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Waking up in the morning with red, itchy scars can ruin your day even before it starts. Once bed bugs attack, their treatment should start immediately just because of the sheer amount of time they take to leave.
Until you hire professional help, how can you stop them from crawling in your bed and sucking your blood? Luckily, there are several DIY home remedies that you can employ to keep them away from your skin. There are creams, essential oils, lotions and sprays which do not kill these mini vampires but effectively keep them from feeding on you.
In this article, we are looking at one of the easiest DIY options to get rid of bed bugs which is a staple in every household. Everyone has a jar of Vicks lying around. Ever wondered if it works or not? Let’s find out.
Best Bed Bug Repellent For Skin – UPDATED 2020
Essential oils
Essential oils are a natural bug repellent that are safe on the skin. All you need to do is, add a few drops of essential oils into a spray bottle filled with water and spray the solution over your mattress right before sleeping. The kinds of essential oils that work to get rid of bed bugs are tea tree oil, eucalyptus, cinnamon, lavender, peppermint, clove and lemongrass.
Bed bug repellent sprays
Bring home a specialized, non-toxic bug spray to regularly sanitize your bed frame, headboard and around the bed. Besides that, you can also use encasement, traps at the foot of your bed, and other attractants which can drive the bugs away from your skin.
Repellent lotions
Insect repellent products are solely produced to meet the demands of instant relief from pesky insects. One of those products is the bed bug repellent lotion. These targeted lotions are infused with active ingredients like DEET which is known to repel bugs away from the skin.
Bed bug repellent lotions are typically used as a regular body lotion before going to sleep. The whole idea behind the product is that bed bugs won’t bite you if you have a scented layer of cream on your skin. Sure it works, just for the time being. That is, for a few works and then you need to keep re-applying. In that sense, repellent lotions aren’t the only solution to stop bed bugs from creating havoc in your homes.
Vicks Vapor Rub For Bed Bugs – A Complete Guide
Vicks vapor rub is concocted from several essential oils such as camphor, eucalyptus oil, menthol, cedarleaf oil, nutmeg, thymol, and even turpentine oil. Each of these have their own unique scent, which is so potent that it produces a mild heat wave when applied to the skin.
If there is one thing that all insects have in common, is their dislike for minty scent and guess who has loads of it? The good old Vicks vapor rub.
Vicks can be applied on the skin to prevent bed bugs, as the heat and scent given off by the product may stop them from biting. You can dab a small amount of vicks on your wrists, neck, elbow, knees and ankles. Vicks can also be applied to the legs of the bed to prevent bed bugs from climbing onto the bed. They won’t die or disappear. In that sense, Vicks is just a temporary solution.
Does Vicks Vapor Rub Repel Bed Bugs?
The number one shortcoming of using Vicks as a bed bug repellent is its lasting power. In order to work as a repellent, Vicks doesn’t last long. The scent and the heat that is essential for bed bugs usually fades away under 15 minutes. Besides, it has a very sticky petroleum jelly base. It runs the risk of getting all over the place leaving you in a sticky, smelly mess.
Vicks Vaporub Bed Bug Repellent – Does It Work?
At the risk of breaking your heart, we have to put this out there. It’s still not entirely confirmed that vicks does work against bed bugs. Online forums are replete with people raving about vicks but there are many claiming it doesn’t work for them. People swear by applying vapor rub after vacuuming to the mattress and around the corner. However, the real efficiency is still debatable.
Can Vicks Kill Bed Bugs?
Can Vicks kill bed bugs? No. But can it prevent bed bugs? Yes, to some extent. Vicks can repel bed bugs but there are more effective ways of controlling their spread and infestation. Even though it contains mint, Vicks is not intended to be known as a general bug repellent. Hence, it is better to invest in dedicated products that will give you more value for your money. If you still want to give it a go, there is no harm in testing out on open areas of your skin right before you sleep to see if it has any effect for you.
However, we would recommend reaching out for Vicks as an emergency DIY if it’s too late in the night and the bugs won’t stop biting you.
