Warning TikTok hack to 'get rid of bed bugs' amid infestation could cause a house fire and 'endanger lives'

People are being warned against using a TikTok hack which claims to get rid of bed bugs, among the on-going infestation - because it could cause your house to go up in flames.

The supposed hack has been shared in a TikTok video by Kate Mina Lin, who is a 19-year-old Korean and Taiwanese-American actress. In the video Lin, who has almost 70,000 followers on the social media site, encourages people to make their own bed bug repellent by mixing essential oils with rubbing alcohol.

She says that the trick has come from her mum, who has carried out research on the subject. However, it seems that, on this occasion, mother doesn’t actually know best. Lin claims that the hack will repel the bugs without “disgusting smelling things”. She explains “it consists of a whole bunch of essential oils, witch hazel or rubbing alcohol. She’s (mum’s) making it right now and it smells crazy.”

Her recommendation is to use the following essential oils; lavender, cedarwood, peppermint, te tree, lemongrass and eucalyptus. Twenty drops of each oil must be added to a container that is filled with half alcohol and half water, she said. She then shows viewers her spraying her suitcases with the homemade solution.

She did admit that her supposedly preventative measure was not “completely 100% foolproof” - but according to experts the spray could not only not actually prevent bed bugs but could also cause a huge safety issue.

‘Explosive results’

Mark Thomas, pest control expert at luxury property company Raffle House, warned that “essential oils and rubbing alcohol are extremely flammable and can light from just a small spark, producing explosive results”. 

He said spraying the solution on your belongings could be “very dangerous”. He added: “When spraying this mixture around your home, you are going to saturate the product into your fixtures and soft furnishings. If you cover your home in this flammable liquid you could start a fire that would spread rapidly endangering everyone's lives in your home."

Bed bugs are small insects that often live on furniture or bedding and feed on people’s blood, usually at night. Their bites can be itchy, but do not usually cause other health problems. Bed bugs are, however, very hard to get rid of because they can be hard to find and may be resistant to some insecticides.

If you think you have bed bugs, experts advise that you should contact your local council or pest control service.

Thomas added: “You need to consider that bed bugs don't just settle in your bed. They get everywhere, and like to live in your furniture, fittings and any cracks and crevices they can find.  This means that you would have to spray the mixture all around your home. Bed bugs are also prolific breeders and can lay up to 500 eggs in your home over a period of a few weeks, so when you notice a problem you need to act fast. Essential oils could repel them for a short period, but the effects would wear off before they would die.”

He continued: "When it comes to removing bed bugs, heat is a much better solution than chemicals. Heat can kill bed bugs in all stages of their lifecycle and can reach the smallest of cracks. Using heat you can denature the protein in a bed bug and cause dehydration which will lead to their death. By using hacks you see on social media you could put your family at risk and still be left with your bed bug problem."

Some TikTok users did also appear unconvinced by Lin’s solution. One commented on her video and said: “They have very resilient eggs. They may appear gone but reality is no.”