Heat is what kills bed bugs in laundry. A hot wash at 60 °C works, and a hot tumble dry of at least 30 minutes works too. A cool or warm wash on its own may not. So the safest routine is to bag the items, move them straight to the machine, and finish with a long, hot dry.
This guide covers the temperatures and timings that research supports. It also shows how to carry laundry without spreading bugs, and what to do with items that cannot take heat.
What the NHS and the research say
The NHS advises a hot wash at 60 °C and a tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes for affected bedding and clothing. The research behind that advice comes from the UK. Naylor and Boase, working at the University of Sheffield, put adults, nymphs and eggs inside cotton pouches in garments. They then tested several treatments.
Washing at 60 °C killed every life stage. A hot tumble dry of at least 30 minutes also killed every stage. By contrast, soaking in plain water for 24 hours killed the active stages but not the eggs. Dry cleaning and freezing at -17 °C for at least two hours also worked (Naylor and Boase, 2010).
The study does not tell us whether cooler washes would work. Therefore, treat anything below 60 °C as unproven. The US Environmental Protection Agency says the same thing in plainer terms. It warns that washing alone will generally not kill bed bugs, while time in a hot dryer does.
Why the dryer matters most
A dryer heats clothes through and keeps them hot for the whole cycle. For this reason, it is the most reliable step for most households. Many items are also safer in a dryer than in a 60 °C wash, because wool and delicate fabrics may shrink or fade in hot water.
For example, a duvet that cannot take a 60 °C wash might still go in a dryer on a hot setting. Check the care label first. Heat that damages the fabric is not worth the risk, so use another route when the label says no.
You can also skip the wash. If clothes are already clean but may carry bugs, put them straight in the dryer for 30 minutes on high heat. The EPA gives the same time for any item that can take it. This is handy after a trip or a visit to a friend’s home.
How to carry laundry without spreading bugs
Moving laundry is the risky moment. A bug that falls off a pile in the hallway can start a new colony in another room. To avoid this, bag everything where it lies, and seal the bag before you lift it.
Use strong plastic bags and tie them tightly. The EPA recommends sealed plastic bags for any item moved from one area to another. It also says never to move items from an infested area to a clean one. Carry the bags directly to the machine, then open them over the drum.
After the dry, put the clean items into fresh sealed bags or a clean container. Then keep them away from the room being treated until the treatment is finished. Otherwise, you can re-contaminate the load in minutes. Throw away the first bag, or wash it too if it is cloth.
What to do with items that cannot be washed
Some things cannot take a hot wash or dryer. Examples include a leather jacket, a pillow with a “do not tumble dry” label, or a rug. You still have choices. The NHS says to seal such items in a plastic bag and freeze them for two to three weeks. Our post on whether freezing kills bed bugs explains what a home freezer can and cannot do.
Dry cleaning with perchloroethylene also killed bed bugs in the Sheffield study. Ask the cleaner to treat the load as a pest-affected one, and bag it again when it comes back. Alternatively, a provider may heat or steam awkward items on site. Our guides on professional heat treatment and steam treatment explain what each method reaches.
Where laundry fits in the bigger plan
Laundry only deals with what you can carry. However, it does nothing about bugs in the bed frame, the skirting or the sofa. For these, you need a wider plan. The page on DIY bed bug treatment lists the useful steps and the stop points. You can compare the options on the treatment comparison page.
Before a visit, do your washing as part of preparing a room. Your provider may want some items left in place, so ask first. Then, after a visit, our aftercare guide explains how to clean up without removing a product that is meant to stay.
Laundry also matters when you travel. Our post on avoiding bed bugs after a trip shows how to unpack straight into the machine. To check whether anything survived, read about signs a treatment has worked. A trap under each bed leg can help too, as our post on interceptor traps explains.
If your bedroom still has bugs, shop-bought sprays are not a shortcut, so read why before you buy one. A chemical-free alternative for cracks is covered in our post on desiccant dusts at home. Meanwhile, how long a heat treatment takes shows what a whole-room approach involves.
Finally, never spray a product onto bedding or clothing unless the label says you may. The safety and label guide covers what to check first. Heat does the work in laundry, so you rarely need a chemical there. Because the label sets the rules, follow it exactly.
Sources
- NHS. Bedbugs: how to get rid of them.
- Naylor RA, Boase CJ (2010). Practical solutions for treating laundry infested with Cimex lectularius. Journal of Economic Entomology 103(1):136–139.
- US EPA. Preparing for treatment against bed bugs.
- US EPA. Tips for travel.