Does the Dryer Kill Fleas? How to Launder Items with Fleas

Does the dryer kill fleas? We often get that question because many of our flea removal tips involve washing clothes and beddings. Heat is also a popular remedy when it comes to getting rid of fleas from around the interior of your home.

So right now, we’re going to head into the details of how dryers can become your best friend when dealing with these itchy and pesky insects.

Because when you’re trying to eradicate a flea problem, you need to get ALL the fleas. Any stragglers can potentially start of a new population and re-infest your home. So make sure to get those clothes washed – and dried – as part of the eradication.

Your Dryer can Kill Fleas

Fleas are very sensitive. When it’s too cold, they slowly freeze, and when it’s too hot, they die instantly.

Needless to say, they need the right temperatures to thrive.

Specifically, their numbers only grow when their environment stays between 21°C and 30 °C (70 °F and 85 °F). This is where your humble dryer comes in. It’s actually an effective flea killer, and it’s part of your first arsenal against flea control since it’s readily available in your house.

According to Flea Science, not only does the dryer kill fleas with heat, there are several other things that prevent any flea from surviving inside it. If a flea does miraculously live through drowning and being poisoned with detergent and bleach in the washer, the dryer will finish it off.

The conditions inside the machine causes severe dehydration for any insect, and the rough tumbling causes lethal physical damage.

How to LaunderFlea-Infested Items

All types of fleas can’t survive the laundering process. That’s why it’s always recommended that you wash your personal items as soon as you notice the first signs of fleas.

Here’s how you should wash your clothes, beddings and other items to get rid of fleas.

• Wash straight for 10 minutes. Generally, Flea Science suggests to wash your clothes and beddings for a straight 10 minutes at 140°F. The longer the wash time, the better. Just be careful with how delicate your items are.
• ​Repeat the wash at least 2-3 times. For your beddings and your pet’s bed, repeat the cycle 2 to 3 times before dumping them into the dryer. These items need the most thorough cleaning because they have flea eggs, larvae and the nearly indestructible pupas in them.
• Apply bleach to your whites. If you can apply bleach, do it. Direct contact with bleach kills insects. Soak your clothes or beddings with the substance for several hours before washing them.
• Dry using the highest possible heat setting. Only use the highest possible setting for drying your items. You want to kill the remaining survivors with heat.
• Launder flea-infested items weekly. Fleas reproduce at an amazing rate, so you should wash your personal items and your dog’s/ cat’s bed every week.
• Spraying doesn’t work as much as washing. If you want to get rid all traces of flea eggs and larvae, you should launder instead of just spraying flea treatments.

If you have fleas on your clothes, here’s more info you should definitely check out.

And as for the rest of the details, we hope we’ve already supplied enough to help you answer the question, does the dryer kill fleas? Or at least, enough to get you started on a long laundry job to exterminate fleas. There are plenty of other natural ways to get rid of fleas, including coconut oil, white vinegar, or even borax powder.