Natural Remedies For Bed Bugs | The Most Effective Ways

To guarantee a good sleep at night, you have to be familiar with some effective natural remedies for bed bugs. These tiny blood-sucking insects can ruin your sleep.

It was nearly in the 1940s when bed bugs were eradicated from the world and rarely seen. Until back in 1995, they started to reappear and caused a big problem. The exact cause of its reappearance is unknown but researchers think it may be because of increased traveling all over the world plus pesticide resistance, and natural remedies for bed bugs are used since then

Bed bugs are very common to find in places with a turnover of nighttime guests, such as hospitals, homeless shelters, and hotels. But still can invade your home bed and mattresses as well. Being small as an apple seed, they tend to hide in cracks and crevices and other objects around the bed. Although they don’t transfer diseases, they can cause other health issues.

Signs of bed bugs infestation

You can suspect bed bugs when you wake up having insect bites on your skin and notice one or more of these other signs on your bed or mattress:

1- Rusty/ red stains

These stains are blood spots after drying. They occur if you bled after bites, or one of these bed bugs gets squashed.

2- Black dots

Mostly that is the bugs poop. Yes, they feed on your blood and poop on your bed and that is exactly why you have to fight.

3- Shells of their eggs

Bed bugs lay eggs that later hatch and produce a new generation. They are very difficult to see as they are so tiny and light-colored but if you inspect carefully you may see a few ivory-colored shells on your mattress and carpet.

4- The bed bug itself

Bed bugs are usually active only at night. But still can be found smashed or crawling on your bed or near around if you search carefully.

When using natural remedies for bed bugs, there is a combined fight plan of prevention and eradication you should follow. You may find many pesticides for getting rid of bed bugs, but we recommend natural remedies for bed elimination to decrease the process of bed bug resistance to pesticides

Natural remedies for bed bugs prevention:

Pets and birds at home

Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects that don’t differentiate between human or animal blood. If you have a pet indoors, always make sure that it is clean and not acting as a source of bug invasion.

Second-hand items

If you are using or buying second-hand items especially mattresses, carpets, and furniture, carefully inspect for bugs or stains before bringing them home.

Hotel precautions and natural remedies for bed bugs

-If you are staying at a hotel inspect the bed for any bugs, and it would be better if you use your sheets and pillow covers instead of the hotel bed sheets.

-Put your luggage on a table instead of the carpet. If anything gets in, you will be caring it with you back home.

- Keep the clothes you used in the hotel in a separate bag, wash them with hot water or steam cleaning before you mix them with your clothes at home.

Natural remedies for bed bugs elimination

If you are already suffering from bed bugs, there are several natural remedies for bed bug elimination you can try:

Vacuum

The very first step before using any other natural remedies for bed bugs. Vacuuming all over the house thoroughly including furniture, carpets, mattresses, and cracks will decrease a load of bed bugs, markedly getting rid of large numbers of them and their eggs. Most importantly, make sure that you discard the vacuum bag content outside the house.

Washing bedding and clothes

Fabrics are the best habitat for bed bugs, so washing your clothes and bedding thoroughly using hot water kills bed bugs. For these fabric pieces that are non-washable or may get damaged by hot water you have two options:

-Steaming, that can do the same as hot water and eliminate bed bugs.

-Freezing is an unusual natural remedy for bed bugs but is suitable for any fabric piece that can’t be washed. Put them in a plastic bag and then into the freezer for 24 hours.

Silica gel packets

Silica gel is these little packets you find in shoes and other product bags and is one of the natural remedies for bed bugs. Spreading these beads all over the infected area kills the bed bugs effectively. If you have pets or kids switch to baking soda powder, as it has the same effect.

Diatomaceous Earth

It is naturally occurring sand rich in arsenic and is one of the natural remedies for bed bugs. Being so rough and sharp to bed bugs that have a very weak exoskeleton, it cuts off these insects into pieces after walking on.

Spread this material over the infested area and leave it for 24 hours to be vacuumed and leave your beds free of the material and bus as well.

Rubbing alcohol

Use 90% alcohol in a spray bottle and spray them on bed furniture cracks and all infected places. It is very effective and safe as long as you avoid spraying towards your face.

Borax

One of the most effective natural remedies for bed bugs is the use of borax. It is a common household substance that you may sprinkle on your bed and leave for 24 hours or add while washing your clothes. It effectively can kill and eliminate bed bugs.

Repellent natural remedies for bed bugs

Many substances can be used as repellents against bed bugs. Some of them are repelling bugs away and others are used to cover sweat odor that markedly attracts the bed bugs. For many substances, you can use tea tree oil, lavender, and peppermint oils.

To use, mix one or more of these oils with water and spray over and around your bed before sleep.

Summary

Several natural remedies for bed bugs can work to help you get better sleep and protect yourself from bug bites and allergic reactions. By following those simple steps of prevention and elimination of bed bugs you can finally say goodbye to this annoying problem.

Read about: home remedies

Written by Dr. Zahraa fawzy