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Does Baking Soda Kill Bed Bugs?
You might’ve heard online, or even from well-meaning friends and family, that baking soda works as an effective treatment for bed bugs. Unfortunately, there’s simply no scientific evidence to back that claim up. So how does this rumor purport to solve your problem?
The baking soda bed bug treatment claims to work as follows:
- You sprinkle baking soda around the areas that bed bugs inhabit, like your bed or baseboards.
- A few days later, you vacuum the powder and reapply it.
It’s correct to a point: if you douse a bed bug with baking powder, you will likely kill it. You might even take out a few of them in the process. But in no way is this a substitute for the kind of professional treatment that’ll actually eradicate an infestation.
What Does Baking Soda Do to Bed Bugs?
Honestly? Not much. The supposed theory starts with the fact that baking soda breaks down when it comes in contact with water. So if a bed bug gets coated with the stuff, some claim that the substance will dehydrate the thick fluids on its shell. More than that, they say the granules can cut through it entirely and cause internal bleeding.
We are not saying this could never work. It’s very possible to kill a few bed bugs using this method. Unfortunately, the answer for your home’s bed bug infestation can not be found in your pantry.
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Home Remedies for Bed Bugs
Baking soda is not the only home remedy praised for its supposed bed bug-killing properties. What about talcum powder? Why not moth balls, or diatomaceous earth, or any combination of essential oils? To put it simply, while some of these solutions may kill a bug or two, none of them should be depended upon to stop an infestation. But if you look into the treatment options professionals like Arrow Exterminators, Inc. offer, you’ll find you can get a real solution.
Why Baking Soda Won’t Get Rid of Bed Bugs
If you somehow achieve what seems to be success using a natural method like the ones listed above, you might not be in the clear yet. Bed bugs are notoriously skilled at hiding, and without professional extermination you have no way to know if your solution worked, or if you’ve simply put a bandage on a much larger problem. For the best chance of staying pest-free*, it’s always better to rely on a bed bug exterminator.