How to Wash Bedding to Reduce Dust Mites

Wash your sheets, pillowcases and blankets once a week, in water as hot as the care label allows. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) recommends 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit to kill dust mites. If an item can’t take that heat, a cooler wash still removes most of the allergen, and a hot dryer or the freezer can handle the mites themselves. Below you’ll find the routine step by step, plus what to do with pillows, comforters and anything delicate.

TL;DR

• Wash all bedding weekly. Most medical sources say hot water, at least 130°F, is what kills live mites.
• Cooler water still removes most mite allergen, but it won’t kill the mites.
• Items that can’t be washed hot can go in a hot dryer for 15 to 20 minutes, then through a regular wash.
• Water temperature, agitation and a thorough rinse matter more than any special detergent formula.
• Encase mattresses and pillows in zippered covers and keep indoor humidity at or below 50%.

Table of Contents

• What washing actually does to dust mites
• How hot should the water be?
• The weekly bedding routine, step by step
• When bedding can’t take hot water
• Does the detergent matter?
• Toss & Go sheets in your bedding routine
• Our Box of 50 and Travel 3-Pack
• Our perspective
• Beyond the wash: other ways to cut down mites
• A simple weekly schedule
• Common mistakes
• FAQ
• Sources

What washing actually does to dust mites

Dust mites are tiny relatives of spiders that live in mattresses, pillows, blankets and upholstery. They feed on shed skin, and it is their droppings and body fragments that make up the allergen. Washing does two separate jobs: it removes allergen from the fabric, and, if the water is hot enough, it kills the mites.

The allergist’s guidance on dust mite exposure control from the AAAAI notes that most mites killed in the wash die by drowning, and that regular washing of bedding has been shown to remove mite allergens and kill mites. The American Academy of Family Physicians adds a useful distinction: washing in cooler water removes at least 90 percent of dust mite allergens but will not kill the mites.

That matters for how you plan your wash. If you want to kill mites, heat is the lever. If you want to lower the allergen load, any thorough weekly wash helps.

How hot should the water be?

The numbers you’ll see most often:

The consensus is clear: weekly, and 130°F or higher to kill mites.

A safety note about your water heater

The AAAAI’s 2013 practice parameter makes a point that’s easy to miss. It says that high temperature is not necessary for removing allergen, and that home hot water should be kept below 120°F to avoid scalding. So don’t turn your water heater up just for laundry, especially if children live in your home. Use your washer’s “hot” or “sanitary” cycle if it has one, since many machines heat the water internally. Always check the care label first.

What if your machine can’t reach 130°F?

Many household washers deliver a “hot” setting that falls short of 130°F, and some bedding labels say warm or cold only. You still have good options:

• Wash at the hottest setting the label permits. You’ll remove a large share of the allergen.
• Finish with a hot dryer cycle, which is where much of the mite-killing happens (more on that below).
• Add the other controls in this guide: covers, humidity and cleaning.

The weekly bedding routine, step by step

Here’s a routine that fits a normal week. If you want more on building the habit, our post on washing sheets weekly and drying them fully goes deeper.

1. Strip the bed. Pull off sheets, pillowcases, mattress pad and any washable blankets. Roll the dirty side inward so you don’t shake allergen into the air.
2. Sort by care label. Group items that can take hot water together. Keep anything labeled cold or delicate for a separate load.
3. Don’t overstuff the drum. Bedding needs room to move. Good agitation and a thorough rinse do more for allergen removal than any formula, according to allergist Derrick Ward, M.D., in Good Housekeeping.
4. Pick the hottest cycle the label allows. Choose a full-length cycle, and add an extra rinse if your machine offers one.
5. Dose the detergent sensibly. More isn’t better. Extra detergent is harder to rinse out. A pre-measured dose takes the guesswork away (see below).
6. Dry on high heat if the label allows. Make sure everything is fully dry before it goes back on the bed, since mites thrive in damp, warm conditions.
7. Remake the bed with the clean set. Keep two sets so there’s no gap between stripping and remaking.

When bedding can’t take hot water

Comforters with delicate fills, some synthetic blankets and decorative pillows often can’t be washed hot. The Mayo Clinic News Network suggests this sequence: put the items in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at a temperature above 130°F (54.4°C) to kill the mites, then wash and dry them to remove the allergens. The same page notes that freezing non-washable items for 24 hours can kill dust mites too, but freezing will not remove the allergen, so a wash is still needed afterward.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia gives a similar approach: items that can’t be washed in high heat go in the dryer at 130°F for 20 minutes, or in the freezer overnight once per month. The AAFP adds that tumble drying at 130°F for at least 20 minutes will eliminate dust mites.

If you’re short on time, 20 minutes covers both versions of the guidance. Check that the label allows machine drying first.

Pillows

Pillows collect plenty of skin flakes and sweat. Many can be machine washed, and washing them in pairs helps balance the drum. Our guide to washing pillows at home without overdosing detergent covers the steps. Dry them thoroughly, since a damp pillow core is a problem of its own.

Comforters and duvets

Bulky items need a large-capacity machine. If your drum is small, a laundromat’s large washer is worth the trip. In a shared or coin-operated laundry room, bring your own pre-measured detergent so you aren’t relying on whatever is in the dispenser or vending machine.

Does the detergent matter?

For the mite question, less than you might think. Dr. Ward told Good Housekeeping that laundry detergent removes most allergens rather than killing them, and that proper agitation and thorough rinsing worked better than special formulas. Hot water at 130°F or higher is what kills live mites.

So choose a detergent you like, dose it correctly, and put your effort into temperature, loading and rinsing. Two practical points:

• Overdosing leaves more to rinse out. Measure every time.
• Fragrance is a personal call. If you prefer a wash with no added fragrance or dyes, pick an unscented option. Our post on testing a low residue wash without fragrance walks through a simple approach.

We don’t make any claims that our sheets kill dust mites. What they do is make dosing simple, which supports the habits above.

Toss & Go sheets in your bedding routine

Toss & Go sheets are pre-measured, so each load gets the same dose without a jug or a measuring cap. Here’s how to use them for bedding:

• A regular load of sheets and pillowcases: one sheet.
• A large or heavily soiled load, like a comforter or a full set of bulky blankets: two sheets.
• A small load, such as a single pillowcase wash: half a sheet.
• Hand washing a delicate item in a sink: dissolve half a sheet in the basin.

Place the sheet in the drum on top of the bedding, never in the dispenser drawer. Sheets are designed to dissolve in cold water and work in HE and standard machines, front-load and top-load. If you run a hot cycle, that’s fine for the bedding; just follow the care label on each item.

Our Box of 50 and Travel 3-Pack

The Box of 50 is $19.95 and covers up to 100 loads. It weighs about 3 oz and comes in plastic-free cardboard packaging, so there’s no jug to store in a small laundry closet. The Travel 3-Pack is $15.95, with three envelopes of 5 sheets each, covering up to 30 loads at under 2 oz. It’s handy for a dorm, a gym bag or a week away where you’ll wash your own bedding.

Choose Fresh Meadow, which is lightly scented (its fragrance includes Linalool), or Fragrance Free, which has no added fragrance or dyes. Every intentionally added ingredient is listed on our ingredients page. You can subscribe and save 15%.

Every order comes with our Keep It or Toss It Guarantee: 30 days, a refund or a replacement, with nothing to send back. Ready to try pre-measured sheets? Shop the Box of 50 or grab the Travel 3-Pack for your next trip.

Our perspective

Most bedding advice stops at “wash it hot.” In practice, what decides whether you actually do it every week is how easy it is. A heavy jug, a measuring cap that drips and a guess at how much to pour are small frictions, and small frictions add up to skipped weeks.

That’s why we built Toss & Go sheets as pre-measured doses. One sheet for a regular load, two for a big or heavily soiled one, half for a small load or a sink. You toss it in the drum on top of the bedding and start the machine. No dispenser drawer, no overpouring, no jug to carry up the stairs of a walk-up apartment.

The medical guidance is clear that temperature, agitation and rinsing do the heavy lifting. We think a good detergent should stay out of the way of that. Our sheets are designed to dissolve in cold water and work in HE and standard machines, so you can focus on picking the right cycle for each item. And the cardboard packaging is plastic-free, so the laundry shelf gets lighter too.

If you like to know what’s in your wash, every intentionally added ingredient is published. If you’d rather skip fragrance, Fragrance Free has no added fragrance or dyes.

Purecise

Beyond the wash: other ways to cut down mites

Washing is one piece. The NIEHS guidance lists several more, and they work together.

Cover the mattress and pillows

Zippered, allergen-impermeable covers keep mites and their waste contained. Mayo Clinic recommends encasing pillows, mattresses and box springs in dust-mite-proof covers, and National Jewish Health explains that these casings keep allergens from reaching you. The AAFP reports that encasing plus washing all bedding reduces mite allergen exposure 100- to 1,000-fold within one month, and that mattress covers cost roughly $12 to $100 depending on size and material (a 2002 figure, so expect current prices to differ).

Control humidity

NIEHS recommends keeping humidity at or below 50%, and AAFA suggests 35 to 50%. The AAAAI says mites thrive at 70°F or above and humidity above 75 percent. A hygrometer costs little and tells you whether a dehumidifier or better ventilation is worth it. If your bedroom stays damp and musty, our guide to removing musty smell from clothes helps with the laundry side.

Choose bedding that’s easy to wash

NIEHS suggests replacing wool or feather bedding with synthetic materials and traditional stuffed animals with washable ones. Fewer bedroom textiles that can’t go in the machine means less to maintain.

Clean the room too

The same guidance suggests bare floors instead of bedroom carpeting where possible, damp-mopping, and a vacuum with a double-layered microfilter bag or HEPA filter. Fabric curtains and upholstered furniture can also hold mites, so remove them where you can or wash what’s washable.

A simple weekly schedule

This is a lot at first. Start with the weekly wash and drying, then add the covers and humidity check when you have time.

Common mistakes

• Washing every other week and assuming it’s fine. The sources above say weekly for a reason.
• Skipping the dry. A hot dryer matters, and damp bedding invites trouble.
• Overloading the drum. Bedding needs room to tumble so water can move through it.
• Overdosing detergent. More soap makes rinsing harder, not the bedding cleaner.
• Cranking up your home’s water heater. The AAAAI warns about scalding. Use a hot cycle on the machine instead.
• Ignoring the care label. Heat can damage some fills and fabrics. When the label says cool, use the dryer-and-wash approach above.

If you have a diagnosed dust mite allergy or asthma, talk to your allergist about how strict your routine should be. They can tailor advice to your symptoms.

FAQ

Does putting pillows in the dryer kill dust mites?

Yes, if the dryer is hot enough. Mayo Clinic says at least 15 minutes above 130°F (54.4°C) kills the mites, and CHOP says 20 minutes at 130°F. Follow with a wash to remove the allergens, since the dryer doesn’t take them out.

Can I use cold water for bedding?

Cold or cooler water removes most of the allergen, at least 90 percent according to the AAFP, but it won’t kill the mites. If a label requires cold, add a hot dryer cycle where permitted, use covers and keep humidity down. Toss & Go sheets are designed to dissolve in cold water, so a cold wash works with them.

How often should I wash my sheets for dust mites?

Once a week. NIEHS, Mayo Clinic, AAAAI and AAFA all recommend weekly washing of sheets and pillowcases, and NIEHS includes blankets. The AAFP says most guidelines allow every one to two weeks, but weekly is the safer routine.

What can I add to the laundry to kill dust mites?

Heat is the dependable way, not an ingredient. Allergist Derrick Ward, M.D., says detergent removes allergens rather than kills them, and that hot water at 130°F or higher kills live mites. Careful loading, agitation and a thorough rinse matter more than special formulas.

How many Toss & Go sheets do I use for bedding?

One sheet for a regular load of sheets and pillowcases, two for a large or heavily soiled load like a comforter, and half a sheet for a small load. Put the sheet in the drum on top of the bedding, not in the dispenser drawer.

Sources

• NIEHS: Dust Mites and Cockroaches
• Mayo Clinic: Allergy-proof your home
• AAAAI: Environmental assessment and exposure control of dust mites (2013)
• AAFP: Environmental Control of Allergic Diseases
• AAAAI: Managing Indoor Allergen Culprits
• National Center for Healthy Housing: Dust Mites
• AAFA: Treatments for a dust mite allergy
• Mayo Clinic News Network: Dealing with dust mite allergies
• CHOP: Controlling Your Home Environment
• National Jewish Health: Reduce dust mites at home
• Good Housekeeping: The Best Way to Do Laundry for Allergies

Recommended

• Wash Sheets Weekly, Dry Them Fully, and Stop Dosing Guesswork
• For Homeowners: Wash Pillows at Home Without Overdosing Detergent
• How to Remove Musty Smell From Clothes for Good