Natural Bed Bug Remedies: Homemade Sprays & Bite Treatments

I tried apple cider vinegar and it worked right away on my skin for bed bug bites. Thank you so much. I couldn't sleep at night but the Apple cider vinegar is great.

How do you suggest to use the ACV? Drink it? Rub it with a cotton ball directly on our skin bumps?

Dear Nailia,

When we use Apple Cider Vinegar for bug bites, we use it topically. I use it straight. But if the skin is broken it burns a little. But it usually relieves itching for hours. For children or sensitive skin, we dilute it with half water. Or even more.

Turmeric internally may also help the itch as it is an anti-inflammatory. 1 teaspoon twice a day for adults.

~Mama to Many~

Thank you so much. I needed that bit of information. I recently moved with my Aunt. Her home is infected. They've really had a feast on me. The itch feels like someone put a germ under my skin.

How did you use the apple cider vinegar for bed bugs? Do you pour in a bowl and soak your foot in it?

Dear Julie,

When I use Apple Cider Vinegar for bug bites, I put it into a spray bottle and spray it onto the bites. Alternately, dab some onto a cottonball. If you are dealing with a sensitive skin area, dilute with water at least 1/2 and maybe more if that seems too strong for your skin.

~Mama to Many~

Take a bath with apple cider vinegar as it balances out the ph level in your skin and gets rid of your bed bugs..

Can I use white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar for bedbug bites?

It wouldn't hurt to try white vinegar instead of apple cider. My husband has used white vinegar topically in the past for athlete's foot. He did dilute that and used 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water.

This is great stuff..!! The store brand worked wonders with just one application. Must use the calamine w/zinc oxide. My skin cleared overnight after having been bitten by bed bugs. To get rid of them I grinded some silica gel crystals (the kind that comes on cat litter) and powdered the whole apartment with a garden duster. The roaches in the kitchen died within a couple of hours. The bed bugs died also within a couple of weeks due to their habit to hide. Once the powder gets on them, they can't shake it off and it cuts their bodies and sucks all the water off of it. Once powdered they die in a couple of hours as promised. I recommend these two effective methods to anyone. The powder can be a hassle, and is like powder glass, so it may scratch you; but once the pests are gone, it is easily picked up with a vacuum cleaner.

Really good stuff. Booked a hotel and picked a bad one. Full I tell you, full. But this stuff cleared everything within a few hours. Very effective!

Industrial silica is dangerous to inhale but food grade isn't. diatomaceous earth food grade is safe for human consumption and will safely rid you of bed bugs and ants and other exoskeleton bugs :)

Cat liter is bentonite clay--I keep food grade and do lots of things with it.

Sorry to hear about your bed bug problem.

If you can, either buy or rent a vapor steamer (not a carpet steamer). It's a "dry" vapor that won't leave everything wet. Steam cleaning may be the only thing that kills them and their larvae (steam over 300 degrees). You may have to do it a few times but it will be worth it. Good steamers are expensive but, with all of the attachments, you can use it for deep cleaning on upholstery, beds, carpets, curtains, baseboards, crevices in your couch, in your car, floors, etc.

Look for companies that sell industrial steamers as well as machines for home use (e.g., Dupray - there are others). They know the business while some of the cheaper flimsier models (e.g., Shark) aren't effective and won't last.

In the meantime, keep up with the cinnamon oil spray. Also, when you wash your bedding, clothes, etc. add about a cup of borax (20 Mule Team).

I hope you get rid of these nasty critters soon. Take care!

Hi Claudia, there was a post which stuck out to me for bed bugs, the poster added cinnamon to yoghurt daily and ate, having read how difficult it is to radicate bed bugs, I held onto that info, it took 3 months however, to eradicate totally, but they did, remember you've got the laid eggs hatching and I think the eggs can hatch 21 days after laying. And they do need to bite to ingest the poison, unfortunately. If me I would order neem capsules, powder, oil. Neem when eaten by these types of bugs, lice fleas etc affects the reproductive cycle and their ability to lay eggs. For this reason you may want to use it externally only, if me however I would ingest, also borax and the cinnamon, to make myself less palatable, spread cinnamon, neem powder and pure salt under and over my bed sheet, yes sleep in it. I'm sure there are other suggestions on the bed bugs pages, these would be my go to. Oh cinnamon for ingesting medicinally should be Ceylon from Sri Lanka, there is concern over the cassia. Best to you.

Hi Claudia,

Oh boy-have you got a problem! You will only win if you pull out all the stops and dedicate your waking hours for a week to waging war on them.

I remember when we went through this a few years ago. We had to track down the SOURCE of the infestation (important). We found a few insects in the folds of the mattresses with the help of a torch and a special magnifying glass with a light incorporated in it. Nifty gadget! They (or their eggs) must have arrived two or three weeks prior to our guests being bitten (whereupon we were first made aware that something was amiss!! ).

Some folks swore it was bed bugs and others insisted it was a flea. We had to refund our Family's accommodation charges and they left in a huff!! (Just kidding there! ).

There was no blood on the sheets so we think it was a flea. Bone up on the facts on the web / Wikipedia etc. BUT we had to assume it might be BB's after all to be safe. Don't give them time to spread.

1) We inspected all the bedding, carpets and BEDS. Looked in ALL the seams and any folds where they love to hide.

2) Got all bedding, mattresses etc etc out in the sunshine for many hours over several days. They do this in the Cook Islands (no pun intended ).

3) Placed stuff in BIG, BLACK, plastic seal-able bags and stuck them out on hot concrete and inside sealed up car to cook in the sun. Great plan!

4) Purchased a steam gun and steamed around bed seams/folds and around edges of all carpets. Great gadget-every home should have one. Deals with carpet beetles too.

5) Wash all the linen and bedding in water as hot as you can do it in the machine.

6) Stick it all in the drier and run it until they cook. My personal favourite .

7) Get a special BB mattress cover and leave it on for 400 days (and nights! ) and NO that is not a typo. They can survive in your house for over a year without food - you are their food!! No good leaving for Hawaii for a month - they will happily await your return.

8) There are sticky patches you can get that may trap them on the way between the floor/carpet and your mattress. These monitor and trap utilizing a lure/attractant. Things you can place under bed legs too I believe.

I wish you the best of luck with your battle.

Problem is, people movements facilitate their travel and infestations have soared in recent years. You are not alone with this problem and it's a biggie. We should all stay home and not move about so much!!

Cheers, Michael

The 14 dead ones is a good sign though, spraying should be the final step after washing bedding, seeking hiding places and constant vacuuming. Try it again after de- cluttering, cleaning etc. I'm your case, the problem may be they are coming from areas not treated. Definitely make a barrier around where you sleep so they have to cross it to get to you. The downside to cinnamon is that they can smell it and simply walk around it. That just means you have to spray everywhere and evenly

Is this safe for cats? I really hope so, but I need to know for sure before I use it . Thank you

Will ground cinnamon work as well?

Thank you so much for sharing this!! And thank you Earth Clinic for existing, lol. The other day the neighbors from downstairs threw their blankets and pillows away, and days after me and my husband started getting bitten. I'm pretty sure the bugs came from their apartment. I used cinammon leaf oil and follow this recipe. It really worked because we didn't get bitten. I also sprinkled cinnamon all over the bed one day, and that worked too.

Tried the mixture for getting rid of bedbugs. I put several bugs on the counter and spray lite mist on them. They died in less than 30 seconds. I proceeded to spray my bed mattress, box springs. The room smells great. Hope this rids the problem that I picked up from a cheap hotel.

How much distilled water and how much witch hazel-bed bug spray

I had very high hopes for this remedy to work, and it work faster than the store bought product. I have not seen or felt one from day one of using this. I spray in the morning and again at night THANK YOU SO MUCH. You saved me from all that goes along with having bed bugs

I found that using cinnamon powder combined with salt, D-earth, and baking soda, allows for better pest control over bugs. The fact of the matter is using it in a dry environment only. ( you want to dry and kill these bed bugs by lowering the water in the air.) Use it in-between your mattress, in the couch and other places. just keep in mind that you're using powder, (it gets everywhere if you don't use the right applicator.) To cover the top of everything else without a mess, I recommend using the cinnamon oil bug spray in areas where you can't use the powder mixture.

Re-apply every 2 weeks - a month by using a vacuum cleaner to pick up the powder if its pasted together. (only happens if the powder gets wet or picks up to much water from the air)

Another tip is using soapy water. The best I found that worked is dawn dish soap with enough water to spray it out. ( not to much water) When the soap dries on the surface of a bed bug, it clogs it ability to maintain water and slowly dies by drying out.

Bed bugs are easy to kill, but you must search both high and low in order to find them. Think like a bed bug and you shall kill a bed bug.

How do you mix this since all of this won't fit in a spray bottle? Can I mix just enough of it to fit in a 24ounce spray bottle what would the amounts be?

Thank you Tara,

I have been using the spray for a week. I've found 2 adult bedbugs and 4 smaller ones dead. The itching continues, could it be older bites manifesting later on?
Any particular difference between the regular oil or te essential oil? Thank you so much.

Hi, I want to make this bed bug spray. I can't find witchhazel where I live. What would be a substitute for it? Thank you

What did you use to mix this in? Since it makes slightly over a gallon it won't fit in a gallon jug. Just wondering what you mixed it all in and stored it in.

Please do not use cinnamon oil if you have cats!!! Can be toxic to them. Many other essential oils are toxic to them also.

"Many liquid potpourri products and essential oils, including oil of cinnamon, citrus, pennyroyal, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree (melaleuca), wintergreen, and ylang ylang, are poisonous to cats. Both ingestion and skin exposure can be toxic...Essential oils and liquid potpourris contain chemicals that are rapidly absorbed orally or through the skin. Many of these chemicals are metabolized through the liver. Cats are particularly sensitive to essential oils as they have a decreased number of certain liver enzymes necessary to effectively metabolize these oils." (from VCAhospital website)

Hi Tara and Earth Clinic, Thank you so much for the cinnamon oil, witch hazel, distilled water recipe to get rid of bed bugs. It helped me A LOT a few years ago. Last week bed bugs came again to my apartment. I still have some distilled water, but distilled water is now very hard, or maybe impossible, to find in any store in my area, and I think Amazon is charging about $10 for shipping! Is there any other kind of water you could recommend I use, instead of distilled water? Or would plain tap water be ok? Thank you for considering this message. I think the recipe is GREAT!

Is the Cinnamon mixture for BedBugs safe to use around dogs?

How do I know which witch hazel to use and I'm confused about the amount till I use the whole bottle like 16 oz or just an ounce of it how does it work there's so many witch Hazel's I don't know which to do

Cinnamon in mattress seams - has helped seemed to be gone except for egg droppings. Used food grade hydrogen peroxide on walls/base baords. Also sprayed green rubbing alchol - haven't bothered me since - saved extermination fees apt wanted to charge me. going to do Apple Cider Vinegar and neem. None in couch that was neemed months ago- for fleas. Doesn't seem any went in couch.

It works. I used it and it worked for me and my family.

I used cinnamon and had a Great nights sleep after staying awake for 48 hours afraid of being attacked. Does anyone know if I need to reapply the cinnamon and what the time frame is?

I put cinnamon on my mattress and been sleeping pretty good for the last couple of nights but my concern is that I still find one or two bugs on the bed when I go to turn in at night. Does anyone know if I need to repeat application of the cinnamon?

So with the cinnamon do you sprinkle it on the bed and then vacuum it off, will it stain?

It did work for me.

I believe the article mentioned "Oil of cinnamon". I intend to try the oil. I moved and my couch is full of them. No one mentioned before I moved in that there were bed bugs. I am 75 years old and this is the first time I have ever encountered this. Fought fleas, but this is worse. I am allergic to the bites so am going to try the cinnamon. Unfortunately I thought it was fleas at first and spent a lot of money on pesticides. And then I saw one. Awful things.

Lol. You made laugh with the nutmeg :D

I do need some humor! I hate bedbugs. I've been bitten since Dec 15th when I went to help a friend's friend. I cleaned her bedroom, didn't think of anything. Next morning I got bitten like crazy.

I used some cinnamon that helped for a couple of days, but they seem to be back with vengeance. I will double check the method and try again. How long to get rid of them? and how exactly do I apply it?

Need more feed back on whether or not eating cinnamon every day really works... I drink it in coffee & tea often & no bed bug bites from recent bug citings.

More information is needed in regards to length of time of this expriment. Bed bugs have been known to live up to a year without food. They also feed on dead skin cells in between feeding on blood so it is possible that, though they have stopped feeding on you, they are still active in your unit.

If you're going to eat cinnamon, you should research which has the actual good benefits. I believe Ceylon cinnamon is the correct one to use, especially if you're using it to eat, it helps lower blood sugar naturally. Also whole I the subject of cinnamon, please be aware that all food is irradiated. Irradiation takes away it's benefit. There are places that you can research online that sell herbs, spices and essential oils. I'm not sure if I can mention the name or not, so rather than mention it, I'd rather make sure this post is here than take a chance. Good luck

Also cucumber peelings work to get rid of ants. I thought that my mom was joking when she told me to peel a cucumber and throw small slices in the corners of rooms but it worked great and after 12-24 hours not an ant in sight! You'll notice in 3-5 days when the cucumber slices dry up and need replaced because the ants will come back.

I sprinkled cinamon everywhere in the bedroom, and it's been a few weeks. Things look OK.

Cinnamon helped me eradicate every single one :)

To Kevin

did you use cinnamon to get rid of bed bugs or roaches? And how did you use it?

I was thinking, if you ingest powdered cinnamon in food. What do you think of boiling cinnamon sticks and drinking the water concentrate as a tea? Also when you boil cinnamon in the house, the house really smells like cinnamon. They might not like the smell, either. What do you think?

My cousin moved into as apt last year and keeps getting bites. she is a super clean person but the previous tennants were nasty filthy. She changes her bedding twice a week. She has inspected the mattress and can't seem to find any in the creases. She has sprayed everything with bug spray made to kill them, but every night she is getting new bites! Cinnamon seams like it would leave a horrible mess and stain everything reddish brown. But she might be willing to try this. Maybe eating it would help. I'm not sure she has them maybe they are dust mites.

Hello Andrea,

Re your cousin and the bed bug issue...

I have found "cedarcide" to be a wonderful bug killer and harmless to humans. I'd spray the whole apartment including sheets and entire bed...clothing walls etc. Once I had a really bad flea infestation in a rental home and even professionals could not kill them....then I found on the internet "cedarcide" and ordered a gallon. I sprayed the whole house walls, floor and air ducts. Second spray....all gone. Same story at another house similarly infested. Will it work on bed bugs? Well, the marketers say so and I'd be willing to try. Look also on EC's Bed Bugs "Remedies" section and look at "Ailments" because other remedies have been suggested also.

Diatomaceous Earth may be killing them but you don't notice. If they are inside the couch and not coming into contact with DE then they will be protected. They can go without food for a very long time. Also remember it takes a week before you see any effect. If they are breeding, they may be replacing the ones killed. I used DE with an insecticide that I bought at Lowes.

When bed bugs were effecting my bed, I just put a thick double ring around bed and room. I vacuumed and washed in hot water everything also.

Given you have so many, they are probably everywhere in house. It may be that you are dealing with large numbers.

Hello Karen from Salisbury:

About the infestation... Yours being "bed bugs"... I've had great success with cedar oil. It's been used for at least a thousand years that can be documented.

A human can get it onto skin and no harm; in fact it works as an insect repellent.

It works against spiders, bed bugs, ants, fleas... Ah! Fleas. A quick story on a flea infestation in a rental home I once had. Renters had left a big flea infestation. I don't just mean a few fleas in Room 1, and a few fleas in Room 2 etc. I mean when I walked into the living room with no shoes and bare legs, you could actually see movement toward my legs!

In seconds my leg had a dozen fleas and quickly I sprayed my leg with the cedarcide spray (in a cannister like you use in the yard... With a little hose and nozzle) and that spray on my legs killed those on me and protected me from further attacks. I then sprayed my hands and applied the cedarcide over my arms and neck and even face as I recall. Well, all through the house I went spraying the floors and walls and left over furniture.

Prior to this experiment in cedarcide, we'd tried everything to rid the house of the fleas. Twice the professionals had come to fumigate and in no time the fleas were back. I'd put out 20 bombs and again, they were back in days. So I did a web search and read about cedar oil. Ordered two gallons.

I sprayed twice with the cedarcide and the second time as I walked through without spraying my legs (a human white strip) one flea made it to my leg.

After the second application I walked again with bare legs and feet and, yeah, no fleas. As I recall, I did have to spray into an air intake to make sure the fleas were killed in the vent system.

And I have a niece living in Peru and she was having a terrible time with Brown Recluse spiders in her home/apartment. I shipped her a gallon of cedarcide and after spraying no more Recluses.

Sometimes if I get a mosquito that is in a room and I can't locate it; I'll use the hand held sprayer and spray. I can even spray on furniture. You can see the "oil" but it absorbs. If on hard floor it's slippery until it drys. Then no marks or stains is evident. Oh yes, the mosquitos are killed too.

Hi, here in UK the old tried and true remedy for Bed Bugs is, put a moistened bar of soap in the bed at night, as it's body heat that attracts them at night, or even something to warm the bed up. They then come out, and stick to the bar's of soap, and they can live up to two year's under wall paper waiting for dinner to arrive!

Are you sure it's bed bugs? I am asking because when I and my friend and her kids were getting bitten to death at night in bed in her home, the DR said it was Bed bugs. It wasn't, it was Scabies caused by a mattress given to her by someone else!! And it's so infectious the whole Housing Estate were rampant with it, and all of us were tearing our skin off, any thing with an abrasive surface was worn away on our bodies. Another friend's DR told her, the bites on HER kids were Gnat bites (scabies again). My friend was too embarrassed to warn everyone as the week before, she went door knocking to tell all the parent's her kids had head lice so everyone could treat the kid's at the same time, it gets worse!! A lot of people on the Estate worked at the local Paraplegic Hospital and all the Patients and staff there got infected as well, and it made the National News as these Staff also stood in for sick staff at other Hospital's. And everyone in the other Hospitals got infected, school's Clinics, in fact everywhere people integrated with each other, so I had the unenviable job of ringing News stations up and telling them it was 'Scabies' because the Hospital's thought it was Bed Bugs and were treating for it, as Bed Bugs are sneaky and you rarely see them, but you soon know when your on the menu!!! And if it's definitely Bed Bugs your home will need to be sprayed as they love to hide in padded headboards, stuffed toys, wall skirting, in clothing, loads of places I'm afraid, but the Bar of Soap method I mentioned has been used for ever to get them in the bed. Love Andrea C xxxxxxx

It's not going to be overnight you have to give it time to work I suggest putting the powder down everywhere throughout your couch on the inside and out and they will die I guarantee you just give it some time please.

Replying to Steph. From texas... A few hours after dusting house, the 3 of us were sitting in the floor that was dusted a few hours before & were attacked by the bugs... Of course I killed them with my bare hands as I saw them. I killed about 10 throughout the night... Threw out all the couch covers to be hot washed later & dried.. Around dawn, I put a clean white sheet on love seat, & couch & laid down... It is now 5:20pm EST. & there are no signs of the bugs on the sheets so far... I pray DE works... I picked up a 4 pound bag of DE at Home Depo for $9.. So, I would assume a store similar to Home Depot would be the place for you to buy it cheaper... thanks for your reply...Yeag.

You need to try high heat steam cleaner. It help and is the key to begining the killing them all. High heat on everything and baking soda left on carpet. I wrote my treatment on this blog. Read it and see if it helps you. I saw suggestions of soap mixures sprayed around house - good idea lots here to try. Find the source. Remember to sanitize your walkway and shoes.

I buy DE to deworm and delouse my goats and try to keep the fly population down in the barn by sprinkling it on the manure periodically. Periodically I also put in something I'm baking for the family to also keep the humans free from worms. It costs me about $30 for 50# and, yes, it does go a very long way. You might try a feed store to see if they sell it. I don't think I've ever seen it sold in a natural food store, but most of the ones I frequent are small businesses.

You can buy food grade DE from a pet supply store like Fedders Supply, under $15 for 4 lbs. Good luck with the bugs, I'm 9 months rid of them so far so good.

How to get rid of bed bugs without pesticides. You must hunt them down with soapy water and a shop vac.

Get a gallon sprayer, fill it with half a bottle of dawn dish liquid or Murphy's oil soap. Inspect all surface area for bugs like around the mattresses, box spring, head boards. If you find them, spray the he'll out of them.

Next take apart the bed. Spray everything and watch them run. Spray then vacuum them up. They should die on contact when sprayed.

Make sure the shop vac is sealed and has a small bit of soapy hot water for the bugs to fall into.

You have to hunt every one of those little bastards down and kill them. Look everywhere they hide which is usually near the place their meal ticket sleeps.

Completely seal mistress and box spring with plastic bags from home depot or if you are rich and can afford a 40$$ vinyl bedbug cover from target then get it. If not get a few cheap mistress bags from HD. Sometimes the bag breaks over time. Have one ready just incase. Before sealing, pat the bed down with DE (diatomaceous earth).

Toss more DE around and under bed frame. Pat it into carpet with a flip flop. Smear it into wood bed frames.

Pat some into your bed cloths. About a hand full sprinkled then patted in should do.

Inspect and wash anything left on the floor or dark coloured as BB are attracted to dark things to hide in.

By this point you WILL still be getting bit but far less.

Let new bites be a message that another bed bug hunt is in need. Again, hunt those little a-holes down and kill them. Tape up holes in wood bed frames, move bed away from walls and night stand away from bed. Smear DE around base boards and use a paint brush to smear some o the walls around the bed or anywhere you think needed such as places you don't want them to come to.

More bites? Hunt, seek, Respray, kill, revacuum and 're apply DE.

For added insurance, buy neem oil (the real stuff with Indian writing on it usually under 10$$ 100ml size) and pennyroyal oil and mix it with water. Use best judgement on amounts. Shake well and spray likely places they access to get to you. Spray places you don't want them like in couches, upholstered chairs. Both oils make them unable to reproduce.

Most importantly, sleep only in the same spot/bed and never move locations or make them spread out of the infested locations with foggers. You, their food source are their bate and you want them to come to you through the DE.

Some medical research journals indicate the drug ivermectin medication in the bloodstream kills bed bugs every time in a matter of hours. If you have pets switch them to ivermectin based anti parasitic monthly medications. Ivermectin can be prescribed to humans for scabies and for lice. Though a safer alternative is olive leave extract and neem leaf capsules before bed. This may not kill them but make them sick and unable to reproduce.

Far more effective than laying any substances around and hoping they walk through it and die is the hunting method. Seal all cracks and crevices after blowing DE into them and start hunting, kill spray with soapy water, and spray tons all over.

If you plan on using tons of water and concerned with moist surfaces milldo-ing, add laundry borax to the soapy mix. Prevents mold.

If you live in an apartment, pass along this knowledge, share some of your DE and use of your gallon sprayer AFTER all bug entry points have been sealed by everyone. Everyone will have to make the same effort and help out those who may not have the resources or youth to do so.

I gave out the DE and oil mix and was reported back they were bug free for a few neighbors even though I know they cut corners. Sadly some trashy tenants don't seem to mind the bugs and refused assistance. It's been going on 2 years and I have only had 1 bite and I'm note even sure it was bed bugs and that was 4 months ago.

I'm fairly sure a few units upstairs and down the hall have them. No one that I gave the oil and DR have them and I have been 99% bug free all this time in spite of the people upstairs.

Just need to make sure the Diatomaceous earth is "food grade", as there is also a type they use for pools and it is not safe to be around. You can usually find the food grade fairly cheaply at a feed supply store as some farmers add it to their cattle feed. I picked up 50# for less than $30 that way.

To: Bed bug hugs... you wrote in getting rid of them to... "completely seal mistress and box springs with plastic"

...ah.....actually a great post, and a reminder for all of us to proof carefully.

Thanks BedBugHugs, I want to try your method but I'm not understanding about spraying with soapy water or the essential oils of neem and pennyroyal after applying the DE. Won't this make a muddy mess, and render the DE ineffective? I have tons of DE down and still getting bites. I'm thinking of taking it all up and having someone come in to steam clean with dry heat, then put the DE back down again. Did you mean to apply DE to your sheets and pajamas and sleep in it? How much of the essential oils would one put into an 8oz bottle? I purchased the Neem Oil on line, it came as a Carrier Oil, did I get the right stuff?

Bed bugs have gotten smarter than we know, ears and nose both infested with the silicon white substance they lay eggs in. Nightmare is all I can say, fighting the battle of my lifetime. Anyone who says they don't live in their host, is either a fool, or too afraid to admit the unthinkable. When we are their blood supply, is it really so hard believe?