Does Lysol Kill Bed Bugs?​

If you have found bed bugs and had to deal with infestations, chances are that you caught yourself thinking: “Does Lysol kill bed bugs?

It’s affordable and easy to use, and almost every household has it.

Wouldn’t it be convenient if Lysol effectively killed these tiny sucking insects? Well, it might kill bugs. 

What Is Lysol?

Lysol is the brand name of a line of products used for cleaning and disinfecting, principally to kill microbes, typically bacteria, fungi, viruses, kill germs, and microscopic organisms in the household and other shared spaces.

The precise list of chemical compounds and active ingredients depends on the product itself, but in general, most Lysol disinfectant sprays and wipes contain:

Ethanol is also found in rubbing alcohol, another popular DIY pest control treatment.

Isopropyl alcohol.

Potassium hydroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide.

Lactic acid.

Most of these ingredients serve as disinfectants or antiseptics to kill germs, i.e., when applying Lysol spray, it cleans things.

In other words, Lysol isn’t precisely manufactured to kill bed bugs.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be used to kill a common household pests like bed bugs.

So, without further ado, let’s find out if you can use Lysol to kill bed bugs.

Does Lysol Kill Bed Bugs?

We have good and bad news if you’ve been planning to kill bed bugs with Lysol.

The good news is that Lysol can kill bed bugs. Unlike most products designed for this purpose, Lysol doesn’t work by damaging the nervous system, having insect growth regulators, or drying the exoskeleton.

For Lysol to be effective, the bedbug would either need to ingest Lysol and its lethal Lysol chemicals or drown in it.

And this brings us to the bad news – Do not underrate bed bugs. Even though Lysol technically kills bed bugs, you are unlikely to eliminate an entire infestation of bed bugs using only this product.

Instead, you can use Lysol, like vinegar, to aid and speed up the process.

How to Kill Bed Bugs Using Lysol?

Now that you know it’s possible to kill bed bugs with Lysol disinfectant spray, let’s look at how to get rid of bed bugs with Lysol.

But before you spray Lysol all over the place, there are certain preparatory steps and safety precautions 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 bed bug eggs.
• A moldy, unpleasant odor in your home that wasn’t there before.
• If you notice any of these signs, scrutinize your home.
• 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 bed bug problem.

First, remove all items that are creating clutter, which might be infected with bed bugs and eggs.

This includes linen, pillows, books, decorations, remote controllers, desk lamps, and all your clothes.

Bed bugs leave millions of eggs where they dwell; you should remove and treat anything that could be harboring them.

Wash the dirty clothes and other things that can be washed in hot water as hot as possible and dry them in the dryer on high heat for at least thirty minutes.

The rest of the items can be disinfected using steam or exposure to extreme temperatures.

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

An alternative is to place the books in plastic bags and leave them in the freezer for a few days to kill bed bugs.

Step 3: Vacuum the Room

Now that clutter is out of the way, you’ll have easier access to all the other hiding spots for bed bugs. Vacuum the whole house and pay special attention to hard-to-reach areas.

Use different vacuum cleaner extensions to cover every inch of the home. After you’re done, dispose of the vacuum bag immediately to prevent any surviving bed bugs from returning.

Step 4: Steam All Surfaces to kill a bed bug infestation

Vacuuming alone will get rid of some bed bugs, but unless you’re fortunate, it won’t get rid of all of the bed bugs.

The next step in this process is to kill bed bug eggs and bed bugs using steam from hot water. For this purpose, you will need a quality steam cleaner.

Try to find one with a gallon carrying capacity (although less than that will still get the job done, and a heating capacity of around 200°F for killing bed bug eggs and bed bugs.

This is the optimal temperature to ensure the bed bugs and bed bug 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 bed bugs further into the hole rather than killing them.

Step 5: Will Lysol Kill Bed Bugs That Survived

Lysol can be flammable due to rubbing alcohol content; please do not spray it near open flames.

This is where Lysol spray comes in to kill resistant bugs in a small bed bug population. There are two ways of making Lysol spray work to kill bed bugs’ eggs for you.

Directly spray it on each bedbug you find or by applying Lysol liquid to bedbug-infested areas and moisten surfaces to maximize the most bed bugs’ exposure to the Lysol spray.

That is why applying Lysol chemical right after steaming to kill these tiny pests is the right course. 

However, if we’re being honest, there are far more effective ways to aid the killing of these harmful pests than Lysol.

Other chemicals – designed specifically to kill bed bugs and, importantly, to kill bed bug eggs – are your best bet.

These include pyrethrin, 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 nervous system or exoskeleton of the bug.

When do Bedbugs attack?

Bed bug activity occurs during the night, usually on your mattress or another infested area of other furniture. Female adult bed bugs need a blood meal before laying eggs is possible. Adult bugs will suck blood mercilessly, causing sleepless nights.

After this bedbug activity during the night ends, the bed bugs crawl away from the infested areas. Bed bugs hide nearby in wall cracks, your box spring, the seams of your mattress, and other dark places.

Protect your mattress from bed bugs

Protect your mattress with an insecticide-treated encasement; it will suffocate and kill bed bugs.

Beware of hitchhikers on vacation

They will hitch a lift in your belongings, so place luggage on the rack in a hotel.

If you have been on vacation, when you return, check your luggage for signs of bugs, wash the contents, and vacuum the luggage bag.

Does food grade Diatomaceous earth Kill bed bugs’ eggs?

For killing bed bugs, you can sprinkle your mattress with food-grade Diatomaceous earth powder, which is organic and safe.

Diatomaceous earth destroys the exoskeleton of these pests, bed bug eggs will hatch and walk through the powder, and they will have the same fate.

Cold-pressed Neem oil

Professional Bed Bug Exterminators Are the Solution

Would you rather not waste precious time and money to remove bed bugs and a bed bug infestation?

Are you worried that the solutions you’ve read about killing bed bugs might not be as effective at killing them 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 bed bug infestations with a bed bug treatment much more effectively than any cleaning spray will.