Most people thought bed bugs were a thing of the past: something you’d read about in a Dickens novel or that would be mentioned in a documentary about 19th century slums. But while there was a period in the 2nd half of the 20th century when bed bugs were pretty rare, at least in the US, in recent years they’ve made quite the comeback.

Today, these tiny bloodsuckers can be found in nearly every country, no matter how wealthy and well-developed. Travelers need to be constantly on the lookout for them when they check into hotels, and homeowners need to keep an eye out for them too, no matter where their home is located.

Below are 10 home remedies for bed bugs that you can use to rid your home of these gruesome little pests.

1. The Vacuum Cleaner

The vacuum cleaner is one of the simplest ways known to get rid of bed bugs. Simply point it at the areas of infestation, turn it on and suck them up. Most people already have a vacuum in their home so there’s no need to buy any special equipment. You will want to buy extra bags however, because you’ll need to seal and dispose of each bag as soon as you finish vacuuming.

Vacuum cleaners can also be effectively deployed just about everywhere so you can hit the carpeting and the upholstery on your chairs too, just to be safe. Vacuuming not only gets rid of bugs that are wandering about, it also reaches down into crevices where they hide and pulls out larvae and eggs as well.

2. Steam

Bed bugs die when the temperature exceeds 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It just so happens that steam under normal room conditions is 212 degrees Fahrenheit, (although that temperature will increase if you increase the the pressure of the steam (1)). So if you have a steamer that you use on your clothes you can also use it to eradicate bed bugs.

The process is pretty straightforward. Begin by vacuuming the entire area you believe is infested to remove as many bed bugs as possible. Then plug in the steamer and when it’s ready, steam those areas where you think the bed bugs are hiding. Make sure to steam all the nooks and crannies in the mattress. Repeat the process several times to make sure you’ve eradicated all the bugs. Just try not to use so much steam that you leave water behind that could stain the mattress or promote mold.

3. A Mixture of Cayenne Pepper, Ginger and Oregano

We humans use it to bring our favorite dishes to life, but there are not many other living things that are fond of cayenne pepper. As such it makes an outstanding insect repellent, and is particularly effective against bed bugs. When you combine cayenne pepper with ginger and oregano you have a potent concoction that no bed bug on earth will want anything to do with.

You can’t, however, just sprinkle chili peppers on your mattress. Instead, take a teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder and mix it with diced oregano leaves and a bit of grated ginger in a pint of water. Heat that water and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Let it cool, then strain it and fill a spray bottle with the resulting liquid. You’re all set! Just spray the mattress and any other affected furniture.

4. Encase Your Mattress

If the bed bugs are confined to your mattress encasing the mattress can be an effective remedy. A mattress encasement is a cover with a very tight weave that traps the bed bugs inside and effectively starves them. The bugs are unable to leave, but because they can survive for several months, (and sometimes longer in cool conditions), the encasement should be left on for at least a year.

Encasements are readily available from a number of online retailers. They are affordable and effective, as long as the infestation is localized in the mattress. Not everyone, however, is comfortable with the idea of sleeping on bed bugs for a year, even if they are safely tucked away inside the encasement.

5. Boric Acid

In the days of old your grandparents watched a TV show called “Death Valley Days” that was hosted by the likes of future president Ronald Reagan and sponsored by a product called “20 Mule Team Borax”. Borax was (and is) boric acid (2) powder and was used to augment laundry detergent to remove those pesky stubborn stains.

Fast forward 60 years or so and you can put boric acid to work today to fight a bed bug infestation. Simply sprinkle some on the areas where you believe the bed bugs are. This will kill most of them and chase the survivors out of their hiding place. Be sure to vacuum thoroughly the day after applying it to remove the dead bugs and any survivors. Because bed bugs can be very stubborn you should repeat the process every few days for 2 weeks.

6. Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth (3), or DE for short, is a type of sand with an extremely coarse texture. Why is that important? Because bed bugs are pretty fragile creatures. So the simple act of crawling over DE can actually tear them apart. Diatomaceous earth is often used in swimming pool filters, but in this case, you’re going to sprinkle it on your mattress or furniture wherever you suspect bed bugs are hiding out.

What’s great about DE is that you don’t have to engage in repeated applications. Just put it wherever you think those nasty little critters are and wait 48 hours. At the end of that time vacuum it up. The dead bugs will come up with it. Just in case there are a few live bugs in what you vacuum up make sure to discard the vacuum bag immediately. Make sure you buy DE that is designed for pest control.

7. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil (4) is commonly used to treat acne, nail fungus, athlete’s foot and other ailments. It is thought to have both antibacterial and insecticidal properties, the latter of which make it a natural choice for dealing with bed bugs. When using tea tree oil to treat skin conditions you would normally apply a bit of oil directly to the skin. In this case, however, you’re going to dilute it first and use it as a spray.

Fill a spray bottle, (like you might use to spray your plants), with water and place 20 drops of tea tree oil into the water. Shake it up well then spray it onto the cracks and crevices in your mattress where bed bugs typically hide. Do the same for your furniture. Spray the same areas every day until the problem is resolved.

8. Baking Soda

You had to know baking soda would be on this list somewhere, and sure enough, here it is. The great thing about baking soda is that it’s available everywhere, is cheap, and doesn’t have a scent. Baking soda – otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate – is very thirsty stuff and will soak up moisture wherever it encounters it, including in the bodies of bed bugs.

Sprinkle some baking soda into the cracks and crevices of your mattress where bed bugs like to hide. When it comes into contact with the bugs it will pull the moisture out of their bodies causing them to die from an extreme case of dehydration. The downside to this technique is that if the infestation is widespread you may have to sprinkle baking soda on all your beds, carpets and upholstered furniture.

9. Scented Dryer Sheets

Turns out bed bugs are no fan of those dryer sheets that make your clothes smell springtime fresh. So you can turn this aversion of theirs to your advantage. Buy a box of scented dryer sheets and place 10 or 12 of them between the box spring and the mattress, and another 10 or 12 on top of the mattress. Then put your bed sheet over the dryer sheets.

If there are bed bugs on your mattress this should drive them away. And if there are bed bugs somewhere else in the house this should keep them from migrating to your bed. But there’s no reason to stop there. Place a couple inside your pillowcase and put some in your closet to prevent them from setting up shop in there as well.

10. Rubbing Alcohol

Bed bugs are not boozers. In fact if you spray rubbing alcohol (5) on them they’ll die almost immediately. The rubbing alcohol will also kill any larvae and eggs. So the remedy here is blissfully simple. Just fill a spray bottle with straight isopropyl rubbing alcohol and spray it directly onto any bugs you see, plus the nooks and crannies of your mattress and furniture where they like to hide.

In order to eradicate the bugs entirely you’ll need to repeat the process every couple of days for 2 or 3 weeks. Just keep in mind that rubbing alcohol is highly flammable so you’ll need to be careful when applying it. Also, your bed and furniture will take on a medicinal odor. In addition, don’t ever dilute the rubbing alcohol or it won’t work. And finally, breathing in the alcohol vapors can be hazardous to your health (6), so take necessary precautions.

FAQs

What are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs (7) are small parasitic insects that could rightly be characterized as the vampires of the insect world. That’s because their only food source is the blood of people and animals and they tend to feed at night when those people and animals are sleeping.

They may be as small as 1/16 of an inch or as long as 1/4 of an inch. They are reddish brown in color, do not fly or transmit diseases (as far as we know), and are exceptionally hardy in that they can live for several months without feeding.

Bed bugs are found on every inhabited continent, although they are often more prevalent in developing countries where sanitation standards are sometimes lacking. That said, living in the US does not exempt one from bed bugs, nor does staying in a luxury hotel or an exclusive resort since they are easily imported in luggage, food deliveries, guest clothing and other items.

What are Some Signs That Bed Bugs are Present?

The most obvious sign of a bed bug infestation is small blisters or itchy spots on the body when you wake up. These are the result of the bug attaching itself to you while you slept and feeding on your blood. Because they inject an anesthetic when they bite most people don’t feel it at the time. It’s usually the next day when they notice the aforementioned blisters, welts or itchy spots on their face, neck, arms, hands, legs or other body parts.

Other signs that bed bugs may be present include the tiny reddish brown exoskeletons they leave behind after molting, small reddish spots on your white sheets that are the result of the blood in their fecal matter, a slightly sweet musty odor (8), and, of course, actually spotting the bugs in the cracks and folds of your sheets and mattress.

Getting rid of bed bugs can take weeks of concerted effort. Therefore, once you realize bed bugs are present you should not waste any time implementing one of the solutions we provide in the above list. The longer you wait to act, the greater the chance that they will expand their territory to include other beds, upholstered furniture, carpeting, drapery and even your clothing.

While bed bugs can survive a long time without eating, they are not very physically robust and there are myriad ways to eliminate them. But again, the longer you wait the harder it will be to track them all down and free yourself of the infestation.

Do Bed Bugs Mean My House is Dirty?

Not at all. Bed bugs don’t spontaneously arise in dirty homes. They travel from location to location hitching a ride in cars, trucks, airplanes and boats. You may have picked them up at the hotel you visited on vacation. A guest may have unwittingly brought them into your house in their backpack. If you live in an apartment building they may have migrated from another apartment. The point is, bed bugs are not necessarily a sign of a dirty home. Their presence is more a testament to how easily they can hide themselves away where people can’t see them.

How Can I Keep Bed Bugs Out of My House?

Bed bugs have been spreading like wildfire lately so if you are serious about keeping them out of your house you will need to be vigilant. That means…

Never buy second-hand furniture without inspecting it thoroughly

In this case we’re talking about upholstered furniture which is a favorite hangout of bed bugs. It doesn’t matter if you purchase it from a guy in a shack down by the river or a high-end antique shop. If you’re serious about keeping the bed bugs out you’ll remove the cushions and peer into the cracks and crevices, with a flashlight if need be, before you buy it.

Even if you don’t find any overt evidence of bed bugs vacuum the furniture as if your life depended on it as soon as you get it home. As a precaution, you may want to spray tea tree oil or one of the other concoctions mentioned above into the dark places of the furniture just to be safe. Oh, and never, ever buy a second hand mattress or box spring.

Before you unpack your bags check the hotel bed and chairs

One of the reasons bed bugs have been spreading so quick is because so many people are picking them up in hotels and bringing them home. If you’re serious about keeping them out of your home don’t unpack your suitcase until you pull back the bedding and inspect the sheets, pillows and mattress for signs of infestation (see the signs listed above). You can leave your bag in the bathroom while you check, away from any upholstery.

Also, be sure to check any upholstered chairs and give the drapes a look while you’re at it. If you find evidence of bed bugs either leave the hotel, telling the manager why, or tell the manager you want a room on a different floor. Inspect that room the same way. If you find evidence of bed bugs there as well, move on to another hotel.

Even if you find a hotel that seems free of bed bugs inspect your luggage carefully the night before you return home, and then again when you get home before you bring it into the house. For good measure you can vacuum the bag inside and out before bringing it into the house. These might seem like extreme measures, but this is how you keep bed bugs out.

Check each bed for bugs every time you change the sheets

If you have a family it’s entirely possible that your significant other or kids may bring bed bugs into the house without knowing it. Therefore, you have to be vigilant. Every time you change the sheets make sure you check for the telltale signs of bed bugs.

If you spot evidence of them remove the bedding immediately and either bag it up and toss it out, or place it into the washing machine on the highest possible temperature the bedding will allow. Then go into the bedroom and vacuum the mattress and box spring as well as any upholstered furniture (concentrating your attention on crevices).

While you’re at it vacuum any rugs and the drapery too. Don’t forget to toss the pillow cases into the wash with the sheets and inspect the pillows carefully. Once you’ve finished, remove the vacuum bag, seal it up and dispose of it.

All of this might seem like a bit much. But, take our word for it, you don’t want to allow bed bugs to get a foothold in your house. If allowed to flourish the infestation will change your entire domestic experience, and not for the better. So nip any infestation in the bud. Or better yet, prevent it from happening in the first place by being vigilant.

How Fast do Bed Bugs Spread?

People tend to think of bed bugs as being just that, bed bugs. Consequently, they figure that if they vacuum the mattress and change or wash the sheets everything will be hunky dory. Unfortunately, as we have tried to emphasize from the start of this piece, bed bugs are opportunistic and don’t really care if they’ve taken up residence in your mattress, sofa, carpet, clothes or drapery. As long as they have access to human or animal blood and a crevice or two to hide in until you (or your pet) fall asleep.

Not only that, but if they find a ready source of blood these tiny vampires can multiply at an alarming rate. A female bed bug typically lays about a half dozen eggs per day. Those eggs take about 10-12 days to hatch. After a month or two any females born from those eggs start reproducing too.

The bottom line: if you don’t get a handle on things fast, within just a few months you will be dealing with thousands of bed bugs. Not only that, but with increased numbers comes an increased need for blood, which means they’ll often start making appearances in the daytime. Not great if you’ve got guests over in the afternoon for a BBQ or to watch the big game.