Does Bleach Kill Bed Bugs

Is Bleach Effective At Eliminating Bed Bug Infestations?

Is bleach effective in killing bed bugs? Is handling a bed bug infestation yourself with a bottle of bleach your best option?

No. There is no scientific proof or guarantee that bleach will be effective, particularly for severe infestations. Though bleach may kill one or more bed bugs, it will not eliminate the bed bugs that are hiding, therefore it won’t get rid of an infestation. The dangers of failure outweigh any potential benefits in this situation. There are some DIY solutions that can be used to control pests. But bleach is not one of these low-risk solutions.

What Does Bleach Do to Kill Bed Bugs?

Bleach will kill bed bugs if they’re submerged in it. To kill individual bed bugs, you can pick them up and put them in a bleach jar. The insects would also die if you were to spray them with bleach, as would their eggs. Additionally, if you add bleach to your washing machine while laundering bed-bug-infested linens, it will help kill off the bugs and eggs. These are just a few ways bleach can kill bed bugs.

Bed bugs can hide deep in crevices and recesses. Many bed bugs live in mattresses and are far away from outside surfaces. Even if you tried, there is no way to bleach these places. While you may be able kill some bugs using bleach, this is not the best strategy to eliminate them. You should also remember that bed bugs can reproduce rapidly so killing only the ones you see won’t solve an infestation.

The Deadly Combo Of Heat & Bleach

Have you already bleached, washed and vacuumed everything but still aren’t confident you’ve gotten rid of these annoying little insects, use heat as a tool to complement the bleach remedy. Professional exterminators all agree heat kills adult bed bugs and nymphs.

Like all insects, bed bugs are cold-blooded. Their body temperature decreases when the environment becomes colder and vice versa. Once they’re exposed to temperatures exceeding 120degF, the catalyzed reactions taking place in their body become unbearable and they die instantly.

Thanks to this, you can zap these bugs easily by placing pillows, blankets, clothing, shoes and stuffed animals in the dryer for half an hour. The best way to kill bed bugs infesting your clothes is heat.

Heat is also used by professional pest control companies to kill bed bugs. Their equipment is very powerful and creates enough heat to exterminate bugs from an entire home.

You can buy the ZappBug Heating System for $200 if you have some spare money. This combination of professional equipment and bleach spray can be a very effective treatment. However, safety must also be taken into consideration. If you’ve never handled machines like this, don’t use them or you may risk your house catching on fire.

A hairdryer is the best option for those with a limited budget. Typical hair dryers can reach 130degF, enough to execute bed bugs.

Although this is a time-consuming process that may require multiple hairdryers depending on the area affected, it will be much easier if you work with family and friends. You can treat sofas, carpets and other surfaces using a hairdryer.

After you have completed the bleaching process, hair dryers should not be used. Once you’re done with bleach, let it dry for at least 20-24 hours before you begin with the heating treatment. Their combination will eliminate a manageable bed bug infestation in the first round of treatment. This will also mean that you’ll use fewer chemicals to treat your home.

Thermotherapy

The most effective method to kill bed bugs is heat treatment. Heat treatment works in the same way as it sounds. You heat the affected area and kill bugs or eggs.

You can use a hot steamer or an industrial heating unit to heat the room to kill bed bugs.

Simply place infested items into the ZappBug heater and it will automatically reach the all-important bed bug killing temperature, so you can be sure the items come out all-clear.

Pros And Cons Of Using Bleach For Bed Bugs

Pros

• Bleach kills bed bugs quickly and is highly effective. It takes less than 2 days to get rid of them.
• You can easily get it
• It is affordable
• It is easy to use. You can do it yourself without any necessary skills.

Cons

• It has a very strong smell which may make some people allergic
• If it is not properly dilute, it can irritate skin.
• You may have to leave the home for several days as the bedbugs die slowly.
• It is likely to discolor clothes and that is why you are advised to use color safe bleach
• It may also interfere with some furniture finishing and eventually cause fading of furniture surfaces

Bleach to Kill Bed Bugs: Precautions

Bleaching can cause severe illness and you should take precautions.

Children who are exposed to bleach have a higher chance of developing severe asthma.

Inhaling bleach fumes can trigger asthma attacks in both children and adults of any age. Bleach should never be used in the presence of an asthmatic patient in the house because exposure to bleach can provoke an asthma attack.

Bleach is known to be extremely irritating to both the epidermis and the eyes. If bleach gets into your eyes, it can cause permanent damage to the eyeball and the retina.

It’s important to follow these precautions:

• Put on some eye protection or a face mask to guard your face and eyes against any splashes that may come your way.
• Put on some gloves, preferably neoprene or rubber ones designed for home use. You should know that not all gloves are suitable for isolation. Therefore, make sure to read the SDS or instructions carefully to find out what is recommended.
• Don’t combine bleach with any other product, especially other cleaning products that contain ammonia. Toxic fumes may be created, and both the lungs and the eyes may experience severe irritation or damage as a result.
• You should work in an area that is well ventilated. Bleach’s vapors are unpleasant, so avoid breathing them in. Fans can be used or you may allow fresh air to enter through the doors and windows. Respirators must be used if instructed.
• Put on clothes that will protect your body in case something spills on you. These clothes should have long sleeves, pants, high socks and closed-toe shoes. An apron with a chemical protection coating can provide additional protection.
• Employers should be trained on how to handle bleach and how to react in an emergency. Offer training on safe working and handling practices, as well as instruction on how to handle any emergency spillage kit or other equipment that may be present.
• Keep the bleach in a secure location that is also cold and dry. Avoid exposure to intense heat and direct sunshine. After each usage, ensure that the cap is securely fastened. If you want to use bleach at home, make sure to keep youngsters away from it.
• While using bleach, you should refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking. You should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using bleach for cleaning.
• As mentioned above, do not combine bleach with other products that clean toilet bowls, dissolve rust, have acids (especially vinegar), or have ammonia.
• Avoid contact of bleach with any metals.

Health Hazard

Bleach, like many cleaning products can pose a serious health risk to people. It is not a good idea to spray bleach onto surfaces where you are likely to spend eight hours a day. If bleach is exposed to your bare skin, it can create rashes, irritation, and in some cases severe skin damage that must be treated by a medical professional. This is not to mention the side effects that come with the fumes that bleach leaves behind. In large amounts, inhaling these fumes can greatly hurt your lungs and cause your airways to close. Only use bleach on approved surfaces. Bleaching your mattress and bedding can have serious health consequences.

Bed Bug’S Pheromones Sense Bleach From Far

C. hemipterus insects use their pheromones, which determine what chemicals and poisons are in the environment. They can also escape from bleach if they’re sprayed with any.

C. hemipterus was previously thought to be odorless. However, various chemical compounds that can signal them are called alarm pheromones.

You will heat treat your room at 140°F for over two hours. This will kill both visible and hidden bed bugs.

• The Eco-friendly heat treatment of bed bugs produces no toxic gasses and leaves no residue like the bleaching method.

You won’t need to do any follow-up treatment with this technique. It will eliminate all bed bugs nymphs or eggs.

How can I kill bed bugs?

Remove the affected sheets and blankets first. Wash these in hot water (you can actually use some bleach in the water if it’s safe for the fabric) and detergent. You’ll want to dry these on high in the dryer, too.

Vacuum the entire mattress, as well as the area around it, from the headboard to the baseboards. Consider the small areas that bed bugs could be hiding in, like the seams of the mattress or under the boxspring. This should be done in all rooms that could be affected.

Don’t forget that bed bugs can live in other areas of the home, too, including the living room couch, the recliner, and even in and around upholstered kitchen chairs. You can vacuum all these places and wash the blankets and throw pillows.

You can protect your mattress by covering it with a mattress cover.

Keep in mind that these are temporary measures; to completely eliminate a bed bug problem, you’ll really need to hire a professional.

The Places Bed Bugs Live

Although they may be the worst swimmers in the world, bed bugs excel at hiding. Their tiny size and almost-flat shape make them able to easily wedge into cracks, crevices, and seams that make them nearly impossible to find. They hide in places like:

• Electronics and small appliances
• Baseboards and floorboards
• Underneath furniture
• In your car
• Carpets in and under floors
• In the seams of clothes, drapes, curtains, or even stuffed animals
• Between cabinets and drawers
• In picture or mirror frames
• The crevices of laundry baskets
• Inside the indentation in the head of a screw
• You can also find bedding and mattresses as well as box springs, couch cushions, sofas, recliners and any other place you might need to take a break.

The bed bugs hide until you fall asleep, then they come out to feed upon you, your family and pets. In the daytime, you may see no evidence of the critters, but if you wake up with bites, they are hiding. They are hiding somewhere you haven’t seen them. All the time you cannot find them, they are breeding and making your infestation even worse.

Similar Question

How to Prevent Bed Bugs from Returning

After you discovered what kills bed bugs and have used the bleach to kill bed bugs, get some anti-bed bug mattress covers. These covers will prevent eggs from getting on your mattress and kill any insects or eggs that have been left behind.

Some people will feel more comfortable if they buy new mattress and box springs. No wonder! However, if you cannot afford the cost of changing your bed, this solution is the best option that will save you a lot of money.

In order to keep beetle infestations at bay, we have mentioned it in a previous post. You can place them under furniture and near the bed frames, where bed bugs spend most of the time. You can use these traps to protect yourself from being bitten while you’re sleeping and help you find the pests in your home.

Although mattresses and box spring covers can protect your mattress from insects at night, bed bug traps will stop all insects that are not on the mattress.

There are other ways to avoid future infections.

2) Keep clothes clean and dry in vacuum bags. Put clothes that you don’t wear in the current season in airtight bags to avoid contamination of clothes you don’t wear often.

2) Look for the early indications of bed bugs’ presence at home. The first visual sign is usually an insect bite. That’s what they look like:

These bites are very annoying, itchy, and normally develop in rows. Knowing what the bed bug bites look like will help you instantly determine new infections and get better effects.

3) Vacuum clean the carpets, mattresses, and the rest of the house regularly. Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs don’t just live in beds. You should vacuum your entire home regularly to get rid of bed bugs. They can hide under carpets and furniture. Make sure that all adult bugs and their eggs are out.

4. Clean up your home. Make sure there is no clutter in the house. There are more bed bug infestations if you have too much clutter in your home.

5) Understand how bed bugs appear at home. Unfortunately, these insects can enter your house in so many ways. That’s why you have to apply silicone or a sealant to all the cracks in your home. Bed bugs can be found in very tiny cracks and are extremely small. Also, remember to check your windows if there are no holes and cracks in them, if necessary, repair them.

6) Try alternative extermination methods for bed bugs such as baking soda or vinegar.

Bed bugs can also arrive at your home on shoes, clothing, or animals. You can’t do much except clean your house and avoid wearing outdoor shoes.

Now that you know how to use bleach for killing the bed bugs, I hope you use these tips and have a pest-free life. You’ll have a cleaner home if you follow the steps.

Can Bleach Kill Bed Bugs (Find Out Now!)

The most annoying pests of modern society are bed bugs. Bed bugs can invade homes and make it difficult to sleep. It can be very difficult to deal with these creatures.

Homeowners are willing to use just about any means to get rid of bed bugs. If you’re dealing with an infestation yourself, you may be wondering if there are household items you can use. For instance, can you use bleach to quell the bed bug infestation?

Bed bugs can be killed with bleach, but there is a catch. The catch is that the bleach needs to be directly applied to the bed bug’s body for it to take effect. You have to be careful when using bleach against bed bugs because you could end up damaging your home otherwise.

No one wants to deal with bed bugs at home, but should you use bleach against them? Find out the answer to that question and learn about other relevant topics by reading on.

Step #5 Apply The Clorox

Mix Clorox with hot water in a small container. Put this mix into the spray bottle and shake gently. Wear gloves to avoid irritation to your skin.

Start spraying by attaching the nozzle to the spray bottle. Undiluted bleach can cause skin irritation so you should not use it. Plus, always remember to put on the protection before working with the chemicals.

Spray the solution on the mattress. Pay attention to folds and edges. Spray the corners of the bed and box-spring with the solution. Spray the opened drawers, making sure the spray reaches all edges.

While spraying is great for the open areas, it’s advised to combine this method with wiping the harder-to-reach areas with a cloth. You have to do it if you wish to make sure that all the bed bugs get exterminated, and none are left alive.

Wipe all the drawers, under the furniture, fixtures, and baseboards.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring sand that feels extremely rough and sharp to bed bugs. Diatomaceous earth is a weak material that bed bugs crawl into and over.

To use, sprinkle D.E. on infected areas and leave for 24-48 hours. It’s a slow process, but it works! Vacuum the affected area after two days. and the dead bed bugs.

Don’t buy food-grade D.E because that doesn’t contain enough arsenic and lead to be effective. Safe D.E. is recommended. Safer Brand Diatomaceous earth is a product that’s specifically designed for pest control. I swear by this stuff! It is safe to touch and doesn’t affect breathing, but please keep out of reach of animals and children as ingestion will poison them.

Borax

There are pros and cons to using bleach to get rid of pests

If you were planning to kill the bed bugs in your home with bleach, you should probably be aware of all the advantages and disadvantages of this method. The best thing about bleach is:

• Clorox bleach is very affordable. A 100-oz Clorox bleach bottle from Walmart costs around $13,
• You can easily find it in grocery stores.
• You can use bleach to kill bed bugs easily. As long as you are taking reasonable precautions, like wearing gloves, it is simple to use.
• It actually works – unlike a lot of miracle solutions you can find online, bleach is among the few household products that are effective in killing pests.

However, there are certainly some disadvantages:

• It has a strong and unpleasant smell – let’s face it, the smell of bleach is even stronger than its bed bug killing properties,
• It can pose a health hazard – bleach, especially if undiluted, can severely irritate the skin and the respiratory tract,
• It can be dangerous in combination with other chemicals – mixing bleach with other chemicals, including other household cleaners, can produce toxic gases,
• You could cause damage to certain surfaces. Because of the strength of this chemical, some surfaces can be damaged during treatment for bed bugs.
• Sometimes it takes time for bleach to be effective.

Does Bleach Kill Bed Bugs Instantly?

You can always make a spray of bleach and vinegar and keep it near your bed. Should you happen to see the bug, you can spray instantly. To prevent irritation, you should cover your nose with something like a hanky. Make sure the solution doesn’t stain your sheets or clothes. These precautions are difficult to keep in mind when you’re deep asleep and being bitten by bedbugs.

Bleach is effective in killing bed bugs.

For people suffering from asthma, or any other breathing disorders, bleaching in small areas can be dangerous. If you use full-strength bleach, there may be allergic reactions that can lead to skin contact.

You’re unlikely to be able to get bleach to reach those tiny places where bed bugs can hide, such as in small cracks along bed frames and walls. It won’t work if the bleach doesn’t reach the bug directly.

Use Bleach to Cleanse Walls

You can use diluted bleach to clean walls that are light or white. You can also get rid of bed bug stains and suffocate them with the fumes. This method will eliminate all germs and leave your home cleaner.

The Timer

Time is going to be on the side of the bed bug. For days, bed bugs may remain in their protective hiding places for hours. As bleach enters the cage – wherever that may be within your home, it immediately begins to dry. It is possible to spray a bedbug with bleach, but it’s best to let the bleach dry.

Are Bed Bugs attracted to Bleach?

The presence of bleach chemicals can be detected by bed bugs as soon as they come in direct contact with the furniture, mattress or crevice in which it is found. They won’t be attracted to bleach chemicals so they will easily spread to other areas. You may also find bed bugs in your mattress, where it is difficult for bleach to be effective. Although undiluted bleach might work, it will ruin your mattress and cause irreparable damage.

You can definitely seal the room in case of a minor infestation, but in severe cases, repeat treatment using bleach is recommended.

Use Heat And Plenty Of It When Washing Items

Heat works really well when it comes to killing bed bugs. You must use that to your advantage whenever possible.

Probably the best opportunity to use heat against bed bugs presents itself whenever you’re washing clothes. Wash clothes that you suspect have been exposed to bedbugs with hot water.

Step 4: Empty the Vacuum Bag

Once you’ve finished vacuuming the entire house, and washed all the upholstery and textiles, remove the bag from the vacuum cleaner. If it’s disposable, put it in a sealed trash bag, and throw it into the bin outside the house. Plastic trash can be thrown in a sealed bag and washed with hot water.

Does Vinegar Kill Bed Bug Eggs?

Vinegar can be used in other ways than its kitchen use. However, it is important to remember that though vinegar can kill bedbugs by destroying their nervous system, it cannot kill their eggs.

Considerations If Using Bleach To Kill Bed Bugs

While bleach may kill a few bugs, the risks of using it will outweigh the benefits. Since bleach is a toxin, it can be corrosive to your skin if mishandled. The most common symptoms from bleach exposure are irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, skin, and respiratory system. Blurred vision, bronchospasm and tightened lungs are two of the more serious effects. Bleach products can cause an even more severe impact on your pets’ lungs, stomach and intestines.

Install Box Spring And Mattress Covers

Mattresses are the objects most prone to bed bug infestations. These crawlers dwell in your bed and lay thousands of eggs that can hatch within a week. This sounds scary. It’s all the more reason to install mattress covers. They’ll lock the bugs along with their nymph and eggs and kill them over time. For mattresses you’ve treated already, they’ll prevent migration from other areas of the house.