Will Hydrogen Peroxide Kill Bed Bugs?
When you have a bed bug infestation, we know you want to eliminate them as soon as possible and we know you’re probably willing to try anything! You might look around the house, thinking “Is there anything at home I can use to get rid of these pests?”. If you open up the medicine cabinet in most homes, you might find substances like rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, typically used to clean up minor scrapes and wounds. We know that these substances kill germs, but are they useful in eliminating bed bugs?
Hydrogen Peroxide: An Effective Disinfectant
Hydrogen peroxide is best-known for the way it bubbles as it cleans out wounds and kills bacteria. It’s been used by generations of parents for cleaning out scrapes and cuts when kids fall down, and is well known as a reliable antiseptic and disinfectant. There’s a common rumor that bed bugs are drawn to dirty places, so the assumption that a disinfectant will kill them isn’t totally unreasonable. However, that rumor isn’t actually true. Bed bugs don’t care whether your home is dirty or clean. What they care about is whether or not there are humans nearby, so that they can crawl up at night and drink human blood.
Is Hydrogen Peroxide Effective at Eliminating Bed Bugs?
Technically, yes, hydrogen peroxide will kill bed bugs. However, there are a few reasons that this is not a recommended method for eliminating bed bugs. First off, like most chemicals, hydrogen peroxide will only kill bed bugs if it’s directly applied to said bugs. Hydrogen peroxide is also a bleaching agent, so it should be used with plenty of caution, as it’ll bleach your clothes, carpets, blankets, etc. if you’re not careful. On top of that, if you accidentally ingest or breathe in hydrogen peroxide, it could be harmful to your health. Overall, hydrogen peroxide is not the best method for eliminating bed bugs, and you would be better off to look into other methods.
What Other Methods Can I Use For Eliminating Bed Bugs?
So since we now know that hydrogen peroxide isn’t a good way to get rid of bed bugs, you’re probably wondering what the best way to get rid of them is. The safest method is one called heat treatment. Bed bugs cannot handle the heat and will die at temperatures hotter than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat treatment involves heating a home to a temperature that will be fatal to the bed bugs and then keeping it at that temperature for several hours in order to kill every bug in the space.
Why is Heat Treatment the Best Choice?
Simply put, heat treatment is the best choice because it’s generally the healthiest and safest. When you’re eliminating bed bugs, chemical treatments and sprays aren’t the healthiest choice, mostly because of the fumes they give off. They can cause or aggravate breathing problems, irritate your eyes, and more. On top of that, you have to spray a chemical treatment directly onto a bed bug for it to be effective, which isn’t the most efficient way to take care of an infestation. Heat treatment, on the other hand, does not involve any chemicals or emissions!
Do You Have Bed Bugs?
If you think you have bed bugs or are interested in a home heat sanitation treatment, contact Bed Bug Barbeque, LLC in Lakewood, Ohio! We use heat treatment to eradicate bed bugs and we offer entire home sanitation heat treatments. This safe, effective treatment is completed in less than 12 hours, and Bed Bug Barbeque, LLC offers a 60-day warranty for you to verify for yourself that your bed bugs are fully eradicated. Contact Bed Bug Barbeque, LLC today for a FREE quote at (216) 221-1227 or through our website, and check out our other bed bug informational resources on identification, prevention, and eradication.
