how to get rid of bed bugs in clothes and luggage

Introduction

You’re not alone if you’ve been wondering how to get rid of bed bugs in your clothes. It’s a big question for travelers and anyone who handles second-hand clothing. Luckily, there are some practical solutions for dealing with these pesky critters that don’t involve chemicals or pesticides (which work but can be dangerous).

Machine wash/dry everything

If you can’t afford to throw out everything that’s in contact with your bed bugs, don’t worry. The good news is that most of what you own can be cleaned and sterilized. As long as the item is machine washable (i.e., not made of leather), it should come out fine.

• Wash everything in hot water on a normal cycle, then dry on high heat. Make sure to leave nothing behind in the washer or dryer–the heat will kill any bed bug eggs or larvae that might still be lurking for another wash cycle!

• Do not use bleach or fabric softener; these products may make clothes less absorbent and more difficult to clean next time. If there’s already some built-up residue from previous washes, run an empty load first so the washing machine won’t get gunked up too quickly by all that detergent residue and sweatiness mixed into it from before (did I mention how gross it gets?).

• Don’t put anything through the dryer: even if they’re completely clean now, items might still harbor dormant eggs, which could hatch later when exposed again (this includes luggage). Instead, hang clothes outside if possible–if this isn’t possible, try using fans inside rooms where items are drying instead (they’ll blow away any remaining eggs).

Wash/dry in extreme heat

The next step in how to get rid of bed bugs in clothes and luggage is to wash and dry them in extreme heat. This can be done using the following methods:

• Hot wash cycle on the highest setting. This will kill any eggs, nymphs, or adults hiding inside the item of clothing (see below for more information on killing pests).

• Use hot water when washing your clothes by hand or in a machine. The higher temperature will also kill any remaining bed bug pests still living inside the fabric of your clothing.

• Tumble dry items on high heat for at least 90 minutes before reusing them (or donate or discard them if they’re too infested).

Use a dry cleaner

The most effective way to get rid of bed bugs in clothes is to take them to a professional dry cleaner. Dry cleaners use heat, steam, and chemicals to kill the bugs. But they need to dry clean everything even items that aren’t washable. This can be expensive but it’s worth it if you have bed bugs in your clothes!

Put dryer-safe items on high heat for 30 minutes.

If you have bed bugs in your clothes and luggage, you’ll want to wash them at least once before putting them away. You can use a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) for as long as 30 minutes to kill the adult bed bugs on dryer-safe items such as clothing, bedding, towels, blankets, and pillows. To be safe when killing all stages of bed bugs including eggs use hot water temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius).

At higher temperatures and with extended exposure times (up to four hours), disinfectants such as bleach or hydrogen peroxide may also be effective against bed bug infestations in these items; however, we recommend using heat treatment instead because it is more effective and less harmful than most chemicals.

Freeze them out

• Place the clothes in a plastic bag or container.

• Freeze for three days.

• Thaw in the sun for 24 hours before washing/drying to kill any remaining eggs, nymphs, and adult bugs hiding inside the clothing.

You can kill bed bugs in clothes with heat and cold.

You can kill bed bugs in clothes with heat. Heat is the best way to kill bed bugs because it will dry them out and cause their bodies to decompose. Heat will also help you recover your belongings faster than freezing or machine washing, which are good ways to kill bed bugs but not necessarily as quickly as heat-treating your clothes.

Please don’t rely on dry cleaning alone; it’s better used in combination with other methods like high-heat blasting or steaming. Suppose you stick with dry cleaning and don’t have access to a professional cleaner who specializes in disinfecting items that may have been exposed to pests (like ourselves!). We recommend removing any outer layers before sending them out so they don’t come back home covered in dead insects (and then go inside your house).

Conclusion

All these methods will get rid of bed bugs in your clothes, but they’re not all created equal. A dry cleaner might charge you a lot of money and take forever to get your clothes back. Machine washing and drying is the most convenient option, but it can be expensive depending on how many pieces you have and how much time it takes to dry out again after being washed. Freezing items overnight should kill off any remaining pests hiding inside before placing them back into storage or wearing them again!