Bed bugs are the scourge of the night.
They crawl out of your mattress while you sleep and feast on you. While they don’t carry deadly diseases, they make your life hell.
They leave you with itchy rashes and spoil your sleep. That’s why it’s important to banish the little horrors. Preferably as quickly and as naturally as possible.
But how do we do that? Can you use lavender? Do bed bugs hate lavender? Let’s take a look…
Do bed bugs hate lavender?
So, do bed bugs hate lavender? The answer is, ‘Oh, yes, they do.’ They don’t just hate it. They are repelled by it.
There are a few other botanical substances that bed bugs hate, such as tea tree oil and neem. But if lavender’s what’s mostly available in your area, then use it. In my experience, bed bugs hate this scent.
There are a few ways to use lavender to help deter yourself and your bed of these little pests.
5 Ways to Use Lavender to Deter Bed Bugs
There are several different ways to attack the bed bug menace. It’s advisable to use all of them.
Leave no stone unturned to rid yourself of this menace.
No single way is foolproof. But using each of them will strengthen your fight against the scourge of bed bugs.
Try Lavender Steaming
For this operation, you’ll need to use a portable steamer. The type of steamer you can use to steam clothes before ironing them. You can make your steam with water, of course, as well as a few teaspoons of lavender hydrosol. Then you can steam your bed, pillows, cushions, upholstery, and carpets with this apparatus.
Steaming kills the bed bugs and their eggs.
You will find this to be a highly effective way of attacking these insects. The fight against them will move to the next level, and you’ll sense the difference.
Pre-soak your Linens in Lavender Oil
As bed bugs tend to hide in bed linen and soft furnishings, it is important to wash those items in the hottest water you possibly can. To make your wash even more effective, you’re advised to pre-soak the infested items in hot water even before washing in hot water.
If you add a few drops of lavender oil to the pre-soak water, it makes for an even more effective hot wash.
If you live in a hot climate, you could try drying the infested items in bright sunlight too. The heat will destroy the bed bugs.
Sprinkle Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil, particularly undiluted lavender essential oil, is a powerful substance. Sprinkle a few drops of this pure, undiluted lavender oil around the place where the bed bugs inhabit. Particularly around the bed.
It’s a powerful repellent and will be an effective step in your bed bug eradication campaign.
You may be wondering if there are any side effects to this treatment. Yes, there are. Lavender oil, as you know, is a natural substance. Provided it is properly used, it won’t have harmful side effects. But sprinkling lavender oil around your bed will induce restful sleep. It’s a side effect of sprinkling the oil, but a very positive one.
Use Lavender Diffuser Balls
Instead of sprinkling drops of lavender oil, you may prefer to use a lavender diffuser ball instead. You could use cotton balls or clay balls.
To use cotton balls, take some of these and sprinkle a few drops of lavender essential oil on them. Then leave them in different corners of the house. Anywhere you would have scattered the drops of essential oil, scatter these cotton balls instead.
Lavender diffuser balls are quite effective in repelling bed bugs.
However, some users feel that they lose their potency because the oil evaporates quickly. They suggest buying lava beads or even making clay balls of your own with a thick cornstarch paste.
Pour several drops of lavender essential oil on the balls and scatter them around your living space.
Use Lavender Spray
Take a cup of lavender hydrosol and add a teaspoon of lavender essential oil. Use a glass spray bottle and spray this solution all over your living space.
Spray it on clothes and soft furnishings to repel and kill bed bugs.
There are some pre-made lavender sprays that you can, but it is much cheaper to make your own homemade bed bug spray with water and lavender oil!
Frequently Asked Questions
What scents deter bed bugs?
Apart from lavender, you use use a bunch of other essential oils to deter bed bugs. Oils such as mint, tea tree, lemongrass, and others!
Do bed bugs ever go away?
Yes, bed bugs will go away eventually. You will need to actively make the bed bugs go away, they will not go away on their own. You will need to thoroughly wash your bed (and bedding) in hot water, along with a dash of lavender oil too. Spray your bed with a lavender spray and leave for a few days.
Why do bed bugs hate lavender?
To be honest, we can only guess why bed bugs do not like lavender. What we do know, is lavender can be harmful if ingested. It is possible that a bed bug is naturally deterred by lavender.
Conclusion – Persist Until Successful
To rid yourself of bed bugs naturally, it’s necessary to take a holistic approach. No single method will guarantee success. But we do know that bed bugs hate lavender! That is a new weapon in your arsenal.
You should begin by performing a deep clean of the areas where the bed bugs hang out. Take your bed apart if necessary and clean every piece thoroughly. Vacuum clean your mattress. Apply lavender essential oil or lavender hydrosol whenever and wherever you can.
If you are persistent and don’t give up, you should be able to rid yourself of the pests without having to destroy any of your possessions.
Lavender oil, however, is your biggest helper in the fight against bed bugs. So keep that in mind.
Good luck!
There are a few other botanical substances which bed bugs hate, such as tea tree oil and neem. But if lavender’s what’s mostly available in your area, then use it.