by Bobby Wilford | Jun 19, 2014 | Got Bed Bugs? Don’t DIY!
We’ve seen a lot of do-it-yourself bedbug remedies damage household furniture, cause unsafe fumes to homeowners & tenants, and – worst of all – make a bedbug problem much worse.
Bleach is on the list of the most serious offenders.
At the end of the day, though, you just want to be bedbug free – and that means dead bedbugs. Will bleach kill bedbugs?
The short answer is YES, it may kill a few on contact. It will likely damage the surface of whatever you are applying the bleach to, and you’ll have to watch carefully in order to make certain the bedbugs you’ve applied it to have been exterminated effectively. You’ll kill the ones you find…but what about the ones you don’t?
The bedbugs that are not killed by the bleach will detect the scent of the bleach and be sent running. Bedbugs are immaculate survivalists – they sense danger and have immediate tactics they will employ to avert their own death. The offensive scent of the bleach will send bedbugs into survival mode, causing them to vacate their previous dwelling area and find another spot where they are able to nest deeper and further from light and exposure.
There are many situations where bleach makes a bad bedbug situation much worse, but there are effective treatments you can perform now and steps you can take to begin curtailing your bedbug problem. Many steps that are recommended to you by a trained, certified, experienced bedbug professional will not send the remaining bedbugs into survival mode, thereby making your bedbug problem cheaper, easier and faster to get under control. Consulting a bedbug professional is always the best first step whenever you believe you have a bedbug problem.
