Bed Bug Washing Temperature

Washing at lower temperatures will kill adults and nymphs but most bed bugs eggs will survive.

Bed bug washing temperature.

Follow the instructions for the machine and cover every surface of the fabric to kill the bugs and the eggs. Temperature related bed bug control. Temperature that kills bed bugs. A sustained temperature of 120 degrees fahrenheit will kill all stages of the bed bug s lifecycle.

Miller of the department of entomology at virginia tech 113 degree temperatures kill bedbugs within 90 minutes but the bugs die at 118 degrees in only 20 minutes. So ensure that you wash your clothes beddings and other washable infested items in the hottest water to kill bed bugs at all stages of development. Key steps in washing clothes to control bed bugs. If the temperature is 17 0 c the bug lives no longer than 24 hours but as a rule death occurs after 2 3 hours.

Using freezing cold temperatures to kill bed bugs is one option. Adult bed bugs die at 119 degrees fahrenheit and their heat resistant eggs require temperatures upwards of 125 degrees. You know that bed bug infestation is not just confined to bed area. At what temperature do the larvae of bed bugs die.

This high temperature will kill all bed bugs and their eggs in your clothing. Bed bugs don t live in clothes like body lice but they will hide in clothes or shoes. At 20 degrees they can live from 20 minutes to 2 3 hours. How to kill bed bugs with heat.

What temperature do bed bugs die at. The steamer temperature must reach between 160 and 180 degrees f. For a 30 minute wash cycle. The appropriate temperature for killing bed bugs using a washing machine is 140 f for a 30 minutes wash cycle.

One hundred percent of bed bugs are killed when wash water is 140 f. On the other end of the spectrum the temperature at which adult bed bugs freeze to death is 19 48 f. They can be found all over the house. If they are exposed to about 120 f they die within 15 20 minutes.

Although these can be tricky to achieve in a residential setting it isn t impossible. Studies have found that bed bugs and their eggs cannot tolerate high temperatures. With a few common sense practices you can easily disinfest clothes and ensure these items do not become bed bug hiding places as you remove bed bugs from the rest of your home. It s possible to eradicate bed bugs from laundered clothing bedding and household textiles like drapes and area rugs but it takes heat to do it.

Instead of washing delicate clothing or pillows in a washer use a clothes steamer. Put an infested object such as bedding or pillows in a sealed plastic bag then put it in a freezer at zero degrees fahrenheit for about four days.