Bed bugs are the worst because once you get them in your home, it’s incredibly challenging to get rid of them. They bite you while you sleep, and you never feel it until later. The marks look bad. Worse still, they itch or can even get infected, causing a lot of pain. Even pest control experts have a tough time getting rid of them, so what about natural solutions like camphor? Can you really use the oil from a tree to do what specialists have a hard time clearing up even using all their tech and chemicals? Well, the answer is slightly complicated. I’ll explain the safe and practical uses of camphor so you’ll be safe if you bring any part of this tree into your home. Before you jump to using any product, you should always read the warnings and safety instructions. Otherwise, you could have a worse problem than you started with.
Does camphor repel bed bugs? Camphor does repeal bed bugs. However, you need to be careful about how and where you apply camphor products because they are potentially hazardous to your health. Fortunately, once you have the facts, you can use this surprisingly effective natural solution to your pest insect problems.
Camphor Works to Repel Bed Bugs
Before we talk about the potential problems with using camphor, let’s take a long look at the enemy, bed bugs. These creepy little critters are even worse than you might expect. Because of their size, bed bugs can squeeze int the smallest spaces to hide from exterminators and home remedies.
Did you know that half of bed bug infestations can happen without you knowing they’re even there? About fifty percent of people don’t show any marks from the insects. Frighteningly, that doesn’t mean you’re not getting eaten in your sleep.
Regrettably, the other half of all people have reactions to bed bugs. The itching quickly becomes unbearable. Moreover, the marks make you look awful, and bed bugs aren’t precisely discerning about where they bite you.
The one upside is that bed bugs aren’t carriers of any known diseases. That means you don’t have to worry about viral infections. However, that doesn’t mean it’s safe or healthy to have bed bugs around. They drain your blood after all.
Weirder still, bed bugs know when you’re sleeping. Furthermore, they know exactly when you hit the deepest part of your sleep cycle. Typically bed bugs feed more about two hours before sunrise, and they will hide if you roll over, only to come back and finish their meal once you settle back into a restful state.
Why Camphor Works on Bed Bugs
You don’t need to be an entomologist (bug specialist) to know that insects evolve immunities rapidly. Because they live short lives and often have hundreds of offspring, bug evolution is much quicker than mammals like us. That means they can easily shrug off the effects of conventional chemical pesticides in a few generations.
Resultantly, exterminators have a much tougher job than you might expect. Hence the experts and DIYers at home have begun turning back to more natural and long-lasting solutions for help. According to one study, “When tested as fumigants, thymol, carvacrol, linalool (common in basil) and camphor (camphor tree) were most effective.”
The long and short of it is that camphor, among other essential oils like clove, carvacrol, lemongrass, thyme, and oregano, is toxic to bedbugs. It can kill them. Naturally, the amounts vary, but the point here is that camphor will repel and even kill your bed bugs. That’s excellent news for those seeking a less chemical packed solution to their infestation.
Try a bottle of Ola Prima Premium Quality Camphor Essential Oil on your pest problem. Use a squirt bottle to get into the nooks and crannies where these pests hide. The therapeutic grade oil is good for diffusers, skincare blends, and more. Check the excellent Amazon reviews here.
The Trouble with Camphor
Camphor isn’t just for bed bugs. For centuries this aromatic and powerful oil has been used for numerous health benefits. Unfortunately, many of the treatments aren’t backed by any substantial evidence. For example, using this oil on cold sores, toenail fungus, and hemorrhoids is wasteful, ineffective, and sometimes dangerous.
It’s important to know that you should never ingest camphor. Furthermore, you should never allow camphor to touch broken skin. Getting camphor inside your body can cause severe reactions and even death in extreme cases. Camphor is poisonous if you put it inside your body.
That said, there’s good evidence that it works topically as a pain killer. Additionally, it can help reduce itching on the surface of the skin. Finally, inhaled camphor can help with a cough. However, you need to practice extreme caution if you plan to breathe camphor in because it can poison you if you get too much in a short period.
Camphor & Children
You should not use camphor on or around children. It is easily absorbed through the skin inside the nose, and though it is sold as an additive for humidifiers, camphor may not be safe for young people. Doctors have warned that topical rubs, inhalants, and folk remedies using camphor have poisoned many children.
Originally all camphor came from the camphor tree, but now it’s mostly produced using turpentine. No studies are showing the link between the use of turpentine-camphor and whether it has become more dangerous for kids, but it’s safe to say, you should not use turpentine on humans.
Camphor & Pets
Just as human children are sensitive to camphor toxicity, so are your pets. Never apply any product containing camphor to a cat or dog. Moreover, if you have other animals, it’s best to consult a vet before letting them get near your camphor products.
If you suspect an animal or child has eaten a camphor product, like Vicks, you should consult an emergency doctor or poison control immediately. The American Association of Poison Control Centers can be reached twenty-four hours a day at 1-800-222-1222.
How to Safely Use Camphor on Bed Bugs
Assuming you do not have curious pets or small children, you can easily use camphor to kill and repel bed bugs in your home. First, make a spray using water and camphor oil. Shake well before each use and spray down any pieces of furniture you bring into your home. Doing this will help prevent a new infestation.
Next, you can add some camphor to any mopping water you use on hard floors to kill them in the cracks and around baseboards. Soak cotton balls in camphor to put it under couch cushions, and around the edges of rooms. Then you need to wash all the fabric in your home.
Unfortunately, this includes anything that’s not packed away in a sealed plastic bag. I recommend doing this all in one day, so you don’t re-infest clean items. Carpets, rugs, curtains, couch cushion covers, pillows, and everything else fabric needs to be washed or sprayed down with camphor oil-infused water.
Use hot water for washing, and once things are dry, bag them in plastic garbage bags. Toss a couple of those camphor cotton balls inside and tie them up tightly. Mattresses need to go outside in the sun and spend a couple of hours in direct sunlight. Furthermore, you need to rotate, so all of the beds get UV light for at least an hour on every side.
Cloth-covered couches and chairs can also get a UV treatment, or you can steam clean them before adding camphor cotton balls and replacing any cushions and covers. Don’t forget to spray the wooden parts with your camphor water mixture so the bugs can’t hide underneath.
Finally, take camphor tablets, and crush them inside a cloth bag. Place these bags between mattresses and box springs, inside closets, and in other areas of the house. Though this may seem like a lot of work, ridding your home of an infestation takes this much effort.
Use ELP Camphor Blocks from Amazon under furniture and between mattresses to help prevent and control infestations. These convenient refined tabs are simple to use. Plus you’ll appreciate the purity, and you can also use them outdoors to help keep insects away. To order ELP Camphor Blocks click here.
Spotting Bed Bugs
How can you be sure you have bed bugs? Although it’s sometimes undeniable that you have a bed bug infestation, waking up with bites isn’t the only way to tell. These crafty creatures can hide their bodies, but their feces (poop) is harder to stash away. Check the seams of your mattress for tiny black spots.
If your bed looks like someone took an incredibly fine point sharpie to your seams and made little dots, you’re sleeping in bed bug droppings. As gross as that is, there’s another easy way to spot bed bugs that’s a little less repulsive.
A UV flashlight is useful to have around the house anyway, but it’s great for spotting bed bug infestations. Bed bugs fluoresce under a blacklight. They are one to five millimeters in size, and rust-colored so they can be tough to see otherwise.
You’ll see glowing spots in cracks of the floor, ceiling, bed frame, or other small areas where these ingenious creatures can fit to avoid you. Don’t forget to check carpets and couches as well. Bed bugs like to live in or near anywhere you rest, and they often come into a home on secondhand furniture.
Once you’ve found out where the bed bugs are hiding, use a bottle of SVA Organics Camphor Essential Oil from Amazon to get rid of them quickly and efficiently. The steam distilled essential oil is bottled in the USA, so you can feel good about supporting local jobs. Moreover, the pure, organic and natural camphor is potent enough to handle any infestation. Click here to learn more.
Final Thoughts
Almost all professional exterminators have dealt with bed bug infestations before. Sadly, nearly seventy percent of them agree that bed bugs are the hardest pest insect to kill. Hence, it takes a lot to repel them and more to remove them entirely after they get inside.
As soon as you suspect bed bugs, it’s time to check. Grab a UV flashlight and go on a bug hunt. Luckily, the sooner you can confirm you have bed bugs, the easier it is to get rid of them before they breed more. Females can lay five eggs a day, and as many as five hundred in their lifetime, so don’t hesitate to act as quickly as possible.
Hopefully, you never have to deal with a bed bug infestation, but at least you know how to repel them now. Make sure you check regularly and treat as often as needed to get rid of bed bugs forever.
