Bed Bug Attraction to dirty laundry

It’s been shown that bed bugs are very attracted to dirty laundry. This doesn’t come as unusual since they primarily look for their human food source. However, it shows that they are attracted to the scent of humans either the scent of sweat or shed skin cells. This can be helpful when managing a bed bug infestation.

When searching for bed bugs check the laundry basket. Their presence is likely to be here due to their attraction. You should particularly check bedding and wash cloths since they usually contain more body dander. You may also want to change how you keep your laundry as well.

Bed bugs can easily hook to fabric materials and wood surfaces. However, they aren’t adept at climbing or hooking to smooth plastic surfaces. For this reason you may want to switch to a laundry bin that has no holes or cracks in its design and has a smooth interior. If there are bed bugs on the laundry they will stay isolated in one place and can’t travel easily.

If you have a laundry hamper supported on a metal frame you might be able to keep this for laundry. Just ensure that the laundry bag doesn’t touch the floor and is a few inches from the ground. Also make sure that the frame is made from smooth metal so the bed bugs can’t climb up.

As a management option you should keep your dirty laundry away from the bedrooms. It makes the bed bugs less attracted to this area.