About the only effective use of bleach on bed bugs is using it regularly on white clothes and sheets while washing them in a very hot wash cycle. That being said, hot water or steam alone will kill bed bugs without the need for additional chemicals.
How Long Does it Take Bleach to Kill Bed Bugs? In general, a bleach treatment will kill all exposed bed bugs in a matter of 48 hours. Direct exposure might kill them immediately, but it will take longer for the entire colony to die. The bleach will dry after a day, and slowly settle in the air.
In order to get rid of bed bugs by washing your linens:
Use your normal detergent as needed. Wash the bedding at a high temperature (at least 140°F) for 90 minutes or more. Quickly transfer washed clothes to the dryer and dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes.
When directly applied to bed bugs, bleach attacks and changes the proteins in a bed bug's exoskeleton, or outer “skin,” so the bed bug cannot survive. Further, bed bugs are not attracted to bleach, which makes achieving direct contact with them incredibly difficult.
Bed bugs cannot be killed by simply washing clothes; you must dry the clothing in a high-heat dryer to kill them. The washing machine will kill a few bed bugs through agitation, water submersion, and detergent.
It has been shown that bed bugs in all stages of life die at a minimum dryer temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit — as long as that temperature is consistent for at least 30 minutes. So if your dryer isn't the best at drying your clothes, it may not reach the temperature needed to kill bed bugs.
When washing the items the bed bugs cannot survive being submerged in the washing liquid. Moreover, the heat of a standard wash cycle will also kill them and their eggs.
Can you kill bed bugs with hydrogen peroxide? Hydrogen peroxide can kill bed bugs on contact. However, it is not as lethal to bed bugs as other chemicals such as isopropyl alcohol. Unfortunately, hydrogen peroxide also stains linens and clothing because it is a bleaching agent.
In fact, it's one of the most effective products for killing bed bugs and other types of insects. Lysol is a disinfectant that contains active ingredients such as ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol, both of which are proven to be toxic to bed bugs.
Conclusion. Washing clothes at extremely hot temperatures will kill bed bugs even without running them through a hot dry cycle. If you want to use the dryer, set it to high heat to kill bed bugs quickly. Washing your clothes at 140⁰C for 30 minutes is enough to kill bed bugs, nymphs, and eggs.
It's important to follow proper protocol when you wash your clothes to prevent spreading bed bugs. Most importantly, everything that goes into the wash should come from a sealed plastic bag and everything that comes out of the dryer goes directly into a new plastic bag.
As discussed earlier, vinegar, particularly white distilled, can kill bed bugs because of its powerful acetic acid content. However, the chemical only becomes a viable bed bug killer if it comes in direct contact with the said pest.
Make a mixture of hot water and bleach in a spray bottle. Wearing rubber utility gloves to protect your hands, spray liberally on the mattress (including bed corners, box spring, and edges) and any other affected furniture.
Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that baking soda works to kill bed bugs. Baking soda is said to dehydrate bed bugs. While baking soda may kill off one or two bugs, it's rarely strong enough to get rid of an entire infestation.
Bed bug eggs are slightly more resilient to heat than adult bed bugs. At 118 °F, eggs require 90 minutes of heat exposure to be killed. At MMPC, we provide professional bed bug heat treatments using ambient heat at high temperatures to efficiently and reliably exterminate bed bugs and bed bug eggs.
Mattresses and pillows make potential habitats for bed bugs. Pillows may also be host to bed bug eggs, making them a potential point of bed bug infestations. A possible sign that bed bugs have infested pillows may be the appearance of bites.
The truth is that while washing your clothes or linens will kill most of the bed bugs, the heat of drying your items is what will ultimately exterminate any and all remaining bugs. As we mentioned above, bed bugs do not tolerate heat.
Bed bugs aren't huge fans of cedar or peppermint scents. A bar of Grove Co.'s Hydrating Bar Soap in cedar + sage or peppermint will do the trick. Snag a few of these and put them near the floorboards by your bed or tuck 'em inside your bed frame to keep bed bugs at bay.
A: Dryer sheets themselves do not kill bed bugs. They may act as a temporary repellent, but they will not eliminate an infestation.
Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, are the most effective killers of bed bugs. Washing your bedding and clothing in hot water should kill off any bed bugs and bed bug eggs effectively. Make sure you are cautious when moving your infested items to the washing machine, though.