What Temperature Should I Wash Clothes to Kill Bed Bugs?
WouterThe first step to kill bedbugs is to wash all infected clothes in the highest temperature you can. To do this, first sort your clothes. You can use a plastic bag to separate the items by category. Put them in separate plastic bags so they don’t move around. Next, identify the labels on the items. If possible, read the labels and select the appropriate cycle for the type of clothes you have.
The temperature at which you wash bedbug-infested clothes should be a minimum of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This will kill the bugs on the fabric and also kill the eggs and nymphs. While rubbing alcohol will kill the live bugs, it will not kill the eggs. Aside from washing your clothes at the highest temperature possible, you should also pre-treat any stains before putting them into the washing machine.
When washing bedbug-infested clothes, you should remove the bags from the clothes before emptying them into the washer. Otherwise, you can spread the bedbugs in the air. If the clothes are in bags, make sure they are sealed and placed in outdoor trash receptacles. If you are going to dry clean only, you should dry them on high heat for at least 30 minutes before transferring them back to their bags.
If you have a high-end dryer, the heat produced by the dryer is a great way to kill bedbugs in any stage of their life cycle. The heat from the dryer is sufficient to kill bedbug eggs, but you should be aware that some dryers take longer to heat up to the required temperature. Nevertheless, this method is not the best choice for washing bedbug-infested clothes.
