Bed Bug Disinfectant

Bed bugs can infest any kind of residence, especially hotels and motels, where human hosts come and go frequently, transferring the bed bugs from site to site. Disinfecting the rooms and bedding with pesticides or other treatments can eliminate hatched bed bugs, but pesticides will not kill the eggs.

Materials

People may use either poisonous or nonpoisonous agents in disinfecting a room of bed bugs. The Alameda County Vector Control Services District lists bifenthrin, tetramethryn and tralormethryn among common bed bug pesticides. Lysol, alcohol or soapy water can also eliminate infestations.

Methods

The Alameda County Vector Control Services District recommends a sprayer or steam cleaner with a nozzle attachment for finely aimed treatment, instead of time-released repellents, which may only drive the bed bugs away temporarily. The University of Arizona warns against using pesticides on bedding.

Other Considerations

Rooms suspected of harboring bed bugs must receive disinfectant treatments not only on their bedding but also on the walls, along baseboards, around windows and in furniture cracks and crevices. Treatments that rely on nonpesticidal methods may require several applications before they achieve the desired effect.

References

• Alameda County Vector Control Services District: The Common Human Bed Bug
• The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: How to Bug Proof Your Home