When faced with a bed bug issue (you have them, may have them or have been exposed to them and are concerned), the most important thing you can do is to remain calm and act immediately to help contain the issue.
While you want to respond quickly, you do need to do so with care and control. Dealing with a bed bug problem or exposure means being extra cautious—especially with clothing, outerwear, bags, and bedding. While these pests most commonly live on/in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, and bedroom furniture, bed bugs are natural hitchhikers. Clothing, bags, and bedding can all easily carry these bugs in and out of a home or business, and carry them from room-to-room, spreading them around.
This is where garbage bags can help. Yes, you read that correctly – garbage bags.
How do Garbage Bags Help with Bed Bugs?
Garbage bags are an effective tool for helping you immediately address a bed bug issue. When used properly they are great for:
- Holding and containing infested items or potentially infested items. This helps minimize their spread since they are cut off from their food source and further nesting (and hiding).
- Storing your clean clothing, bedding, etc. This safeguards these against other bed bugs which may be infesting dressers, wardrobes, or closets.
What is even more wonderful about garbage bags is that you can immediately start to use them and have an immediate positive impact on helping start to get a handle of a stressful situation. You can never have ‘too much peace of mind’ when dealing with a pest issue.
Do Bed Bugs Dislike Garbage Bags?
What makes garbage bags so special when it comes to dealing with bed bugs?
They do not like their smooth surface. It’s hard for them to crawl on it, so they tend to avoid them. And even if a plastic bag has extra wrinkles and lots of creases and folds, when it’s sealed tightly, bed bugs cannot climb inside it or out of it. That is win-win!
What Should I Put in Garbage Bags When Dealing with Bed Bugs?
You should use garbage bags to separately store infested and non-infested items such as bedding, clothing, pillows, curtains, bags, and clothing from your dresser drawers, items from your closet floor, shoes, items from your bedroom night stands, books, outerwear, stuffed animals, etc.
The 2 most important things to keep in mind when using garbage bags for bed bugs are to not rip the bags and to always seal the bags when not in use. If there are any holes in the bags, or they remain open or loosely sealed, they are useless. They will not help you protect your personal items from bed bugs, nor will they help contain any bed bugs that have already infested these items, from getting out to feed and reproduce.
How to Use Garbage Bags When Infested with Bed Bugs
Using the garage bag method to help deal with bed bugs is very simple, but it does need to be done properly to be effective.
Here are the supplies you will need and the reasoning behind each:
- Garbage Bags
- We recommend using clear XL heavy-duty garbage bags. They are durable, give you ample room, and you will easily see what’s inside the bag without opening. Another advantage of using clear bags is that you may be able to visually confirm the presence of live bugs or eggs, which can bring peace of mind when you’re unsure. This depends on the level of infestation you are dealing with and how long the bag remains sealed before addressed.
- EACH BAG IS CONSIDERED SINGLE USE so stock up - you will use lots of garbage bags. You may feel like you are being very wasteful and not environmentally friendly by constantly throwing them out after each use, especially because most will look totally ok. We cannot stress this enough - when a bag has served its purpose, it needs to be thrown out.
- Plastic Gloves (optional)
- These are highly recommended when you have a medium to severe infestation.
- Gloves are also SINGLE USE so if you plan to use them be sure to stock up.
- Bag Clips
- We recommend ones that have a solid grip.
- Bag clips make it easier to get in and out of the bags that you are using on a regular basis (E.g. bags with clean bed bug free clothing that you are taking from and bags you are filling daily with dirty clothing). Constantly untying and re-trying them will quickly become annoying and can cause them to stretch out and rip.
- Coloured Painter Tape – 2 different colours
- Using coloured tape (like painter tape) will help you implement a super simple system for visually marking your garbage bags so you can quickly and confidently know what is in them and how they need to be treated.
- We suggest using green and blue painter tape as these are often easy to find.
- Sidenote - You could use labels and markers to mark your bags, but that takes extra time and energy. When dealing with bed bugs, people are often sleep deprived, stressed out, and already doing a lot to contain and help eliminate the issue – they don’t need more work.
The system we recommend for using garbage bags for bed bugs is very simple:
- Bags with Clean/Exposed Items – MARK with a piece of GREEN painter tape. These are items that will need to be inspected and may need to be run through the dryer as a precaution.
- Bags with Dirty/Infested Items – MARK with a piece of BLUE painter tape. These are for items that need to be run through the washer and dryer (hottest setting for both) or cleaned/sanitized via a different method.
- Bags with Clean/Non-Infested Items - NO painter tape on them. These bags contain items that have been deemed free of bed bugs.
The process to follow is also very simple:
- At the very beginning, anything that has been exposed to bed bugs or has bed bugs needs to be bagged, sealed with a bag clip, and marked with either green or blue painter tape using the system above. TIP – Everything at the start will be in a bag marked with either blue or green tape.
- As the contents of each bag are addressed, whether that be thoroughly inspected and cleared, sanitized and wiped down, run through the dryer on high heat, properly laundered (washed & dried), steam cleaned, vacuumed out, etc.), they will go into brand new garbage bags and sealed with a bag clip. These items are now fine to use again if needed or they will be left in the bags until a pest control professional advises you to put them back.
- Used garbage bags (and gloves) are immediately disposed of. Put the gloves inside the garbage bag, tie it up tight as close to the top opening on the bag, and put it in the trash big outside of the home.
- You will keep using this garbage bag process while professional bed bug treatment is being undertaken. Be sure to follow all advice that your bed bug exterminator gives you for further addressing/handling these items. Depending on the level of infestation that you have and the type of bed bug treatment being used in your situation, you may be advised to put items back after a certain number of treatments or to continue to use the garbage method until certain results are achieved.
How to Use Garbage Bags for Clothing During a Bed Bug Infestation
Getting rid of bed bugs takes weeks and months, and in very severe cases, even a year or more. When living through a bed bug infestation or scare, your daily routine can be thrown off course, which can throw you and your family off course. This does not feel good and some find it debilitating.
Using garbage bags daily for your clothes is an effective solution to help get things back on track, especially if you are suffering from bed bug anxiety. Confidently knowing that your clean clothing is safe and bed bug free can bring tremendous comfort and relief. It can also help you feel more in control each day, which makes it a little easier to get through the lengthy treatment process.
IMPORTANT - We mentioned this above already, but we wanted to touch on it again because it really cannot be stressed enough. Using the garbage bag system to help address bed bugs means that all the plastic bags (and plastic gloves) you use are single use. It is so easy to spread bed bugs because they are so small and exceptional hiders and hitchhikers. Re-using the bags will either make the situation worse or slow down progress. In our professional experience, the best advice we can give you is that garbage bags really do help and to stay focused on knowing that every single bed bug you stop from feeding and breeding in your home has a big impact and speeds up getting rid of bed bugs.
Using Garbage Bags for Clothing During a Bed Bug Infestation
We strongly recommend that you keep using the simple system we described above to handle your daily clothing. While most of your clothing will have either GREEN tape (dirty) or no tape (clean), there will be some items that just need to go through the dryer or be thoroughly inspected regularly, pillows, purses, backpacks, hats, etc. Those items will be put in garbage bags with BLUE tape.
Here is the best way to handle your daily/weekly clothing:
Use Garbage Bags as Your Hamper
This protects your hamper from bed bugs and makes it easy to keep your dirty clothes together and to bring them directly to your laundry area to take care of.
- After clothes are worn each day (even if just for just 10 minutes), they are put into clear garbage bags and sealed with a bag clip.
- Remember to mark these bags with GREEN painter tape.
TIP – Avoid sorting laundry in another room as this can spread bed bugs. Instead, use multiple garbage bags and sort clothes as they are put into these ‘dirty’ garbage bags.
Wash and Dry Clothes Often or Daily
Depending on how many clothing items you or your household uses in a day, laundry may need to be done daily, but in general, it is recommended to do laundry daily when you have bed bugs. This will continually kill live insects and eggs that have come into contact with your clothing.
- Take the dirty clothes bag(s) directly to the laundry area.
- Remove the bag clip and carefully/gently dump the contents into the washer without the items touching your skin or the clothes you are wearing. If there happens to be any bugs in the bag of dirty clothing, they will fall directly into the washing machine. This same process is recommended for items destined for only the dryer (e.g. bed pillows).
- Whether using the washer or dryer or both, always run it on the high heat cycle which will kill all life stages of bed bugs.
- When using the dryer, we recommend the cycle time to be 60 minutes.
Sidenote - Before putting anything in the washer or dryer, refer to the material/care instructions for those items. Not all materials and fabrics are suitable for regular washing machines or dryers or hot settings. You may need to consult with a dry cleaner, a pest control professional for other possible options, or conduct your own research to figure out the best way to treat certain items.
Dispose of Used Bags Properly
- TREAT ALL GARBAGE BAGS AS SINGLE USE.
- As soon as the clothing is in the washer or dryer, immediately tie up the ‘dirty’ or used garbage bag as close to the top as possible.
- Throw away used garbage bags immediately in your outside trash bin.
- Don’t reuse bags that held infested items, even if they look clean.
- Don’t reuse bags that held clean items, even if they look clean.
Bag Clothes Again After Drying
- After drying, immediately place clean clothes into a new garbage bag and seal with a bag clip. This bag is clean, so no coloured painter tape is needed.
- If you want to fold items, fold them directly from the dryer and place them into the bag. This can be tedious, but it ensures that these items do not become accidentally
Store Clean Clothes Safely
- Keep your clean clothes in sealed bags outside the infested room(s) until treatment is complete. Ask your bed bug pest control expert for their recommendation as their advice may be different depending on the treatment that was performed.
- Only open a bag when you need items from it and re-seal immediately.
Repeat Until Treatment is Complete
- Continue using this method throughout the treatment process. It can feel like it is cumbersome and time-consuming, but it really does aid in successful elimination of bed bugs.
- Again, ask your pest control professional for direction as to when to return clothes to closets and drawers.
Bonus Tips
- Only wear clean clothes from sealed bags each day to avoid recontamination. Keep these bags elevated and off the floor if possible.
- Inspect and wash/dry your bedding weekly on high heat.
- Inspect your bed pillows weekly and run through the dryer on high heat.
What Not to Do When Using Garbage Bags for Bed Bug Treatment
Avoid doing the following things, as they can and will make the situation take longer to resolve or help make it worse:
- Don’t leave bags (clean or dirty) constantly open,
- Don’t re-use any bags, even the ‘clean’ bags.
- Don’t put the garbage bags into the dryer and dry your items still in the bag.
- Don’t throw used garbage bags on the floor to ‘deal’ with them later.
- Don’t forcefully push all the air out of the garbage bag outside of the dryer or washer, or really at all. If there are any live bugs or eggs inside that bag, doing this would push them into the air, and who knows where they will land.
Effective Trio - Garbage Bags, Laundry & Vacuuming
Combine the garbage method with ongoing laundry and vacuuming to get the most effective results AND much needed peace of mind that you are part of the solution. Vacuuming and doing laundry are just as important as working with a pest control professional and using the garbage bag system. Here’s why:
- The dryer is king for killing bed bugs. Every single adult bed bug, immature bed bug, and egg you kill by using your dryer (on high heat) prevents multiple bed bugs in the future. TIP - check your lint trap after every dryer cycle for dead bugs. This can help gauge infested items or progress in eliminating them.
- Bed bugs can be unpredictable, especially after professional treatment, so vacuuming every few days, paying special attention to baseboards and under/around beds and bedroom furniture, will help you collect dead and living bugs, and eggs, which also helps you prevent more bugs in the future. VERY IMPORTANT TIP – Empty and clean your vacuum cleaner outside your home immediately after using. Live bugs can crawl out of these, even if you use vacuum bags - they can get stuck in the hose or other nooks and crannies.
Get Rid of Bed Bugs with Help from Environmental Pest Control
Overall, garbage bags are one of your best tools to get rid of bed bugs. By helping prevent the spread of bed bugs and speeding up the treatment process, they also give you much needed peace of mind and ease the stress so many people experience when getting rid of bed bugs.
If you are dealing with bed bugs, check out some of our other resources:
For professional help getting rid of bed bugs, you can count on our team of bed bug experts for effective solutions. Contact us about your bed bug infestation or concerns.
