notorious for hiding in the darkest corners. You need to get rid of them by reaching all infested areas and potential hiding locations. Use a magnifying glass and spotlight to find all hiding places in your bed and other furniture.
Vacuum your house – A vacuum cleaner is efficient in cleaning the house and different surfaces inside your home or the car. You should vacuum all the openings, furniture, and other corners that act as hiding places for the bedbugs before using the spray to kill the notorious bugs.
Prepare the Spray – You can purchase or use a DIY spray bottle to ensure that you reach hidden corners. Mix the water and vinegar in equal amounts and add it to your spray bottle. Shake the mixture well before you commence spraying. If the room is too much infested, you can use non-diluted Vinegar.
Spray Infested Areas – A solution that is mixed appropriately can kill the most bedbugs. Target all the areas that you had identified as hotspots for the bugs. It serves you best to hold the spray bottle a few inches from the hiding points. Ensure that you reach all the hidden corners to ensure that your efforts are successful.
Make a Follow Up – Bedbugs multiply rapidly, making it necessary for you to spray often. You should spray the infested areas after a few days, most preferably every weekend, until you get rid of the bugs completely.
Advantages of using Vinegar
Vinegar is readily available – You can get a bottle of Vinegar from the store at an affordable price. You can use the solution as you make plans to get professional help.
It is safe – Apart from the smell of Vinegar, it does not have effects on your body. You do not need additional skills to use Vinegar in killing the bedbugs.
Has alternative uses – vinegar is efficient in repelling and killing bedbugs. You can also use vinegar as a spice to give your food exceptional taste. It is also used to soothe bedbug bites.
Disadvantages of using Vinegar
The Stench can be Unbearable – You need to soak the bedbug-infested areas. Unfortunately, the solution works in killing the bedbugs but leaves traces of an irritating scent.
Does not Kill Bedbugs Completely – The Vinegar needs to make direct contact with the bedbug to kill it. The eggs are also immune to the Vinegar, hence the need for additional options.
Has toxic effects on reptilian pets – If you have reptilian pets, you might consider the additional options that are viable in killing bedbugs.
Can Damage Furniture – Soaking your furniture with Vinegar can interfere with their quality. You should be tactical by flushing them out to spray them directly.
Possible Alternatives for killing bedbugs
Vacuum and Steam Cleaning- Vacuuming helps you to get rid of adult bedbugs and their eggs from the most concealed points that you might not reach easily. You need to vacuum the infested spots once or twice a week. The steam cleaning system can supplement the vacuum cleaning system. The device raises temperatures to fall between 150- and 300-degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the bedbugs die beyond the temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Diatomaceous Earth- Diatomaceous earth (DA) is a solution free of chemicals that is efficient in fighting bugs and household pests. The sand-like material kills bugs by dehydrating moisture in the exoskeleton. The DA can be a supplement of Vinegar in killing bedbugs.
Bleach – Does bleach kill bed bugs? Yes bleach can be very effective against bed bugs and an added bonus is that you probably have in your cupboards already.
Essential Oils – There are some fantastic essential oils for bed bugs which are efficient repellents and killers of pests making your home uncomfortable. The lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, and clove are efficient in repelling and killing bedbugs.
Bedbugs are notorious in finding the most concealed points to hide. You need to locate the hiding spots to use considerable amounts to flush them out. Aim for direct contact to ensure that the all the bugs and their habitats get destroyed. You can also consider using non-toxic alternatives to kill the bedbugs. You can also seek professional help to get long-lasting solutions.
