Why Your Dirty Laundry Could be Attracting Bed Bugs

Bed bugs, the much maligned mattress pest, are full of mystery. They’re hard to detect and even harder to eradicate. Thankfully, I don't have any experience with them. But a new study sheds some light on the much-maligned mattress invaders that might help you keep them at bay.

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Bed bugs, according to a study published in Scientific Reports, are attracted to your dirty laundry. In fact, besides a living human host, worn clothing is a bed bug’s preferred place to roost. Turns out they're attracted to the potent human smell on soiled fabric.

This is both good and bad news. On the downside, we've learned bedbugs have twice as many preferred places to call home. But knowledge is power. We can better shield ourselves from impending attack. Since we now know bedbugs tend to hitchhike in bags of dirty, worn clothes, keep those smelly clothes contained in a bag or hamper. Or, better yet, clean.

Have you ever had an unfortunate run in with bedbugs? Tell us how you handled it in the comments.