3. Hand Wash Items

Washing with detergent immobilizes and removes bed bugs, using common household materials.

For many things around the home, a simple soap and water wash can be the solution. Soaps can break down the waxy exoskeleton, or outer covering of bed bug bodies. Soap helps drown bed bugs by breaking the surface tension of water. Further, scrubbing an area where bed bugs are present can squish bugs that attempt to escape. This treatment effectively removes shed skins and bed bug feces. Consider this technique for hard items that would not absorb water, such as wood, plastic, metal and glass furniture, picture frames, toys, dishes, and knickknacks. A complete inventory of home items is listed in Part I.

How to Hand Wash Items

A. Soak a rag or cloth in the bucket of hot, soapy water, wring it out and wipe surfaces of furniture, floors, walls and infested items (Fig. 33). If you pick up live bed bugs, rinse them off in the bucket of soapy water. The soap will help drown bed bugs.

B. Use a scrub brush (Fig. 34) or a toothbrush to clean in cracks and crevices. Dip the brush into hot, sudsy water and scrub the area thoroughly.

C. Dump used water into the toilet, rather than the sink, and flush to eliminate any bed bugs.

Consider This

To guard against damage, test your treatment method and cleaning solution on a small portion of the infested item. For example, some wood finishes can be damaged by exposure to water (Fig. 35).

• Watch for escaping bed bugs when using this method. Sudsy water will partly disable bed bugs, making them easier to capture and discard. Make sure any captured bugs go into the soapy water or squish bugs you see.
• Consider washing items such as toys, small plastic or metal furniture, laundry baskets, and other water-safe things in a bathtub or shower stall. Bed bugs that are washed off can be rinsed down the drain.
• If possible, wash larger items outside with a hose or bucket of soapy water. A strong stream of water from a hose may dislodge bed bugs, and those that end up on the ground outside will quickly perish from exposure or predation. Bed bugs left outside will not come back into the house. Use this method for folding chairs, sports equipment, larger toys and large metal or plastic furniture.
• Although it may seem logical to place items into a washing machine to wash bed bugs away, they can sometimes survive a wash cycle if the water is not hot enough. Items that can be laundered (linens, clothes, rugs, pillows, and stuffed animals) should be heat treated in a hot dryer before being laundered. This ensures enough heat to kill all stages of bed bugs. See the “Heat” section for more information about heat treatment. 

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Advantages: Washing items is a low-cost method of eliminating bed bugs on many hard surfaces and washable items. It removes insect exoskeletons and feces, which may contribute to allergens. Using this technique can prevent unnecessary pesticide exposure and reduce the number of belongings you must throw away.
• Disadvantages: Some items cannot be washed, so consider other treatments for books, important papers or files, photographs, artwork, electronics, and fabric on furniture. Be careful with certain types of furniture constructed of pressboard or particle board (composite wood made from wood shavings and glue). They may be damaged by even small amounts of water. Some finishes on wood furniture develop water stains from water exposure. Always test a small area of any item before using soap and water!