Homemade Spray for Bed Bugs – Our Guide

Ever woken up to the feeling of a rash, yet you know there are no mosquitoes where you are?

Or you happen to find red spots on your bedding, mattress, and sheets in the morning after a night’s rest and are wondering if your pores are leaking?

Well, it’s not, and it’s not the mosquitoes either. It’s almost surely a bed bug infestation, and you need a quick bed bug treatment.

Bedbugs and their eggs continue to top the list when it comes to pest infestations around the home.

They are so terrible, so tiny, and they keep hiding in your sheets, clothes, mattress, bedding, and crevices around your house.

Not only do these tiny bedbugs enjoy feeding on your blood, but they also give off a terrible smell and produce eggs at lightning speed!

Homemade Spray for Bed Bugs (1)

How do Bed Bugs Get Into Your Mattress, Bedding, and Sheets

These sneaky bugs come in contact with animals and humans, and they are carried around by unsuspecting hosts.

When they contact bedding, sheets, clothes, and couches in the house, adult bed bugs quickly multiply and increase in numbers.

They lay eggs, hiding in crevices and clothes.

If a way to get rid of bed bugs is not thought up in time, the infestation becomes severe.


Why do you need to keep bed bugs out of your home?

These ting bugs and their eggs that seem harmless at first glance are hazardous when they get in your mattress.

Not only do they make it hard to sleep well at night, but they also give your home a bad smell.

A chronic bed bug infestation can have bugs feeding on your blood a bit too much, which can lead to a health condition that requires treatment.

So these bugs need to go, which means an effective method for bed bug treatment!


Can I get rid of bed bugs in clothes with the washing machine?

You can undoubtedly kill bugs if they are on your clothes by putting them in the washing machine, but it needs to be at a high temperature!

However, adult bed bugs are known to reproduce quickly, hiding in the bed, sheets, crevices, and around the house, so you definitely won’t be killing them all with a washing machine.

So your clothes are not the only problem.

These bugs have most likely made contact with your bedding, mattress, and sheets as well, so washing is only temporary.  


How to handle a bed bug infestation like a professional with DIY bed bug home remedies and recipes

bed bug infestation press

There are lots of recipes and remedies you can mix up to kill bed bugs around your home.

With a homemade bed bug spray bottle, essential oils, and some other handy, everyday home ingredients, you can get rid of bed bugs with just a homemade bed bug spray and some other natural solutions.

Home remedies utilize everyday home ingredients and recipes that are easy to get and safe to use to kill bed bugs.

They come as sprays, essential oils, in drops, and are a handy way to get rid of bed bugs.


How to make homemade bed bug spray

bug spray

Vinegar Solution in Spray bottle

Vinegar is an effective natural ingredient and home remedy to kill bed bugs.

Vinegar is highly acidic, and just like using alcohol, it affects the nervous system of bed bugs.

However, while white vinegar is effective in warding off bedbugs, it is not a permanent solution.

Vinegar can be used temporarily for adult bed bugs. However, vinegar does not affect the eggs of bed bugs.

Vinegar is best used in conjunction with other homemade recipes.


How to make homemade vinegar solution to kill bed bugs

  • Ingredients and materials needed
  • White vinegar
  • Spray bottle
  • Recipe

How to Use

Pour white vinegar into a spray bottle and tighten the lid. Spray vinegar solution in affected areas and directly onto bed bugs to curb an early infestation.


Alcohol Solution

Just like with vinegar, spraying/rubbing alcohol kills bed bugs on direct contact.

Rubbing alcohol into the holes and cracks in the walls and crevices as the smell alone is harmful to bed bugs.

However, one setback to rubbing alcohol solution compared to vinegar is that is as much as it is an effective bed bug killer, it can also be harmful to you.

Don’t try rubbing it directly on the skin as a remedy to bites.


Ingredients

  • Alcohol
  • An equal volume of water
  • Spray bottle

How to Use

Using alcohol and water mix, spray walls, crevices, windows, and around spaces in furniture to kill bed bugs. Always test a small amount before you spray a wider area, just in case it has a negative effect on the paint or material you are spraying it on.


Essential Oils

Tea tree oil, lavender oil, witch hazel, and other essential oils are effective in chasing pests and insects, including bed bugs. Some of these scents can deter bed bugs.


Ingredients and materials needed

  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 tbs of witch hazel
  • 5 drops of lavender oil
  • 5 drops of Cedarwood oil
  • 5 drops of Bergamot oil

How to Use

Mix the following essential oils in a spray bottle and spray onto counters and under sheets and mattress


How to treat bed bug bites

bed bug bites

Bed bug bites can be treated by applying apple cider vinegar to the bite.

Other helpful natural ingredients include tea tree oil, witch hazel, lavender, oatmeal paste, aloe vera, and other essential oils.

Tea tree oil is a natural ingredient that makes up an effective DIY bed bug killer.

Rubbing alcohol is a big No when treating bites as it can get very irritable.


Other ways to prevent and get rid of bed bugs include

vacuuming

Vacuum cleaners

A vacuum, which sucks them and their eggs from holes and base of furniture while cleaning


Diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth rips through the bodies of bed bugs. Sprinkle around and leave to settle. Then vacuum


Heat

High heat is a bane to bed bugs. Warm places, yes. But heat is a big no for bed bugs. Get rid of bed bugs with good heat.

Remove sheets and coverings from furniture and bed and place them in the washing machine at the highest heat to get rid of bed bugs.

You could also use the heat of a steamer to kill the bugs.


Baking soda

It has also proved highly dangerous for bed bugs.

Baking soda works just like talcum powder. Due to its powdered form, baking soda also gets into small spaces and holes.

Sprinkle baking soda around the house and furniture for best results.


Conclusion

A pest control solution to deal with bed bugs is best. Getting rid of bed bugs is not an easy task, neither is killing them.

This challenge is why many leave it to a pest control professional to handle the bed bug infestation.

If you are confident enough to go the DIY pest control route, then use one of these sprays to combat your bed bug problem.

Good luck!

pestpit-logo-favicon-dark-1

About the author

DIY Pest Control Enthusiast Since 1996

After spending the entire night lying awake in a cockroach-infested hotel, I have driven myself to build knowledge on all things pest control. Since then, I've tested pest control techniques to see what works and what doesn't. Now, here I am giving you all the info I have learned!

Leave a Comment