Does Pine Sol Kill Bed Bugs? If it doesn’t, what else can you try to get rid of them? Keep reading this article to get in-depth knowledge.
Know More About Bed Bugs
Identified by their small, brown, apple-seed look bodies–bed bugs are tiny insects that often infest your beddings. These small bugs can be extremely harmful as their bites can lead to severe rashes, skin conditions, and allergies. These insects are unable to fly; however, they can move extremely fast on flat surfaces. Even as they are not carriers of diseases, their bites can hurt and cause a lot of damage. A female bug lays more than a hundred eggs in her lifetime, but one cannot differentiate an egg from a speck of dust, and thus these bugs can grow in large numbers if you don’t clean or flip your bedding regularly.
As the main meal for these bugs is blood, the infestation can be bothersome for all living beings in the house, including the pets, if they get on your bed. Even as these bugs start from the bed, they can scatter all over your bedroom or house if not eliminated in time.
These bugs are active at night; therefore, they come out and feed on the host’s blood when the host is asleep. Even as the bite is painless at first, it can turn into an itchy welt in no time.
How to Spot an Infestation
As bed bug bites can feel like mosquito bites, the infestation is hard to catch on in the early stages. However, a few signs can help you identify the problem, which needs to be resolved at the earliest. These signs include–
- Waking up with itchy skin, even when you went to sleep with no such signs.
- Spotting rashes and multiple bite marks.
- Bloodstains on your bedding
- A musty odor near or very close to your bed.
- Rusty spots on the mattresses (these can be in corners and sides that are not flipped).
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide
Bed bugs are experts at hiding! Their small size and nearly flat shape make it easier for them to hide in crevices and bedding seams. Some other places that these bugs can hide include:
- Electronics and small appliances
- Skirting boards and floorboards
- Under furniture
- In your car
- Under carpets
- In sewing clothes, curtains, or even stuffed animals
- Between cabinets or drawers
- Inside photo frames
And, oh yes – sheets, mattresses, springs, couches, armchairs, and anywhere else you nap!
Bed bugs stay hidden until you fall asleep, then go on to feed you, your family, and your pets. You may not see any evidence initially or during the day. However, ignoring the issue or signs can lead to a bad infestation.
Does Pine Sol Kill Bed Bugs?
Pine-sol is an all-purpose cleaner that can help you get rid of grease and oil stains. However, this miracle worker is not your answer for a bed-bug infestation. In simple words, no, pine sol cannot kill bed bugs. It may deter them for a while due to the strong odor and alcohol content, but it cannot eliminate the bugs. So, it is better to adopt other methods to kill this blood-sucking pest!
How to Eliminate Bed Bugs
Even as the bugs are not dangerous (in small numbers), the allergies and skin conditions caused by them might need medical attention. Therefore, it is best to get rid of these bed bugs as soon as possible. The first and the most important step to achieve this is to clean the surfaces these bugs live on, i.e., your bedding, mattresses, sheets, pillow, and covers.
Step 1
Remove all your bedsheets, pillow covers, and covers to soak them in hot water, you may also include curtains and other washable items as an extra precautionary method. Then wash them in hot water and dry them out in a dryer on a high setting. In case you are sun drying them, make sure to do so during the noon as it will kill all the bacterias and insects.
Step 2
Take the help of a stiff brush to scrape off any dusty patches (these could be the bugs’ eggs) from the mattresses. Then, thoroughly vacuum your mattresses. You can also encase your mattresses with a plastic cover for a year. As these bugs cannot survive without blood, they will eventually die in the sealed mattresses. We suggest you get rid of these mattresses asap.
Step 3
De-clutter your surrounding and send any soft toys near your bed for deep dry-cleaning or steam wash.
Step 4
If you are facing a bad infestation, we suggest seeking professional help to exterminate these bed bugs and get rid of them properly.
As a precautionary method, regularly deep clean your beddings and your pet’s bedding and follow a routine clean of the house to avoid any infestation.
