Bed bugs can die in a washing machine, but drowning alone isn’t what kills them. Water submersion for 24 hours causes significant mortality in adult bed bugs, yet a typical wash cycle lasts only 30 to 60 minutes. The real killing power comes from hot water temperature, mechanical agitation, and especially the dryer that follows.
Why Bed Bugs Are Hard to Drown
Bed bugs breathe through tiny openings called spiracles located on the underside of their abdomen. These openings are small enough that water doesn’t flood in easily, giving bed bugs surprising resistance to submersion. Lab research shows that immersing adult bed bugs in water for a full 24 hours produces significant mortality, but shorter exposure has far less effect. A standard wash cycle simply doesn’t keep them underwater long enough for drowning to be reliable on its own.
Eggs are even tougher. In the same research, submerging bed bug eggs in water for 24 hours had no measurable effect on their survival. The egg casing is highly resistant to moisture, which means a cold or lukewarm wash cycle could leave eggs completely viable, ready to hatch days later on your clean laundry.
Heat Is What Actually Kills Them
Temperature, not water, is the primary weapon in your washing machine. Bed bugs die within 20 minutes at 118°F and within 90 minutes at 113°F. Their eggs are harder to destroy: they require 118°F sustained for 90 minutes to reach 100% kill rates. Clothes laundered in hot water and dried at temperatures above 122°F for 20 minutes will kill all life stages, from newly hatched nymphs to adults to eggs.
This is why the hot water setting matters so much. Most home water heaters are set between 120°F and 140°F, which puts a hot wash cycle right in the lethal range for adult bed bugs. But because wash cycles don’t maintain peak temperature for the full duration, and because eggs need longer heat exposure, the wash alone isn’t a guarantee.
The Dryer Matters More Than the Wash
A loosely filled dryer set on high is capable of killing all bed bug life stages, including eggs, in 30 minutes. The sustained, dry heat of a dryer reaches temperatures well above the 118°F threshold and maintains it consistently throughout the cycle. This makes the dryer the more reliable step in the process.
If you have items that can’t be washed but can be tumble-dried (pillows, stuffed animals, shoes), running them through a high-heat dryer cycle for at least 30 minutes can be effective even without washing first. The key is not to overload the dryer. Packing it full creates cool pockets where bed bugs and their eggs can survive.
Does Laundry Detergent Help?
Detergent provides a modest additional benefit. Surfactants in soap reduce water’s surface tension, making it harder for bed bugs to trap air against their bodies and resist submersion. Some plant oil and detergent-based products have shown effectiveness against bed bugs in lab testing. However, standard laundry detergent alone, without hot water, isn’t enough to reliably kill bed bugs or their eggs. Think of it as a helpful addition, not the main strategy.
How to Launder Bed Bug-Infested Items
Start by sealing infested clothing, bedding, or fabric items in plastic bags before transporting them to your laundry area. This prevents bed bugs from escaping and spreading to other parts of your home along the way. Sort laundry as you normally would, keeping loads manageable so heat can penetrate evenly.
Set both the washer and dryer to the hottest setting the fabric can safely tolerate. For delicate items that can’t handle high heat in the washer, hand-washing in soapy water between 100°F and 120°F can help, but you should still follow with a high-heat dryer cycle when possible. After washing, run the dryer on high for at least 30 minutes with the load loosely filled.
Once items are clean and dried, store them in fresh sealed bags or bins until you’re confident the infestation in your home is resolved. Putting clean clothes back into an infested dresser or closet defeats the purpose.
What About Items You Can’t Wash or Dry?
For items that can’t go through a washer or dryer, freezing is an alternative. Placing sealed items in a freezer at 23°F or colder for at least five days kills bed bugs at all life stages. This works for books, electronics accessories, or delicate fabrics that would be damaged by heat. Professional pest control services also use whole-room heat treatments, maintaining 118°F for at least 70 minutes to eliminate infestations from furniture, carpeting, and other items that don’t fit in a machine.
Laundering is one effective piece of a bed bug treatment plan, but it only addresses what you can fit in the machine. Bed bugs hiding in mattress seams, behind baseboards, or inside furniture won’t be affected by your laundry routine and typically require additional treatment methods.