Bedbugs mess with our daily routine. These unwanted guests can sometimes appear out of nowhere and when they do, it becomes tough to get rid of.
If you have a bedbug infestation or know someone who has had an infestation, you may have heard someone mention ‘using baking soda to kill bed bugs’. The question is whether it is effective or not and how effective it is.
Why do people believe baking soda can kill bedbugs?
Baking sodas are known to take off orders of linen, so they must be strong enough to remove bed bugs. It’s like trying to kill spiders with perfumes.
We cannot imagine getting drenched in our favorite perfume, it would not be very comfortable, but that being said, you cannot kill spiders with it. It will make them uneasy, maybe blind them but it is not an effective killer.
Bedbugs cannot ingest baking soda and many people believe that baking soda and water will cause gas to build up in them and cause them to explode. Yes. That is what people believe. Now it could be true if bedbugs could consume them.
Bedbugs are very food driven and their mouth are made for piercing and sucking blood. They know that baking soda is not a part of their diet, making it difficult to eliminate them using it.
This belief may have risen because of the diverse use of baking soda to assume that baking soda can kill bedbugs. What bedbugs can help you with is the itchy bites. You can make a paste using baking powder using
What is a better alternative to baking soda to eliminate bedbugs?
So no, baking soda cannot kill bed bugs. If you want an effective elimination try diatomaceous earth. Baking soda may have a drying effect on bedbugs but do not expect it to eliminate the entire infestation. Bedbugs are more resilient than you think and you will just undermine the population and never really get rid of the population.
You can use the following to get rid of baking soda to eliminate bedbugs:
- Vacuum regularly: Bedbugs and their eggs can be eliminated by vacuuming furniture, beds, and carpets—areas where bedbugs may hide. To stop bedbugs from escaping, make sure you t
- Avoid moving items: Transporting contaminants away from the vacuum bag or quickly clean the vacuum canister after each use. Nated objects from one place to another may disperse bedbugs. To stop bedbugs from spreading to other parts of your house, try to restrict contaminated things and refrain from moving them around too much.
- Use Silica: Bedbugs can be effectively dried off with silica gel, which is frequently found in drying agents or desiccants. By collecting moisture from the surrounding air, silica gel helps kill and dehydrate bedbugs.
- Dry your clothes at 60°C: Due to their sensitivity to heat, bedbugs can be killed by washing and drying bedding, garments, and other infected things at temperatures as high as 60°C, or 140°F. Make sure you wash and dry specific items according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Get rid of contaminated belongings: To stop bedbugs from spreading further, it might be necessary to throw away some objects if they are severely infested and cannot be treated adequately. This includes furniture, mattresses, and other objects that have substantial infestations of bedbugs.
Bedbugs are quite bothersome and difficult to eradicate once they become visible. Many people resort to using baking soda in the hope of getting rid of bed bugs. They think that if it eliminates odor, then surely they can kill bed bugs too. However, baking soda is indigestible by bedbugs, therefore its effectiveness is questionable.
You might substitute something called diatomaceous earth for better outcomes. To effectively eradicate bedbugs, it’s also recommended to vacuum frequently, avoid moving furniture around too much, use silica gel, wash garments in hot water, and discard badly infested items.
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