Bed bugs are very nasty insects that become a serious problem when they enter your homey. If you notice signs of these pests like red and brown spots on your sheets, bites on your body, you likely have bed bugs in your home.
There are many home treatments on the market that can help you eliminate bugs naturally and economically.
Salt is one of the popular treatments to get rid of bed bugs, but does salt kill bed bugs? This is a question that many people want to know when it comes to finding bed bug treatments. Below you will find all the information you need on this topic.
How Does Salt Affect Bed Bugs?
There are very popular home remedies to eliminate different pests, which are cheaper than buying chemical treatments. Salt is used to kill different types of pests like snails and slugs, so people think that salt can kill bed bugs.
Salt makes pests dehydrate, that is, moisture escapes from the fabric, but bed bugs have a carcass that will not allow the salt to penetrate. Since slugs have a soft outer coat, this treatment is perfect for killing them. Salt may make bed bugs uncomfortable, but it won’t kill them.
What salt can make bed bugs flee or hide when you start spraying the mattress or any surface. There are mixtures with borax or baking soda that are also not very efficient at getting rid of bed bugs. These salt mixtures do not pass the outer layer of bed bugs and cannot harm them.
You can try to keep the bed bugs out of your bed by putting some salt around it.
Does Salt Actually Kill Bed Bugs?
If you are one of the people who wonder if salt kills bed bugs, you are in the right place.
Salt cannot kill bed bugs because your exoskeleton and skin will not absorb the salt. It will not be able to penetrate your internal organs, and it will not cause dehydration. Salt is not toxic to bed bugs, so you will not eliminate them with a salt treatment. The best treatments for bed bugs is to spray them with pesticides, and if the infestation is very large, you should call the experts.
Does Salt Repel Bed Bugs?
What salt can do is repel bed bugs; when you use salt or treatments that contain salt, it will only make them hide.
Epsom Salt And The Effect On Bed Bugs
And Epsom salt is often known as magnesium sulfate, and it’s used in houses and for industrial uses. It’s also used in the agriculture to eliminate pests. Epsom salt can also be an essential component in the brewing business.
Epsom salt cannot result in the dehydration. It is because bed bugs can’t eat the salt, so they cannot ingest it. And like daily salt, it cannot break through the shell, so it cannot dry the inner organs of theirs. Consequently, the Epsom salt is inadequate against bed bugs that are the same as regular salt.
Related: Does Baking Soda Kill Bed Bugs?
How To Use Salt For Bed Bugs?
If you want to use a salt treatment for bed bugs, you can follow these steps:
- You must remove all the sheets from your home.
- Take the bedding directly to the washing machine. You can use three tablespoons of borax, which is also a kind of salt, and wash with hot water.
- Dry bedding at the highest temperature you can.
- Use a flashlight so you can inspect all areas of your bed, mattress, and surroundings.
- Check baseboards, end tables, cabinets, small cracks in the walls, etc.
- You can use a vacuum cleaner so that you can remove the visible bed bugs and the eggs.
- You can use baking soda, which is another form of salt in a container, and you can use it in the cracks and crevices with a brush.
- You can sprinkle a large amount of baking soda on your mattress and box spring; it should rest for a few hours and then vacuum.
- Clean your house very well.