Getting rid of bedbugs or fleas can be a challenge, especially since they require different approaches. The first step is to figure out which type of insect you're dealing with. According to the World Health Organization, bedbugs tend to reside only in the bedroom, while fleas like to infest other areas of the home, including furniture, carpets, area rugs and pets.
If you want to only kill bed bugs and do not need to wash your clothes, simply putting infested items in the dryer for 30 minutes on high health will kill all the bed bugs. Storing cleaned clothes Fold clothes as soon as they are removed from the dryer.
ZappBug heat treatment units work best for this, as they heat your clothes to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to kill any bed bugs. If a ZappBug is outside of your budget most clothing dryers get hot enough to kill bed bugs as well. If you have an energy efficient model you'll want to double check it reaches 120 degrees.
Dryer sheets can repel bed bugs but they won't kill them. You will only cause the bugs to spread to other areas if you rely only on these 'so called' methods which show no permanent results. The only way to get rid of bed bugs is to clean, vacuum and identify the sources from where they are coming into your home.
A lot of DIY bed bug recommendations involving household items stem from the desire to solve your bed bug problem without spending money or resorting to chemicals. Unfortunately, these recommendations don't always pan out. Bloggers and forum posters usually aren't professionals (this blog author being one of the exceptions).
Set the dryer to run for at least 30 minutes on the highest possible heat cycle that will not damage the fabric. Ideally, the heat should exceed 120 degrees to kill both the bugs and the eggs. Ideally, the heat should exceed 120 degrees to kill both the bugs and the eggs.
