How to use vinegar against bed bugs? Does it help?

Vinegar against bedbugs can be effective, so you need to know how to use it correctly and where to properly treat the apartment

These insects feed on human blood. When choosing an effective and safe remedy for bedbugs, they often opt for vinegar. It, like store-bought chemicals, emits an unpleasant odor, but when used correctly it is safe for households.

The method cannot kill parasites, but it helps to force them to leave the home.

How does vinegar affect bedbugs?

The product has a strong odor. Even humans find this very unpleasant, but bed bugs are much more sensitive. This prevents them from remaining in the treated area. Parasites will quickly try to leave this place. It is best to use a concentrated product. If you dilute it with water, the effectiveness will decrease slightly, but the smell will still be present, although less intense.

In addition, when there is a strong odor of an aggressive product in the room, insects lose the ability to distinguish other odors. This makes it impossible for them to search for food or move through space in search of a mating partner. The entire life activity of parasites is based on their ability to detect odors. When they lose this ability, they have to find a new home.

Thus, exposing bedbugs to scent is the fastest way to get them to migrate.

When in direct contact with the insects, vinegar acts as an acid and damages the external parts of the bug.
Another way to use acetic acid is to allow the insects to come into direct contact with the substance. Pest nests should be filled with a concentrated solution or a water-based solution with the addition of essence. Direct contact with acid in large quantities causes the death of insects. This happens because the acid eats away at the outside of the parasite, causing organ failure and fluid loss.

An insect can die instantly if it is completely immersed in vinegar. This result is explained by the loss of the ability to breathe, the action of volatile substances and acid. The combined effect of vinegar on bedbugs is achieved. No pest will survive in such conditions.

However, it will not be possible to completely get rid of pests, since some of them manage to escape. In addition, pests live in various secluded places. If you find one of the nests, there's a good chance there's another nest somewhere.

The best result is achieved when treating the entire apartment (rooms where bedbugs usually live).

However, this is difficult because acetic acid has a specific odor. If you apply the product to certain surfaces, the unpleasant side effects of the treatment will soon disappear. The more vinegar is sprayed in the apartment, the longer it will take for the smell to disappear. It is not recommended to treat textiles with a concentrated product. In this case, the smell can be removed after washing, which is not always possible.

Operating principle

When wondering whether vinegar kills bedbugs, it is worth noting that the product is not poison. It only scares away parasites and forces them to leave their habitat. Only a high concentration of the substance can kill the parasite. This happens when a bug gets into a jar of acid.

The essence corrodes his body, and the bloodsucker dies. The substance sprayed from a spray bottle is not so caustic and is not capable of damaging the parasite. The settled droplets of the solution create an unbearable scented cloud that repels insects.

If the smell persists for a long time, they have to look for a new home.

Which vinegar is better: weak or concentrated?

To combat blood-sucking insects indoors, only a weak solution of vinegar is suitable. Otherwise, furniture and other furnishings will be damaged. Natural and synthetic vinegar is available in concentrations of 3, 6 or 9%. But if you dilute it with water, you can use a more concentrated product - vinegar essence with a strength of 70 to 80%.

To combat bedbugs in apartments, vinegar with a strength of 3% is usually used. To get this concentration, mix the two ingredients together:

Recipe: 1 part 6% vinegar and 1 part water; 2 parts 4.5% apple cider vinegar and 1 part water; 1 part 9% vinegar and 3 parts water; 1 part 70% essence and 23 parts water; 1 part 80% essence and 27 parts of water.

Let's start the fight

Bedbugs can live anywhere. You need to know all the secluded places where parasites spend their leisure time:

• bed – bed linen, mattress, pillows, blanket;
• baseboards - the entire perimeter of the room, as well as sockets;
• carpeting, floor under furniture;
• furniture elements, clothing;
• cracks in windows, bottom of window sill;
• wallpaper joints, etc.

This could be a kitchen, a bedroom, a living room, or a storage room. When you spot the first insect, you should begin to act decisively, using all possible means and methods. While there are few bedbugs, popular advice is quite suitable, for example:

• fresh picked branches of wormwood are laid out in the room;
• problem areas are washed with solutions that have a strong odor (turpentine, vinegar, alcoholic infusion of valerian root, etc.);
• take furniture, floor coverings, bedding and clothing out into the cold and keep them at a temperature of at least minus 20 degrees for two days;
• Using a steam cleaner, they process things by directing a stream of hot air to hard-to-reach places. If you don’t have a steam cleaner, you can use boiling water;
• Ultrasonic repellers are installed in the room or mosquito repellent plates are used.

bed – bed linen, mattress, pillows, blanket; baseboards - the entire perimeter of the room, as well as sockets; carpeting, floor under furniture; furniture elements, clothing; cracks in windows, bottom of window sill; wallpaper joints, etc. fresh picked branches of wormwood are laid out in the room; problem areas are washed with solutions that have a strong odor (turpentine, vinegar, alcoholic infusion of valerian root, etc.); take furniture, floor coverings, bedding and clothing out into the cold and keep them at a temperature of at least minus 20 degrees for two days; Using a steam cleaner, they process things by directing a stream of hot air to hard-to-reach places. If you don’t have a steam cleaner, you can use boiling water; Ultrasonic repellers are installed in the room or mosquito repellent plates are used.

For reference: It is worth paying attention to the fact that if the bedbugs survive after all the manipulations carried out, then they become even more aggressive

How to use vinegar against bedbugs

Considering that uncontrolled use of such a product in the form of a concentrate can negatively affect the health of household members, it is better to prepare an aqueous solution. This will reduce the concentration to a level that makes the odor less offensive to people. This allows you to stay indoors without causing severe discomfort.

However, this substance, even in diluted form, will remain unbearable for bedbugs, who will be afraid of it and try to escape.

Mopping floors

Treat the floors in your apartment against insects with acetic acid at least 2-3 times a week. Prepare a vinegar solution with a concentration of about 1%. Higher concentrations will be dangerous to people and pets. Since the floor area is large, there will be a lot of fumes. If you use a concentrated solution, the fumes may cause eye and nose irritation.

It is best to wash by hand and wipe with a cloth; a mop will not clean hard-to-reach areas properly. The acidic solution must penetrate all cracks and crevices to reach any pests that may be hiding there. Pay special attention to baseboards and the area behind them.

Note: When treating floors for bedbugs, use only vinegar and water. Do not add cleaning agents to the solution as they may react chemically with the acetic acid and the results may be unpredictable.

Surface treatment

Insects don't just move across the floor. They can crawl along walls, crawl into small crevices, hide behind paintings and in other hidden places. Therefore, all surfaces must be treated. A 3% acetic acid solution is best. To process, you will need a rag, which you need to soak in vinegar, wring out and wipe the furniture, shelves and doors. If the material allows, the walls should also be moistened with vinegar to remove odor. It's a good idea to move the furniture out of the way, wipe down the back of the furniture, and treat the area behind it.

Treatment of hard-to-reach places

In every house or apartment there are places where it is difficult to reach with your hand and a rag. They are good hiding places for bedbugs. They allow the insects to go into torpor, which keeps them alive for many weeks. Therefore, it is important to treat all cracks. Otherwise, you will again suffer from bloodsucker bites. Eventually they will come out of their stupor, having survived all the traditional methods you used against them in the cracks.

Use a spray bottle to protect nooks and crannies. Fill it with a 3% vinegar solution and spray it into all the cracks. Spray the solution behind furniture, baseboards, radiators, plumbing fixtures and other places where bed bugs may hide.

How to prepare the solution

There are no strict recommendations for using vinegar against bedbugs in an apartment. A person can navigate by the intensity of the smell. The stronger it is, the more effective the product. However, if it is difficult to independently determine the sufficient concentration of the solution, you can use the following recipe:

1. Prepare 9% vinegar.
2. Take 200 ml of the substance and 10 liters of water. The result is a solution with a slight odor, but this is enough to affect bedbugs. Moreover, a person will be tolerant of the effects of such concentration.
3. If it is possible to use essence (70%), it must first be diluted. The use of such a substance is unacceptable at home. You can get rid of bedbugs, but you will also be exposed to them.
4. The essence is diluted in a ratio of 13 ml of substance to 100 ml of water. The result is a low concentration of 9% vinegar. The resulting substance can then be diluted. It is poured into a container with 10 liters of water.

The more concentrated the solution, the higher the efficiency.
Sometimes the proportions change. For example, if there are too many bedbugs, a weak solution will not do the job. We recommend using a more aggressive vinegar against bed bugs. For example, vinegar made with equal parts water and acid works well.

If you're wondering if vinegar works against bedbugs, try mixing 500ml of each ingredient. The prepared solution hardens the object.

How to prepare the room

The main target of bed bugs is the place where a person sleeps. Insects make their nests here, closer to the food source. This means removing the bedding and mattress from the bed first. Check the pillows and blankets. If they are damaged, you need to make sure that they are not infested with bedbugs. The same is done with the mattress, it should be positioned at an angle to the wall to ensure ease of handling.

It is necessary to check the sofa, as bedbugs love to hide in the folds of the upholstery. It is partially disassembled, which is not difficult to do, given that such furniture is prefabricated. Open access to hidden corners of the structure. If you have determined how to remove bedbugs, you can partially treat the sofa upholstery with vinegar—the places where there are folds. Other measures:

• All textiles in the room must be washed; if this is not done, then a new generation of parasites will develop from the eggs, which the female often leaves in different places;
• the carpet should be turned over; if the room has carpet, you can try to fold the edges, since insects hide here too;
• Empty your closets because you need to provide access to the inside of your closets and you may want to wash items that have been sitting there for a long time, there is a possibility that there are bed bugs living somewhere inside;
• Moving furniture away from the walls, not necessarily centrally, but placing it away from vertical supporting structures or partitions will allow access to the back wall of the cabinets;
• If you are interested in how to get rid of bed bugs, then you can use vinegar for this, provided that all interior items are treated on the walls, preferably on their back surface.

Check mattresses for bed bugs in hidden places

How to treat an apartment with vinegar

Various methods are used:

• Spray guns that can be used to spray areas where bed bugs have been found and all surfaces;
• You can use a brush or sponge to apply the solution to furniture and baseboards.

If you want to know how to kill bedbugs, vinegar can also be used to clean the floor.

Apple vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is also popular for treating bed bugs. It is made from fruits, is more natural and has fewer chemicals in its composition.

The essence of apple cider has an aroma that is more pleasant to the human sense of smell, but to bloodsuckers it is just as disgusting as the regular product.

Vinegar can also be prepared at home. It does not leave marks on furniture and other surfaces, which makes it increasingly popular.

Supportive and preventive measures

To effectively control bed bugs, additional measures must be taken. Since these pests can hide in bedding or other materials, all items should be washed at 90°C. If this treatment is not suitable for your items, take them to the dry cleaner.

These parasites also often hide in crevices and folds of upholstered furniture. To eliminate them, you can use steam. When using a steam generator, remember that high temperatures can damage some materials. If you don't have such an iron, use a regular iron. When using, set the cooking mode to steam.

Useful tips

In order to completely remove insects and eliminate the problem, you need to thoroughly treat the entire room. Single spraying and washing of surfaces can only give a short-term effect. As soon as the smell disappears, the parasites will immediately return to the apartment. That is why the vinegar aroma should be maintained in the house for as long as possible. At the first signs of the return of parasites, treatment should be repeated.

Remember: even if the treatment with vinegar solution is carried out in compliance with all proportions, you should not expect complete relief from bedbugs. After the migration of adults, the eggs laid by the female remain safe and sound, and after one and a half to two weeks your home will be attacked by the growing young, and the fight will have to start all over again. At the same time, you need to understand that not all household members can tolerate a specific aroma. It’s one thing when a few drops of vinegar are used as a salad dressing, but it’s quite another to regularly treat the entire living space. This is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous. Therefore, the premises need to be ventilated after treatment, and this leads to neutralization of the odor. Therefore, bedbugs may return again.

The only way to kill a bedbug with vinegar is to place it in a concentrated solution. That is why the use of this product is more in demand as a preventive measure - if neighbors are poisoning bedbugs, and you assume that refugees will go to you. If parasites are already firmly established in your home, vinegar will not be a panacea. In such a situation, it makes sense to contact a qualified disinfector - the drugs they use provide a quick and long-term victory over the annoying bloodsuckers.

However, there are situations when using vinegar becomes the only possible solution to the problem. This happens if:

• there are pets or small children in the house;
• family members have allergic diseases;
• household members are not able to leave the house during sanitation.

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Processing rules

When using vinegar treatment against bed bugs, remember that bloodsuckers love corners and crevices in the apartment:

• Mattresses.
• Beds.
• Skirting boards.
• Sockets.
• Carpets.
• Cracks in window sills, window frames, floors.
• Cloth.
• The interior of the furniture and the areas behind the furniture.
• Paintings, wallpaper, grout.

Vinegar should be applied very carefully, trying not to miss any possible crevices of the parasite. If the essence comes into direct contact with the beetle, it will guarantee its death.

Before treating your home, first do a deep clean and move furniture as far away as possible to clear baseboards and furniture backs.

Children and pets should be removed during the procedure, as fumes may adversely affect their well-being. After treatment, it would be good to thoroughly ventilate the room before residents move in.

Conclusion

So, based on the information described above, it follows that only massive processing can force the bloodsucking parasites to flee from their homes in search of new safe habitats. However, before you begin to independently treat the room from bedbugs with acetic acid, you need to think about everything very carefully. As we already know, vinegar is a remedy that can only be used as a preventive measure against the appearance of bloodsuckers in the home.

Maybe it would be easier to use the services of professionals? They guarantee that as a result of the work performed, parasites will never return to the apartment. If you want to sleep peacefully at night and completely rid your apartment of bedbugs, then the best solution is to call a specialized service to carry out pest control work.

Source

How to breed

To treat bedbugs, vinegar should be diluted in water. When using a 9% product, mix it with tap water in a 1:1 ratio. When using a 70% concentration of vinegar in a solution, it is important to maintain the correct dosage for dilution.

To make a bedbug repellent, pour 12 ml of acetic acid into 88 ml of water and dilute the liquid with water in a 1:1 ratio. It is best to spray the solution using a spray bottle.

Only 9% table vinegar is safe for humans. Concentrated emulsion may cause vapor poisoning.

How effective is the method?

When wondering whether vinegar helps against bed bugs, it is worth noting that tangible benefits can only be achieved if the product is used correctly. The effectiveness of the essence is an order of magnitude worse than that of purchased insecticides. But the latter are quite harmful, especially for children and animals.

For safety reasons, it is better to resort to table essence rather than chemicals of dubious origin.

Since bedbugs cannot tolerate vinegar, as long as it is in the house, the parasites do not return to their habitat. As soon as the vapors from the product disappear, the problem may return.

Therefore, for the method to be effective, treatment must be carried out once every two weeks until the bloodsuckers completely disappear.

Video

Is it possible to get rid of bedbugs with vinegar?

How to enhance the effect of using vinegar

You can increase the effectiveness of vinegar by using other traditional bedbug control methods. Here are four popular ways to kill bed bugs.

Recipe No. 1: vinegar + turpentine

Mix turpentine and table vinegar in a ratio of 1 to 1. Take the mixture into a syringe and pour it into the crack you find. Clean all crevices and areas behind the floorboards in this manner.

Vinegar combined with turpentine is deadly to bedbugs. The insect dies within a few seconds of contact with it. But the mixture tends to evaporate. Therefore, cracks and crevices must be treated regularly. After drying, a strong odor remains, which still protects the apartment from bloodsuckers.

Note: Avoid prolonged use of turpentine in children's rooms and bedrooms. Its smell can cause asthma attacks, headaches and shortness of breath.

Recipe No. 2: vinegar + naphthalene + denatured alcohol

To prepare a solution against house bugs you will need:

5 naphthalene tablets; 250 ml 9% acetic acid; 250 ml denatured alcohol (technical alcohol).

Add all ingredients to a pitcher or glass. Stir the liquid until the naphthalene tablets dissolve. Cover all surfaces in the apartment with the resulting solution. Direct contact will kill the pests, and the strong and persistent odor will effectively repel them.

Recipe No. 3: vinegar + ammonia

Mix 500 ml of ammonia with 500 ml of 9% acetic acid. Use this mixture on floors, walls, furniture and hard to reach areas. It does not kill bedbugs, but acts as a repellent due to its strong and lingering odor.

Recipe No. 4: vinegar + wormwood decoction

This recipe will help repel pests with its strong aroma. Wormwood has been used since ancient times as a folk remedy against pests. Wormwood was used to make brooms and sweep floors. Wormwood sprigs were placed in linen closets and under mattresses. They are still used in the garden, placed between beds, and also in chicken coops to repel fleas.

Make a bed bug repellent for your home:

Place 2 tablespoons of crushed dried wormwood in a saucepan, add 0.5 liters of water, place the pan over low heat, bring the contents to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, turn off the stove and leave the wormwood covered to cool. Strain the solution, add water to make 0.5 liters. Add 0.5% table vinegar (9%).

1. Place 2 tablespoons of chopped dried wormwood in a saucepan.
2. Pour 0.5 liters of water into the pan.
3. Place the frying pan over low heat.
4. Bring the contents to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Turn off the stove and leave the mugwort covered to cool.
6. Strain the solution, bring to 0.5 liters with water.
7. Add 0.5% table vinegar (9%).

Cover all surfaces and corners with the prepared solution. But avoid getting it on light-colored materials and fabrics. Stains from wormwood infusion are difficult to clean and remove. Therefore, it should not be used on upholstered furniture and bright materials with high hygroscopicity.

Vinegar helps fight bedbugs and prevent their occurrence. It repels pests due to its strong odor, which can be enhanced by adding other strong-smelling and chemically aggressive substances. However, the aroma of vinegar is also dangerous for humans. Therefore, safer insecticidal preparations should be used to kill pests. ECOKILLER diatomaceous earth powder is such a product. It is odorless and does not cause burns on contact. Therefore, it can be used indoors without fear of harming the health of the family.

Interaction with other drugs

You can enhance the effect of vinegar if you dilute it with the following:

• Corvalol;
• turpentine;
• wormwood decoction;
• alcohol and naphthalene.

Such cocktails are an excellent alternative to expensive analogues, being in no way inferior in quality. If the bedbug removal procedure is carried out in the private sector, then the success of the event is guaranteed. An insect, running away from irritating odors, finds itself in an external environment that is full of dangers and the unknown. Within a short time the individuals will die. But in apartments, bedbugs will still find a loophole through which they can return to the previously inhabited territory.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are several benefits of vinegar in fighting bed bugs:

1. Cheapness. The product is affordable for the average user.
2. Safety. Vinegar, unlike disinfestation and extermination with store-bought insecticides, when used correctly, does not harm the health of animals and people.
3. Availability. Vinegar can be purchased at any grocery store.
4. Versatility. Can be used to treat bed bug bites or to repel pests.
5. No stains after treatment. Apple cider vinegar is actively used against sofa bugs, and after disinfection there are no traces of this substance left on the sofa.

Despite the advantages of this method, there are also negative aspects of vinegar poisoning:

1. Low efficiency. Vinegar only repels bedbugs, but does not completely destroy them. This method has no effect on insect larvae at all.
2. Specificity of smell. After treatment, the room should be well ventilated.
3. Reuse. To completely get rid of the problem, repeat the treatment every 2 weeks.

EFFECTIVENESS LEVEL OF THIS PRODUCT

In fact, vinegar alone cannot get rid of insects, but it helps in counteracting them.

Among modern scientists there is still no consensus on the issue of the effectiveness of vinegar in the fight against parasites.

A number of them are sure that bedbugs are still afraid of vinegar, which, through its pungent odor, has a negative effect on the vital activity of parasites and, thus, helps to counteract them. Others argue that this effect still remains unfounded.

In general, it can be argued that vinegar alone is not enough to completely destroy parasites; it is effective only when used together with substances such as turpentine or kerosene.

It is most advisable to use acetic acid as a kind of obstacle to the movement of insects, since parasites will try not to migrate through areas treated with vinegar, but their mass death cannot be achieved through such a means.

To counteract bedbugs, you can use a mixture of vinegar and any oil. If you are aware of the places where parasites settle (often these are cracks or baseboards), it is possible to treat the perimeter of these areas with vinegar, which helps prevent the movement of pests, and fill the areas of their mass accumulation with oil.

The effect of oil on bedbugs does not have a destructive effect on its own, but it helps prevent air from entering places where insects accumulate, which die from suffocation due to the inability to leave the trap created by man.

In order to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of counteracting bedbugs, it is necessary to be aware of a number of specific features of this type of parasite. People often do not take into account the fact that insects are able to move not only along the floor surface, but also along walls and ceilings.

In view of these features, treating only the floor surface with chemicals, kerosene or turpentine will not completely prevent the movement of parasites across the living area, since they will begin to move along the walls and ceiling surface.

Despite the low effect of acetic acid as an independent method of preventing insects, it can be used as one of the components for preparing mixtures or solutions that can actually destroy pests.

Acetic acid can also be used as a kind of disinfectant, used to treat areas where parasite excrement is found - on items of clothing, bedding, and others.

Any type of industrially produced table acetic acid is suitable to counteract parasites. When using concentrated vinegar, it is necessary to prepare a solution containing 9% vinegar essence, since a higher content can be harmful to human health.

Reviews

Marina Lyamova, 33, Voronezh

I used a concentrated solution and added water to stop the bugs, so the smell was a little less strong. At that time, my neighbors had bedbugs, and I was afraid that they would crawl to me. This seems to have helped.

Larisa Tizelberg, 43 years old, Simferopol

Reviews of folk recipes are often negative, but I decided to check his apartment. They treated and poisoned, but additionally applied an acid-based solution to the floor and furniture. The insects have disappeared.

Folk recipes

Nasty blood-sucking insects in all centuries have poisoned human existence with their presence in the house. In those days when there were no modern insecticides, people successfully dealt with bedbugs using folk remedies.

To enhance the effect of using vinegar, you can use sprays with the addition of various aromatic substances. Bedbugs are afraid of the smell of vinegar, and if you add decoctions of fragrant herbs to it, the effect will be more noticeable. After preparing the spray, you need to treat all the cracks, baseboards, joints of wooden furniture, floors and walls under carpets - places where insects like to live.

Spray "Wormwood"

One of the strongest irritants for bedbugs is wormwood. To prepare wormwood-vinegar spray, you need to pour 4 tbsp. l. dry pharmaceutical wormwood with 2 cups of boiling water, let it brew for 30 minutes. Strain the infusion, add 3 tbsp. l. 9 percent vinegar. Pour the spray into a spray bottle and treat the apartment.

At home, you can prepare a remedy for bedbugs based on tansy. If you have fresh tansy, you can spread it around the perimeter of the room, under the mattress of the bed.

You can make a spray using dried tansy flowers. To do this, brew 3 tbsp. l. tansy inflorescences 300 ml boiling water, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Strain, pour into a spray bottle, add 2 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar, treat the apartment.

Modern folk remedies for fighting bedbugs suggest using home steam cleaners and steam generators to treat insect habitats with hot steam and treatment with chemical strong-smelling liquids - turpentine, kerosene. But the use of “chemistry” is impossible if there are children and pets in the house, and an apartment that smells of kerosene will bring little joy to adults.