Does Washing Clothes Kill Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are small insects that can be difficult to spot until they become a widespread issue, infesting multiple rooms in a home. Bed bugs feed on mammals by biting them in their sleep and ingesting their blood. While they are not proven to be dangerous, they can be a nuisance. For a bed bug treatment to be effective, there has to be a thorough approach that involves the use of heat, insecticides, and cleaning. Washing clothes can kill bed bugs, as long as it is done with hot water. High temperature kills bed bugs, but will washing clothes kill bed bugs? Most likely it will but you would need to follow certain steps to guarantee the effectiveness of the process. However, there is no guarantee that washing with cold water will destroy a bed bug problem. 

While bed bugs can hitch a ride on your clothing, luggage, or furniture, once they enter your home, they can hide in a nearly infinite number of places. Bed bugs can survive in a closet, mattress, box spring, baseboard, thus a more comprehensive approach must be taken. Laundry is a big part of the process. Typically, before an extermination, we ask customers to remove all clothing, bed linens, and curtains from the space we are going to be treating. All items need to be placed in sealable, plastic bags to prevent bed bugs from scattering. All those items have to be washed at the highest allowable heat setting to not only destroy any insects but their eggs as well. 

It is imperative that all clothing items are removed before the extermination takes place. This is done so that the exterminator can apply heat and insecticides to ultimately barricade your living space from any intrusion. Once the treatment is complete, then you can take the treated clothing and linens and place them in their original locations. If you need a fast way to rid your property of bed bugs, hire Bed Bug Exterminator Toronto for a guaranteed removal of your bed bug presence.

While heat alone can be effective, it does not guarantee that all insects will be removed. The most comprehensive treatment you can have is a combination of heat and insecticides with a residual capacity. As licensed exterminators, we have access to products that not only kill insects on contact, but also create a barrier to stop any infestations from reoccurring. Washing and drying clothing is important, but it should only be part of a treatment. If you are experiencing a bed bug problem, doing laundry is a good starting point, but it shouldn’t stop there. Bed bugs are notoriously hard to get rid of and, in most cases, require professional attention. Contact Pest Control Toronto for a consultation. Our professional team will be able to guide you in the right direction, provide advice, and put your bed bug problem to an end.