Can You Kill Bed Bugs with Bleach?

While it is possible to kill bed bugs with bleach, the number of potential health hazards of doing so outweighs the probability of exterminating the bed bugs. Most people perceive bleach as a cure-all home cleaning product. It’s great for sanitizing showers, bathtubs, kitchen sinks, and any other commonly used surfaces around the house. But will bleach kill bed bugs? It may sound like a sound plan, but it’s just too risky.

The Risks of Using Bleach

Waking up in the morning, feeling itchy, and realizing you have bed bugs is a nightmare that no one wants to experience. This traumatic circumstance can lead some homeowners to take drastic measures like spraying bleach on their bedding and mattress. But it’s important to understand the types of risks you’re dealing with when using this chemical to try and get rid of these resilient insects. Some of the most common risks include health hazards, spreading bed bugs elsewhere, and putting your pets in danger.

Health Hazard

Much like a lot of cleaning products, bleach constitutes a major health hazard to humans. Spraying bleach on a surface where you spend at least eight hours of the day isn’t a smart way to treat your body. If bleach is exposed to your bare skin, it can create rashes, irritation, and in some cases severe skin damage that must be treated by a medical professional. This is not to mention the side effects that come with the fumes that bleach leaves behind. In large amounts, inhaling these fumes can greatly hurt your lungs and cause your airways to close. Bleach should only be used on surfaces that are brand recommended. Using bleach on your bedding and mattress could cause major health repercussions.

Rapid Spread

As mentioned above, bleach is not guaranteed to kill bed bugs. While it is possible, the chemicals contained in bleach must completely cover the bug in order for it to kill the insect. If the bleach doesn’t kill the bed bugs completely, they’ll likely look for other places to make their home. Bleach could drive your bed bugs to other rooms where there are other pieces of furniture or appliances. Yes, your bed bugs could turn into couch bugs. This is why it’s important to hire a trained professional who can use the right type of extermination product to completely decimate the bed bugs.

Danger to Pets

For a lot of pet owners, there’s only one thing worse than accidentally causing harm to yourself — unintentionally hurting your pet. Using bleach on your bed surfaces could do just that. Just like­­­­­­ the side effects to humans, pets can experience outer skin irritation. Another bleach threat for pets comes in the form of fatal impacts on their lungs and stomachs. It’s better to play it safe and hire a pest control service that can ensure your pets will be kept safe while the extermination process is underway.

The Right Solutions

At Frame’s Pest Control, Inc., our team offers clients a tailored approach to the extermination of bed bugs. Given that bed bugs are a serious issue, we have drafted three options that best fit our customer’s needs: conventional remediation, heat remediation, and biopesticide remediation. For more information on these solutions, click here.

Bed bugs can live anywhere, but when found in a bed, it feels like a personal attack on our day-to-day routine. Rather than relying on a risky home cleaning product like bleach, contact a team of trained professionals to exterminate your bed bugs.

For more information on bed bug extermination and other types of services we offer, be sure to contact Frame’s Pest Control, Inc. today!