One of the common problems faced in the United States is Bed Bugs. These tiny, microscopic creatures can create havoc in your life. They infest your beds and lurk in the corners of your pillows and mattresses. The minute you decide to unwind a hard day on your comforting bed, they start attacking you. Before they give you insomnia, try these home remedies for bed bugs, which use all-natural ingredients.
Reasons For Bed Bugs:
Contrary to the popular belief that bed bugs are attracted to filthy bed linen or mattresses, they infest due to availability of food sources. Bugs are vampires and thrive on the blood of their victims. They come out of their hiding spots once they smell their hosts. Here are some of the places from where bed bugs can make their first entry into your home:
- Trains
- Buses
- Colleges
- Schools
- Hotels
- Homes infested with bed bugs
- Workplaces
Unbelievable Facts Of Bed Bugs:
Before we get into the tips and ways on how to get rid of bugs in your home through natural ways, here is a sneak peek into 10 unknown facts about bed bugs.
- Bed bugs are combat survivors! They can manage without food for several months.
- Bugs love to travel! Yes! They move place to place. So, if you think there are bed bugs in your mattress, they may have come on vacation or may go on one!
- Bed bugs are artists! They bite in patterns – in lines, in a sequence of bites.
- Bugs can be as big as apple seeds! Yes!
- Lady bed bugs lay about five eggs per day! Now, if you doubt there are bugs on your bed, there may be a habitat of them! Beware!
- Bed bugs can numb your skin while biting! Yes! Their saliva is like natural anaesthesia and you cannot feel the bite!
- Bed bugs’ origin dates back to thousands of years. After tasting different animals’ blood, now bed bugs only prefer human blood!
- Bug bites can get as serious as causing asthma attacks!
- Bugs are resistant to most of the pesticides!
- Bed bug bites can be fatal! Although it is rare, there were cases where people died of sepsis which a blood infection caused by a bug bite.
10 Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Bed bugs:
If you are wondering how to get rid of bed bugs naturally, go through these tips:
- Vacuum the House: One of the natural remedies for bed bugs at home is to use a vacuum cleaner all over the house. From furniture to drapes, everything should be cleaned with a vacuum to ensure a home remedial cure of the bugs.
- Wash Everything from Time to Time: Another of the good things to do is to clean and wash all the furnishings and bed sheets with an antiseptic liquid. This is an essential step towards removing the bed bugs in a home remedial manner. Along with linens, one should also clean their sleeping garments well. The water used for the cleaning should be extremely hot to kill the bed bugs well.
- Steam the Mattress: For a safe and home remedial way of cleaning away the bed bugs, you can always use a steam machine on the furnishings and the bed. This will clean away a lot of bugs if done every 2-3 days. This will however not remove all the bugs and can be used in combination with other ideas.
- Use Dry Heat: Wondering how to get rid of bed bugs at home? Try the dryer! If you cannot wash the things with water, then put all the furnishings and linens in a dryer. The high temperatures of heat will help in killing the bugs effectively in just about 10-15 minutes. This should be done once every week to remove all traces of bed bugs slowly.
- The Benefits of Sunlight: Sunlight is a natural way of treating bugs in an efficient manner. Try and put all the bed linings, mattress, pillows and linens in the sunlight. The natural light and heat will kill the bugs perfectly and without the use of any chemicals that can have a side effect on the body. This is one of the best uses you can make on sunlight.
- Natural Insecticides: There are some natural insecticides that can be used for killing the bed bugs in a home remedial manner. You can rest be assured that it is completely safe for the children and quite effective on the problem of bed bugs. It should be well applied on the bed, furniture and all the corners that you can think of for proper treatment. This is one of the effective home remedies to get rid of bed bugs permanently.
- Boric Acid Powder Use: One of the Indian home remedies for bed bugs is Boric Acid! This powder can be sprinkled on the corners where you think the bed bugs live. However, this home remedy is not considered well for spreading on the bed and mattress.
- Essential Oils Use: There are some essential oils like lavender, tea tree oil, thyme and eucalyptus that can be sprayed on the bed, mattress, linens and clothes to kill the bugs well in a safe and effective cure at home. This is the best homemade bed bug killer.
- Black Walnut Tea Leaves: Using black walnut tea leaves is one of the best home remedies to kill bed bugs. These leaves act as a natural insecticide to kill bugs, without causing any harm to you or your family.
See More: Home Remedies For Lice
Signs and Symptoms:
- Now that you know what bed bugs can resort to, here are the symptoms of bed bug bites you should know.
- Firstly, you should know that bed bug bites may not appear immediately after being bitten.
- Once the bite appears, it would look like a swollen red spot with a centre spot that is even darker in the shade.
- The bites will be in a sequence or in order. They may be in a circle on in a line within a small area.
- At the bed bug bite area, you can see blisters.
- Initially, these bites may look like mosquito bites.
Effects of Bug Bites:
- Although most bed bugs are harmless except for giving sleepless nights and some tolerable itching, some bugs can cause unusual effects after bite.
- If you are sensitive by nature, bug bites may cause an allergic reaction on your body.
- Once getting a bit and you realize it is bed bugs, there is every chance you develop insomnia with the fear of being bitten again.
- Bed bugs can cause serious illnesses sometimes like asthma.
- Some bed bugs can be infectious as they may carry some bacteria inside of them.
5 Natural Home Remedies for Treating Bed Bug Bites:
Apart from these effective ways to get rid of bed bugs, here we have a special compilation on promising Indian home remedies for bed bug bites.
1. Tea Tree or Lavender Oil:
Tea tree and lavender essential oils are extremely effective in treating bug bites. Both these essential oils are efficient in soothing the skin. These essential oils have natural curing and repairing properties that can make the bite less harmful.
Preparation Instructions:
- Tea tree or lavender essential oils are readily available in the market. Having them at home at all times is completely worth it!
Usage Guidelines:
- Take a few drops of either of the essential oils and dilute them either with pure coconut oil or with some water.
- Apply the solution on the bug bites and you can be feeling the smoothening effect.
- You can blend both the oils by adding a couple of drops of each and diluting them before applying to the bug-bitten areas.
Side Effects:
- Essential oils should always be diluted if they are pure extracts and make sure you by real essential oils which are not scented or have other ingredients. Impure or undiluted oils can damage the skin as the concentration may be more.
2. Oatmeal Pack:
Oatmeal pack! Is that sounding very odd? Well! Oats are great at skin care. Many soaps and bath gels have oatmeal as a key ingredient. It helps in soothing the skin and also in scrubbing out the impurities on the skin.
Preparation Instructions:
- Heat water and add powdered oatmeal to it to make a thick paste.
- If you have the patience just add some oatmeal powder to your bath water and take a dip.
Usage Guidelines:
- Apply the oatmeal pack on the bug-bitten areas.
- Re apply every few hours to get quick relief.
Side Effects:
- Oatmeal is very healthy food. When it is healthy when consumed, it cannot be harmful when applied as a pack! Isn’t it? So, it’s safe!
3. Toothpaste Pack:
Of late, toothpaste has become one of the most popular skin rash or pimple or blemish removers. Well! It works its magic on bug bites too! Toothpaste contains menthol and baking soda – both being extremely skin smoothening ingredients will repair the bug-bitten skin quickly.
Preparation Instructions:
- Toothpaste is always handy at home! There is no specific preparation needed.
Usage Guidelines:
- Take some toothpaste and scrub it on the Bed bug bitten areas for a few seconds and leave it on as a pack.
- Re-apply the pack every few hours if need be.
- Mostly, once applied, the pack lasts for hours. It dries up and falls off taking away the impurities with it.
Side Effects:
- Some toothpaste may cause skin irritation for some people who are sensitive to baking soda or menthol on their skin for a long time. If irritation occurs, just rinse immediately and that’ll help.
4. Lemon Juice Pack:
Lemons are usually available in all households. The citric acidic property in lemons has the power to weaken the bacteria. Lemon juice is efficient in reducing any bites and easing the pain or irritation.
Preparation Instructions:
- Squeeze a lemon and take the juice.
Usage Guidelines:
- Apply the lemon juice as a pack on the bed bug bitten areas.
- Use this at frequent intervals to ease the bite effect and relieve any stress caused in the affected area.
Side Effects:
- The acidic nature of lemon may dry up the skin sometimes but it is not a side effect. Just rinse if it gets too uneasy and it’ll be fine.
5. Aloe vera Gel:
Aloe vera has natural skin care properties which can quickly heal a rash or any bites. It is a cooling agent that softens the skin and gives it a smoothening effect instantly. Its gel-like consistency makes it a good blemish remover.
Preparation Instructions:
- Quickly pluck a stem of aloe vera if you have a plant at home.
- If you don’t have a plant, pick a cream or gel that has pure aloe vera extract without any chemical combination.
Usage Guidelines:
- Apply the fresh aloe vera gel or the cream that has aloe vera base to the bug-bitten areas and gently massage to get the gel to repair the area.
Side Effects:
- Unless the product contains some chemical substances, there is no way that aloe vera can have any side effects.
We hope these natural remedies for bed bugs can give you peace of mind! All these methods use safe ingredients which do not cause any harm to your body. However, they are sure to drive these vampires out of your home. Before they ruin your life and make your life miserable, try these methods and follow the tips carefully. We wish you a bug-free home!
FAQs:
1. Are Bed Bugs Found Only in Beds?
Bed bugs get their name from their favourite hiding spots – the beds! However, they are also found in cushions, sofas, electrical boards and even wall hangings. They are tough creatures which can live almost anywhere in the home. This is why there is a common saying that “The only way to eliminate bugs is to burn down the house”!
2. Is a Bed Bug Bite Dangerous?
Bed bugs are blood-sucking creatures, which suck blood from their hosts. They make tiny holes on their skin to draw blood out. These can result in painful, stingy bites, which turn red and sore. They are also itchy and make you scratch. Scratching spreads the infection to the other areas of skin and gives you rashes.
3. What is The Best Way to Prevent Bed Bugs From Entering Your Home?
Bed bugs usually enter homes from public places like trains or hotels. They are hard to detect due to their tiny size. It is recommended to wash your clothes, bags and other personal items with hot water and dry them in the highest heat setting to minimize the risks of bugs. Also, exposing them to direct sunlight can kill them instantly.
