If you find you've got a bed bug outbreak in your home, you don't have to bin your prized bedding, just wash your sheets at the right temperature – and it will work for your towels too.
To make sure these pests and their eggs are dead, you can't just throw them in the washing machine for a cycle as bed bugs are very tough and can survive some really unpleasant conditions with relative ease. The key to successfully ridding these items of bed bugs is to wash and dry it with the highest heat to make sure they are all eradicated.
Bed bugs are very tiny blood-sucking insects that hide in the hard-to-reach areas of furniture and fabrics, only coming out at night to find and bite warm-blooded animals, including humans and pets. The creepy crawlies cause itchy sores that appear in a zig-zag formation, with each cluster typically containing three to five bites.
And the experts at Bed Bug Specialist say they have the ideal answer to removing the bugs and saving your prized bedding using the “best washing machine temperature”. They said: “One of their weaknesses is high temperature. Washing laundry at 60C (140F) for 30 minutes terminates all bed bugs and their eggs. Lowering the temperature to 40C (104F) kills all adult bed bugs, but only 25 percent of the eggs.”
However, they cautioned that the bedding and towels need to be added to a “sealed bag or container” to avoid the risk of spreading pests to other places in the home as you take them to the washing machine. The experts added: “It’s better to use disposable bags which have seals on top, or you can tie up. Then put the bags in the washing machine and open or rip them inside.
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“This way, you avoid spreading bed bugs onto the ground around the machine. Of course, put the used bags into another, clean bag, seal it and throw it in an outdoor rubbish bin.”
Once washed add the laundry to the tumble dryer and put it on the highest heat the linen can handle for “at least 30 minutes” to ensure there's no chance of the bed bugs or their eggs surviving.
Bedding specialists also suggest washing linen weekly — and more often if there’s an infestation. They also suggest trying to use heat on mattresses, such as with a steam cleaner, to kill off any bugs hiding there.
Carl Walsh, founder of Bed Guru gave his advice on how to thoroughly clean your mattress to eliminate any bedbugs. He said: "Vacuum the entire mattress, paying special attention to seams, folds and crevices. This will remove dead skin, dust, dirt and most importantly bed bugs! You will also need to vacuum the surrounding area, this includes the carpet, bed frame, baseboards, under-bed storage and nearby furniture.
"Using a high-temperature steam cleaner will effectively kill bed bugs and their eggs. Be cautious not to over-wet the mattress. Cover your mattress in bed bug-proof encasements. This will prevent any new infestations as well as ensure all remaining bed bugs cannot escape or feed, and eventually, they will die."
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