What Kills Bed Bugs? The Disappointing Truth about Your Struggle with Those Bloodsucking Monsters (And How to Naturally Kill Bed Bugs).

In this article, we’re going to share everything you ever wanted to know about killing bed bugs (plus a few things you never wanted to know).

Bed bugs aren’t just itchy and annoying; they can make your friends and family afraid to visit your home, attack your pets, give you allergic reactions, and even cause insomnia and anxiety. Taking care of the issue as soon as you find the first bed bug is absolutely essential – and we’ll show you why.

Just One Bed Bug Can Lay Up to 500 Eggs in Her Lifetime

Bed bugs spread rapidly, and they recently evolved stronger exoskeletons that are resistant to many of the most common treatments. By the time you find one bed beg, there could already be hundreds of eggs in your pillow, mattress, and carpets.

An easy way to spot an infestation early on is the feces they leave behind. These little black dots can look like mold, but if you’re finding them in your mattress, especially along the crevices, it is very likely a bed bug infestation instead of mold.

Does Baking Soda Kill Bed Bugs? Sorry, But No.

There is no scientific evidence that baking soda can work on bed bugs. It doesn’t have any toxic or insecticidal characteristics. To them, it’s just another pile of dust to climb over on their way to feed on your blood.

So you can’t use baking soda to kill bed bugs. Some people even think you can use salt and baking soda to kill bed bugs, but the combination doesn’t have any better impact. (After all, sweaty skin is salty too, and bed bugs have no problem crawling over your skin at night.)

How to Kill Bed Bugs Fast. (Hint: There’s No Easy, One-Size-Fits-All Solution.)

Everyone wants to kill their bed bugs as fast as possible using one easy solution.

Unfortunately, these rugged bugs are not easy to kill. The adult bed bugs you find crawling around are built with tough exoskeletons, and they’ve become resistant to many bed bug sprays that used to work.

Bed Bugs Die Fast Outside, And You Can Use That to Your Advantage.

UV light, the cold air, and natural predators all threaten bed bugs, which is why you usually only find them inside your home (or clinging to someone’s clothes or book bag when they come to visit).

Of course, you can’t just take the roof off your home, but there are some powerful ways to tackle your bed bug problem without relying on toxic bug bombs that kill bed bugs.

Here are 3 ways to target bed bugs in your home.

1. Natural UV Light to Kill Bed Bug Eggs

The sun is a big help when it comes to killing bed bugs, but only the UV-C light can actually kill the bugs and their eggs.

But you can’t just open your curtains and hope for the best. UV-C light usually does not travel through glass, so the light coming in from your windows doesn’t have any effect on bed bug eggs.

People who are banging their heads against the wall trying to figure out how to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress with baking soda, sunlight, or even toxic sprays are going to have a hard time. There are natural solutions, but they’re not the ones you might think of.

Thanks to modern technology and advances in medicine (thanks, science nerds!), we now know that UV sanitizers are incredibly powerful when it comes to killing off germs, viruses, and mold…

But people have started using UV light to kill bed bugs.

There’s just one problem: bed bugs can jump away from the UV sanitizer.

Here’s the good news:

UV light is very effective at killing bed bug eggs, which means you can stop them from hatching and start killing off the infestation.

2. Not All UV Sanitizers Are Created Equal. Advanced Devices Use Ozone in Combination with UV Light, Which Helps Kill Bed Bugs Even Faster.

Part of the reason that the Great Outdoors help kill bed bugs is the ozone gas.

A lot of people think ozone is dangerous. But ozone is just a combination of oxygen atoms that naturally breaks apart over the course of a few hours.

While it’s true that a high concentration is dangerous for humans to breathe in, UV sanitizers that create ozone are generally safe to use in your home. Just be sure to open the windows and air out the room.

Oh, and here’s a little bonus: ozone breaks down odor-causing bacteria and other chemicals in the air, including those from cat pee, cigarette smoke, and stale food.

3. You Can’t Use Baking Soda to Kill Bed Bugs, But There Are More Natural Solutions. Heat Kills Bed Bugs, Too.

Turning up the heat in your bedroom probably won’t kill bed bugs: they have to get really hot (about 118℉) to actually die.

Most laundry machines come with a “Sanitize Mode” or some other high-heat option. These cycles generally go up to 140 degrees, so you can naturally kill bed bugs and their eggs with a quick wash.

The only problem is that you probably can’t fit your mattress and carpet in the laundry machine. (If you have a light rug that’s designed for the laundry machine, though, this is a great extra step.)

For everything you can’t fit in your laundry machine, UV light sanitizers that create ozone can be an excellent weapon in your arsenal.

UV Sanitizers That Actually Work

A lot of UV sanitizers that are being sold right now are not actually strong enough to have any positive impact on your bed bug problem. (Some companies have even sold devices that are just blue light lamps.)

We reviewed the most popular UV sterilizers, and while most of them do work, the customer service for these companies gets very different reviews.

Top Choice: HaloUV from Swissker USA

This device has been tested and approved by thousands of customers, and the company that makes it consults with real medical experts before shipping products to customers.

It’s easy to use, lightweight, and effective. There’s also a bundle discount when you buy 3 units.

Why would you need 3 UV sanitizers? Because you want to cover the entire mattress at once. The UV light has a limited range of about 200 square feet, and once the bed bugs feel the light, they’ll jump away from it to try to escape.

Using 3 units at once on a queen size or king size mattress will help make sure the bed bugs can’t simply escape and greatly improve your chances of success.

(Just remember that some bugs will still be able to hide, and some of them could be deep in your mattress, so it will take a few weeks in most cases, although some customers report nearly immediate results.)

Second Option: UVlizer & UVsterilizer

UVsterilizer is a popular option, but we have one big problem with it:

On their website, it says “we do not accept returns for refunds.” For us, that’s a big red flag, even though the product gets generally positive reviews.

Some users who purchased their sterilizer from UVlizer have said the company refused to send their free unit when ordering the Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal, and many people said their devices stopped working after just a few uses.

While these companies might save you a bit of money (ten or twenty dollars), the negative customer service reviews make us pretty nervous.

Where to Order a Buy 2 Get 1 Free Pack of UV Sanitizers

The Swissker USA HaloUV device is available here.