No — baking soda does not kill bed bugs. This is one of the most persistent home remedy myths on the internet, but there’s no scientific evidence supporting it. Spreading baking soda around your home will not eliminate an infestation. You’ll end up with a mess and still have bed bugs.

Where Did This Myth Come From?

The claim usually goes something like this: baking soda absorbs moisture from bed bugs’ outer shells (cuticles), causing them to dehydrate and die. Or alternatively, that the fine particles cut into the bugs’ bodies. Both theories sound plausible on the surface — similar mechanisms are cited for other home remedies like diatomaceous earth.

The problem is that there’s no peer-reviewed research confirming baking soda kills bed bugs at any practical concentration or application rate. Diatomaceous earth, by contrast, does have some scientific support as a supplementary tool — though it’s still not a standalone solution for an active infestation.

Internet home remedy lists spread fast, and this one has become particularly stubborn — despite pest control professionals consistently pointing out that it doesn’t work.

Other Bed Bug Home Remedies That Don’t Work

Baking soda has plenty of company in the “doesn’t actually work” category:

  • Rubbing alcohol — kills bugs on direct contact, but has no residual effect and evaporates quickly. Misses the vast majority of the infestation. Also a fire hazard.
  • Essential oils (tea tree, lavender, peppermint) — some have mild repellent properties in lab settings but are not effective treatments for an active infestation
  • Dryer sheets — no meaningful effect on bed bugs
  • Ultrasonic repellers — multiple studies have found these devices ineffective against bed bugs
  • Vinegar — kills on contact but leaves no residual and misses hidden bugs entirely
  • Bug bombs / foggers — actually counterproductive. Bed bugs scatter deeper into wall voids and harborages in response to foggers, spreading the infestation

The pattern here: most home remedies might affect the bugs you can see. They don’t reach the hundreds (or thousands) of bugs hiding in seams, behind outlets, under baseboards, and inside furniture joints.

What Actually Works Against Bed Bugs

The treatments that research and field experience back up:

  • treatment — sustained heat above 120°F kills bed bugs at all life stages, including eggs. Professional treatments using specialized equipment can penetrate deep into furniture and wall voids
  • Professional chemical treatment — licensed pest professionals have access to EPA-registered insecticides that are far more effective than consumer products, applied with precision to harborage areas
  • Mattress encasements — traps bugs inside the mattress and prevents new harborage on treated surfaces
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) — combining multiple approaches (assessment, treatment, monitoring, prevention) for the most thorough results

Attempting DIY treatment delays professional intervention, allows the population to grow, and can complicate treatment if bugs scatter in response to ineffective products.

When to Call a Professional

If you have confirmed bed bugs — you’ve seen a live bug, found fecal staining, or identified bite patterns — call a professional now. Don’t spend weeks on home remedies that won’t solve the problem. Every delay allows the infestation to expand, potentially into adjacent rooms or units.

A single fertilized female bed bug can produce hundreds of eggs over her lifetime. Small infestations caught early are dramatically easier and less costly to treat than established ones.

What Miller Pest Solutions Does

Miller Pest Solutions doesn’t waste your time or money on ineffective approaches. We’ve been treating bed bugs for families in Des Moines, Kansas City, and Omaha since 2001, and we use targeted, professionally-applied treatments that actually work. As a QualityPro Certified company, our technicians receive rigorous training and follow established industry protocols.

We conduct a full assessment, develop a customized treatment plan, and follow up to confirm the infestation is resolved. We also give you realistic expectations about what treatment involves and what you can do to reduce reinfestation risk.

Get the full picture at our bed bug treatment page.

Get a Free Phone Bid

Skip the baking soda and call the professionals. Miller Pest Solutions offers free phone bids — tell us what you’re seeing and we’ll give you honest information and a quote. Reach Des Moines at (816) 420-0340, Kansas City at (816) 409-3884, or Omaha at (402) 532-8863. Or submit a request online.