Ingredients
- Baking soda (1 cup)
- Lavender essential oil (10 drops)
- Vacuum cleaner
- Hot water (as needed)
- Spray bottle
- Rubbing alcohol (1 cup)
- Diatomaceous earth (optional, for severe infestations)
Instructions
- Vacuum Thoroughly: Start by vacuuming your mattress, bed frame, and surrounding areas. Pay extra attention to seams, cracks, and crevices. Dispose of the vacuum bag immediately outside.
- Prepare the Spray: In a spray bottle, mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Shake well.
- Treat the Bed: Lightly spray the alcohol mixture over your mattress and bed frame, ensuring it reaches all the seams and corners. Be careful not to soak the mattress.
- Apply Baking Soda: Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the mattress and leave it for a few hours. Baking soda dehydrates bedbugs and their eggs.
- Use Hot Water: If your bedding is machine washable, launder it in hot water and dry it on high heat. Heat effectively kills bedbugs.
- Diatomaceous Earth (Optional): For severe infestations, lightly dust diatomaceous earth along bed frame joints, baseboards, and any other potential hiding spots.
- Vacuum Again: After the baking soda has sat for a few hours, vacuum the mattress and surrounding areas thoroughly once more.
- Repeat as Needed: Perform this routine daily for a week to ensure all bedbugs and eggs are eradicated.
Note: If the infestation persists, consider seeking professional pest control services.
Let me know if you’d like to tweak this further!