The bed bug is a parasitic insect that feeds exclusively on blood. These pests are primarily attracted to the carbon dioxide exhaled by humans, followed by body heat, which signals a readily available blood meal. While they do not live on humans, they use clothing as a temporary hiding spot and as a means of transport from an infested area to a new location. Understanding how to select, manage, and treat clothing acts both as a physical barrier against bites and a defense against carrying the pests home.
Selecting Protective Attire
Clothing acts as a physical shield against the bed bug’s specialized mouthparts. To maximize protection, wear garments that provide maximal skin coverage, such as long-sleeved shirts, high necklines, and pants that can be tucked into socks. This minimizes exposed surface area, forcing the insect to find a way through the fabric or an opening in the clothing.
The material’s weave is more important than its composition. Tightly woven fabrics, including synthetic materials like polyester and microfiber or high-thread count cotton, create a physical barrier too dense for the insect to push through. Avoid loosely woven or plush materials like fleece or flannel, which can offer ideal hiding spots in their texture.
Color choice also plays a small but helpful role in prevention and detection. Bed bugs are less attracted to light-colored fabrics than to dark colors like red and black. Wearing light-colored clothing, especially while sleeping, makes any hitchhiking bed bug or evidence of their activity, such as dark fecal stains, easier to spot.
Strategies for Clothing Storage and Isolation
Bed bugs commonly travel by hitching a ride on clothing or luggage placed on an infested surface. When staying in a high-risk environment, such as a hotel, immediately isolate all worn clothing by placing it into sealed, clear plastic bags or plastic bins. This prevents any bugs picked up on the garment from transferring to other belongings or the clean environment.
Upon returning home, any clothing that was exposed to the area, whether worn or not, should be treated with high heat immediately. Bed bugs, including all life stages and eggs, are reliably killed when exposed to temperatures of at least 140°F (60°C). Washing the clothing in hot water is the first step, though the drying process provides the most consistent thermal kill.
Transfer the items quickly from the washer to a dryer and tumble them on the highest heat setting for a minimum of 30 minutes. For thicker items like jeans, a longer cycle of 40 to 50 minutes ensures the lethal temperature penetrates the entire garment. This process is effective even for items that cannot be wet-washed, such as shoes or delicate items, provided they can withstand the high-heat dry cycle.
The Role of Fabric Treatment and Repellents
For an additional layer of protection, especially for travelers or those working in high-risk environments, chemical treatment of clothing can be implemented. Permethrin is the most commonly used product for fabric treatment; it is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that bonds to the clothing fibers. Permethrin does not function as a true repellent that drives the insects away, but rather as a contact killer.
Bed bugs that crawl across treated fabric will be rapidly intoxicated and killed, preventing them from biting or hitchhiking. Permethrin can be applied by the user via a spray or through professional commercial services, with the treatment remaining effective for multiple washes or several weeks.
Chemical treatment is a supplement to, not a replacement for, physical barriers and heat treatment. Topical repellents containing essential oils or DEET, while effective against mosquitoes, have shown little to no consistent efficacy against bed bugs and should not be relied upon for prevention.