You are going to start in the bedroom (or wherever it is that you sleep) because that is where the infestation will be the worst.

Start by hot washing all the sheets, clothing, quilts, comforters, sleeping bags, seat cushions, covers, duvets and other fabric in your room. First put all your items into a contractor trash bag, then seal it shut. Take it to the laundry room or the Laundromat. Remove the items from the bags only when you are going to wash them. Otherwise, leave the bags sealed shut to keep the bed bugs from escaping.

Wash these items in HOT water, then put them in the dryer for at least for two cycles. Why do two cycles? It’s true that others recommend far less time. And in fact, if the bugs are exposed to 140 degrees for just a few minutes, they should die. The reason I think you should run the dryer for so long is that if you are running an entire load of clothing, not all of it is going to be heated equally. By running the dryer for 4 hours, everything should be hot enough that any bugs will be killed.

If you have items that cannot be cooked like this, you have two options. Drying without washing, or dry cleaning.

1. Using the dryer alone: According to the extension service at Cornell University, 20 minutes in a dryer at 140 degrees F will kill bed bugs, including adults and nymphs. You just need to be sure that the whole item reaches that temperature, inside and out, so it’s a good idea to run the dryer for one complete cycle, with a limited number of items in the dryer. A typical clothes dryer produces temperatures of 140F, 150F and 180F on low, medium and high heat settings.

2. Dry Cleaning: If you take your fabrics to be dry cleaned, put them in XXL Ziploc bags, then take them to the cleaner. Tell the dry cleaner that there’s a chance these items may have bed bugs. The dry cleaner needs to understand why the bags must be kept shut until the clothing is actually cleaned. Some dry cleaners might turn you away when you tell them, but that’s ok. Keep searching until you will find one that doesn’t. A dry cleaner that understands your situation is the ally that you need in this fight.

And for items that cannot be dry cleaned or washed – like back backs, area rugs, stuffed toys or certain items of clothing - you can throw them into the dryer without washing them, then running the dryer on high for at least one cycle.

If you have a lot of clothing and other items to wash, it’s a good idea to go to a Laundromat and use three or four washers simultaneously.

When you are done, seal your clothing and fabrics in Ziploc bags. Don’t ever open the Ziploc bag until you are going to wear the clothing.

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