Does Lysol Kill Bed Bugs?​

If you’ve ever had to deal with a bed bug infestation, chances are that you caught yourself thinking: “Does Lysol kill bed bugs”? It’s affordable, easy to use, and almost every household has it. Wouldn’t it be convenient if Lysol was effective in killing bed bugs? Well, it might be. 

What Is Lysol?

Lysol is the brand name of a line of products used for cleaning and disinfecting the household. The precise list of ingredients depends on the product itself, but in general, most Lysol sprays and wipes contain:

• Ethanol,
• Isopropyl alcohol,
• Potassium hydroxide,
• Hydrogen peroxide,
• Lactic acid.

Most of these ingredients serve as disinfectants or antiseptics, i.e. they clean things. In other words, Lysol isn’t exactly manufactured to kill bed bugs, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be used for this purpose. So without further ado, let’s find out if you can use Lysol to kill bed bugs.

Does Lysol Kill Bed Bugs?

If you’ve been planning to kill bed bugs with Lysol, we have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that in fact, Lysol can kill bed bugs. Unlike most products designed for this purpose, though, Lysol doesn’t work by damaging the nervous system or drying the exoskeleton. In order for Lysol to be effective, the bed bug would either need to ingest it or drown in it.

And this brings us to the bad news – even though Lysol technically kills bed bugs, you are very unlikely to be able to get rid of a whole infestation using only this product. Instead, you can use Lysol, much like vinegar, to aid and speed up the process.

How to Kill Bed Bugs Using Lysol?

Now that you know it’s possible, let’s take a look at how to get rid of bed bugs with Lysol. But before we jump into spraying the product all over the place, there are certain preparatory steps you should take.

Step 1: Look for Signs of Bed Bugs and Find Their Hiding Spots

Are you not sure if your home is infested with bed bugs? Here are easy signs to pay attention to:

• You keep finding bed bug bites on your body
• There are tiny red and brown spots on your floors, bedsheets, or walls
• You keep finding discarded shed skin and empty eggs
• There is a sweet, unpleasant odor in your home that wasn’t there before.

If you notice any of these signs, inspect your home carefully. Try to find all the places where the bed bugs hide during the day. Pay close attention to corners, crevices, and similar spots that are hard to reach.

Step 2: Remove Clutter and Wash Everything

Now that you know where the bed bugs are, it’s time to get ready to deal with the problem. First of all, remove all items that are creating clutter and that might be infected. This includes linen, pillows, books, decorations, remote controllers, desk lamps, and such. Wash the things that can be washed and dry them in the dryer. The rest of the items can be disinfected using steam or exposure to extreme temperatures.

Word of warning: Be ready to completely get rid of some belongings. There are items – such as books, for example – that are a great hiding spot for bugs but cannot be disinfected without getting damaged. 

Step 3: Vacuum the Room

Now that clutter is out of the way, you’ll have easier access to all the other hiding spots. Vacuum the whole place and pay special attention to hard-to-reach areas. Use different vacuum cleaner extensions to make sure you cover every inch of the home. After you’re done, dispose of the vacuum bag immediately to prevent any surviving bugs from coming back out.

Step 4: Steam All Surfaces

Vacuuming alone will get rid of some bed bugs, but unless you’re very lucky, it won’t get rid of all of them. The next step in this process is to kill the leftover pests using steam. For this purpose, you will need a quality steam cleaner. Try to find one with the carrying capacity of a gallon (although less than that will still get the job done), and a heating capacity of around 200°F. This is the optimal temperature that will ensure the bed bugs and eggs die without damaging your furniture. 

Make sure every part of the furniture and floors you steam gets around 30 seconds of your undivided attention. The surface should be moist but not wet after steaming. Pay attention to small crevices but refrain from using special extensions for such places. These may only blow the bugs further into the hole rather than killing them.

Step 5: Use Lysol to Kill the Bed Bugs That Survived

This is where Lysol comes in. There are two ways of making this product work for you – by spraying it directly on each bed bug you find (which sounds next to impossible) or by applying it to moist surfaces to maximize the bug’s exposure to the product. That is why applying Lysol right after steaming is the right course of action. 

However, if we’re being honest, there are far more effective ways to aid the process of killing bed bugs than Lysol. Other chemicals – designed specifically for this purpose – are your best bet. These include pyrethrins, pyrethroids, and desiccants. Each one of these has a way of tackling your bed bug infestation in a much more efficient manner – by attacking the bug’s nervous system or exoskeleton.

Professional Bed Bug Exterminators Are the Solution

Would you rather not have to waste precious time and money on dealing with these stubborn pests? Are you worried that the solutions you’ve read about might not be as effective as you need them to be? Or maybe you’re afraid of using chemicals you don’t know much about? Whatever the case is, there is one simple and easy solution – relying on professionals. Professional bed bug exterminators have the skills and the equipment to get rid of household infestations much more effectively than any cleaning spray would.