Does Washing Clothes Kill Bed Bugs?

Yes, washing and drying clothes kills bed bugs -- but the dryer is the real weapon. The EPA recommends drying on high heat for at least 30 minutes to reliably kill all bed bug life stages. The sustained high heat of a dryer cycle is what kills bed bugs at all life stages, including eggs. Here is how to do it correctly.

I always tell my clients that proper laundering is one of the most accessible and effective tools they have during bed bug treatment. In my practice, I provide a specific protocol: sort items directly into sealed bags in the infested room, carry them to the laundry without opening, and transfer directly into the machine. This prevents bugs from dropping off and spreading during transport.

What Temperature Kills Bed Bugs?

According to Purdue Extension, bed bugs die at temperatures above 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) when exposed for at least 20 minutes. Eggs are slightly more resilient but still die at sustained temperatures above 120 degrees F.

A typical home dryer on the "high" setting reaches 135 to 150 degrees F, which is well above the lethal threshold.

The Washing Machine

Hot water washing (at least 130 degrees F) will kill many bed bugs, but the agitation and water immersion are not as reliable as heat alone. Warm or cold water cycles are not effective. If your washer's hot setting does not reach 130 degrees F, the washing step may not kill all bugs.

The Dryer Is Key

The dryer provides consistent, sustained heat that kills bed bugs and eggs reliably. Here are the guidelines:

• Dry on the highest heat setting for at least 30 minutes.
• Items that are already dry can go directly into the dryer without washing first.
• Do not overload the dryer -- items need room for hot air to circulate around them.

Step-by-Step Laundry Process

1. Sort and bag items in the infested room. Place clothing and bedding directly into sealed plastic bags to prevent bugs from spreading during transport to the laundry.
2. Carefully empty bags directly into the washing machine or dryer. Dispose of the plastic bag immediately (seal and throw it away outside).
3. Wash on hot (130 degrees F or higher) if the fabric allows. Use any detergent.
4. Dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes.
5. Transfer clean items into fresh, clean bags or bins. Do not return clothes to an infested dresser or closet until those areas have been treated.

What About Delicate Items?

For items that cannot withstand hot water or high dryer heat:

• Try medium heat in the dryer for a longer cycle (60 minutes).
• Dry cleaning kills bed bugs, but inform the dry cleaner so they can take precautions.
• Seal items in a plastic bag and freeze at 0 degrees F for at least 4 days.
• Use a portable heat chamber designed for bed bug treatment.

What About Shoes, Stuffed Animals, and Pillows?

These items can generally go in the dryer on high heat. Place shoes in a pillowcase or mesh bag to reduce noise and potential damage. Stuffed animals should tolerate a 30-minute high-heat dryer cycle. Pillows can be dried on high heat as well -- check the care label first.

Does Dry Cleaning Kill Bed Bugs?

Yes. The chemical solvents and temperatures used in dry cleaning kill bed bugs. However, let the dry cleaner know about the situation so they can handle the items properly and avoid spreading bugs to other customers' garments.

Important Tips

• The NPMA advises that you should not carry infested laundry through the house in open baskets -- use sealed bags.
• Treat the laundry area (folding tables, laundry baskets) to ensure it is not a secondary infestation site.
• Continue laundering bedding weekly on hot throughout the treatment process.

For a complete treatment approach, see How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs.

See our Complete Guide to Bed Bugs for comprehensive information on identification, prevention, and treatment.

How to Identify

Before laundering, confirm that bed bugs are actually present in the area. Check mattress seams, box spring edges, headboard brackets, and bed frame joints with a bright flashlight. Look for dark fecal spots that bleed slightly into fabric, shed translucent exoskeletons in seam corners, and cream-colored eggs in tight crevices. In clothing and bedding specifically, check folds, seams, waistbands, and collar areas -- bed bugs don't typically live in clothing people are actively wearing, but they do harbor in clothing stored near the sleeping area or in drawers adjacent to infested furniture. Live adults are flat, oval, reddish-brown, and apple-seed sized; nymphs are smaller and paler. If you find evidence in the laundry area itself -- inside a laundry basket or on a shelf near the sleeping area -- treat those surfaces as part of the laundry protocol. Our post on signs of bed bugs covers complete identification.

Risk and Severity

The risk of improperly handled laundry during a bed bug infestation is secondary spread. Carrying infested bedding or clothing through the home in an open basket before laundering can drop bugs in hallways, on couches, and in other rooms, creating new harborage sites outside the original infestation zone. Using the laundry area as a sorting area without cleaning it afterward can establish bugs in a location where every subsequent load becomes a potential introduction vector. According to the NPMA, proper laundry technique -- bagging in the infested room, transporting sealed, and disposing of the bag outside -- is a critical containment step, not just a treatment step. Incorrect technique can undo effective treatment in other areas by creating a secondary population from bugs dropped during careless transport. The 10 extra seconds to seal a bag before walking through the home prevents weeks of additional treatment effort.

Prevention

Regular high-heat laundering of bedding is one of the lowest-effort prevention tools available. Washing sheets and pillowcases weekly on hot water and drying on high heat kills any bugs that may have been inadvertently introduced since the last wash, before a population has a chance to establish. This is the laundry equivalent of regular inspection -- not a response to a known problem but a continuous clearing of potential early introductions. After any travel, launder all clothing directly rather than storing it in your bedroom first. Use a dedicated laundry bag kept inside a sealed plastic bag for travel clothing to prevent hitchhikers from accessing other belongings before laundering. Store clean clothing in sealed containers rather than open drawers when managing an active infestation, and return to normal storage once the infestation is confirmed clear. See how to prevent bed bugs for the full prevention framework beyond laundry.

Main Causes

Bed bugs reach a home almost exclusively through hitchhiking. Used furniture, secondhand mattresses, luggage returning from infested hotels, library books, and clothing carried in laundry bags from infested laundromats account for most introductions. In multi-unit housing, established populations migrate between units through shared wall voids, electrical conduits, and floor seams when an adjacent unit is heavily infested or treated improperly. They are attracted only by warmth, carbon dioxide, and skin volatiles, so cleanliness does not influence the risk of introduction. Once present, a single mated female produces enough eggs to launch a full infestation within six to ten weeks, and survivors of partial treatments rebound quickly because eggs and pupae resist most household insecticides.

Solutions and Actions

Eliminate bed bugs through an integrated protocol rather than any single method. Encase the mattress and box spring in certified bed-bug-proof covers; this traps any bugs inside the bed and prevents new ones from establishing in the most attractive harborage. Install interceptor traps under every bed leg to monitor activity and intercept bugs traveling to and from the bed. Wash all bedding and recently worn clothing in hot water and dry on high heat for at least thirty minutes. Vacuum mattress seams, baseboards, and cracks daily, disposing of bag contents outside in a sealed container. Apply targeted residual sprays to cracks and crevices, then plan to repeat the whole protocol every seven to ten days for three to four cycles. Heavy infestations or repeated treatment failures warrant a licensed professional with heat or fumigation capability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does washing clothes in hot water kill bed bugs?

Washing in hot water can kill many bed bugs, but the drying cycle is the more critical step. Running items through a dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes reliably kills all bed bug life stages including eggs.

Do I need to wash all my clothes if I have bed bugs?

You should wash and dry all clothing, bedding, and textiles that were in or near the infested area. Items stored in sealed containers away from the infestation may not need treatment. Focus first on items from the bedroom and adjacent areas.

Can I just put clothes in the dryer without washing them first?

Yes. If items are clean but potentially exposed to bed bugs, running them through a high-heat dryer cycle for 30 minutes is sufficient. The heat, not the water, is what kills bed bugs and their eggs.

What is the safest laundry alternative for dry-clean-only bed bug items?

Professional dry cleaning is usually the safest option for dry-clean-only items because the process can kill bed bugs without a home wash cycle. Call ahead and disclose the possible exposure so the cleaner can follow containment procedures. If cleaning is not available, sealed freezing at 0 degrees F for at least four days is safer than guessing with heat-sensitive fabrics.