White vinegar, especially white distilled vinegar, is capable of killing bed bugs due to its high acetic acid content. In order for the chemical to be effective, it must be in direct contact with the pest in order to do so.
Although vinegar can be used to kill bed bugs, it also has a number of disadvantages. The cost of vinegar is lower than other types of treatment for bed bugs, and it is easier to apply.
Unlike other insecticides, it is ineffective at terminating eggs and is only effective as a contact insecticide.
Vinegar is a safe and effective home remedy, but it is not a standalone treatment, so will not remove bed bugs on its own. So, until you can come up with a long-lasting solution, you can get rid of bed bugs with vinegar.
Does Vinegar Repel Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are only prevented by vinegar in a limited and short-term manner, as previously discussed. Bed bugs can be killed by vinegar upon contact, but its use as a sole treatment is not recommended.
Although it is capable of killing bed bugs on a one-at-a-time basis, it cannot repel them from your property. You will also be saturating the entire bedroom with vinegar’s pungent corrosive smell if you use the vinegar spray option too often.
In addition to other bed bug treatment solutions, vinegar can also be used as a supplement. Bed bugs can be repelled with essential oils such as lavender, lemongrass, cinnamon, clove, peppermint, and tea tree.
How Does Vinegar Affect Bed Bugs?
The physical and/or chemical properties of several home remedies have been thought to have significant effects on bed bug populations. Vinegar is one of them.
What about vinegar’s effectiveness against bed bugs? Let’s discuss that further.
The Acidity Of Vinegar
Water and acetic acid make up vinegar, which is an aqueous solution. In order to produce vinegar, alcohol and acid fermentation have already taken place.
Vinegar contains acetic acid, making it an acidic compound. Most vinegars have a pH level of 2.5.
Homeowners commonly use vinegar as a cleaning agent on various surfaces in their homes, especially white distilled vinegar. Antimicrobial properties are also present in it.
Insect’s nervous system is disrupted by vinegar’s acidity, which causes it to die. The use of vinegar as an insecticide is common. For it to work, you need to spray it directly onto the spotted bed bug.
Your fight against bed bugs can be limited by vinegar’s short-term effects. Serious infestations do not respond well to it as a stand-alone treatment.
It will also be impossible to penetrate the hard shells protecting bed bug eggs with vinegar. If you are wondering whether vinegar can kill bed bug eggs, the answer is no.
How To Make A Homemade Bed Bug Killer Spray With Vinegar?
In the beginning stages of an infestation, homemade vinegar remedies for bed bugs are safer and more effective than pesticides. A vinegar bed bug spray can be made as follows:
Several brands of white vinegar are available at Walmart, Kroger, and Heinz Distilled.
Vinegar should be added to an empty spray bottle. Your local Dollar Tree may have ULINE or UPC bottles you can use. Make sure the lid is tight.
Vinegar should be soaked around the perimeter of the infested area, including cracks and crevices in the walls and tight spaces underneath and between furniture.
Bed bugs will scatter into soaked vinegar-soaked areas when you spray them with vinegar, and they will die there.
By spraying vinegar directly on bed bugs, you can either kill them on contact or make them run into nearby areas that you’ve just treated.
Infested surfaces, such as window sills, walls, furniture, mattresses, and carpets, should be soaked to prevent further infestation.
Don’t forget to spray the corners and undersides as well. This must be done every week for several weeks in order to reduce bed bug populations.
Warning
Vinegar and bleach should never be mixed. The result will be toxic chlorine gas that can cause health problems.
The Results of My Experiment Using Vinegar on Bed Bugs
My vinegar experiment was conducted in a barn owned by a man with a bed bug problem, who gave me a couch with bed bugs. In this experiment, I did the following, and these are the results:
A 100% solution of pure white vinegar was used. We filled spray bottles with water and soaked the couch thoroughly. After wiping the vinegar and dead bed bugs away with paper towels, we cleaned up the remaining vinegar.
Without getting into every crack, crevice, and surface, this won’t work. It’s a good idea to wear gloves when dealing with bed bugs, as they stink and may seep blood when dead.
There were three people involved in this project, and it took four hours. After a week, we only found one small bed bug. However, we missed the eggs. A small amount of vinegar will not leave a residue on eggs, and it has virtually no residual effect.
This treatment is not practical, since it requires gallons of vinegar and reapplication every five days, which is not practical since it stinks.
Bed bugs were also seen running from the couch. When you are about to spray an object with vinegar, soak the perimeter with vinegar before spraying it to kill these bugs after they scatter. Make sure baseboards and windows are sprayed.
The curtains should be taken down and washed. Make sure your TV stand and bookcases are sprayed. The infested item should be sprayed last. By doing this, they will run into more vinegar when they try to run.
Advantages of Using Vinegar on Bed Bugs
- In homes with children, pets, and dogs, it is safe to use.
- It is a very safe method. The spray can be applied as much as you want, and no one will be injured as they would be if toxic chemicals were used.
- The product is cheap and widely available.
- Short-term relief is possible with this product.
- In addition to disrupting their nervous systems, vinegar contains a strong acidic component.
Disadvantages of Using Vinegar on Bed Bugs
- It is toxic to some reptilian pets.
- If there is a major infestation, it will have little effect.
- Due to vinegar’s low pH, some furniture may be damaged.
- If you don’t kill bed bugs completely, you may only push them underground.
- There is a terrible smell that lasts for a long time.
How Effective is Vinegar in Getting Rid of Bed Bugs?
Vinegar is an organic repellent that does not last long. You must apply them consistently. Their effectiveness is lost once they dry up.
In addition, vinegar may simply move the bed bugs to another area if used as a repellent when experiencing infestations. It is possible that they will move to your living room while you try to prevent them from entering your bedroom.
Does White Vinegar Kill Bed Bugs?
The answer is yes, white vinegar is capable of killing bed bugs. Depending on how vinegar is made, there are different types. It’s best to use white vinegar for bed bugs since it’s cheap and effective.
It may kill bed bugs on contact, but vinegar may not be the best solution for controlling an infestation. In the event of an infestation, you may need a stronger, more effective treatment.
Final Words
Don’t forget that vinegar won’t work on heavy infestations, so be careful. Early detection of infestations is the key to success with this solution. You should not use this solution if you have a severe infestation.
Despite their hatred of vinegar, it is only capable of repelling them and forcing them to hide. Since their eggs have exteriors, vinegar may not work so well to kill them. To treat them, use a magnifying glass to find them and find their source.
Vinegar acts as a repellant, so it won’t provide any significant help when it comes to bed bug infestations. In the meantime, it keeps bedbugs at bay while you search for an effective bed bug treatment.
It will only keep bedbugs at bay, but it will keep them hiding in the areas you identified as hiding places.
It may take bed bugs a shorter period of time to become a problem following self-isolation. You shouldn’t hesitate to call a local exterminator as soon as possible.