How to Get Mites Out of Laundry

Detergents alone don't always kill parasites in the laundry. When scabies outbreaks occur in nursing homes and other institutions where bedridden patients have no skin-to-skin contact, the laundry is often blamed for transmission. The same goes for residential mite infestations involving parasites such as bird mites, rodent mites, springtails and cheyletiella mites. Over a twelve year period, I have received thousands of phone calls from frustrated callers who claim that they can feel pricks and movement within laundered clothing that comes straight out of the dryer. The top offenders include bird mites, rodent mites, springtails and cheyletiella mites. As a general rule, infested laundry should be soaked for an hour in Borax before washing. If Borax isn't enough to control the problem, add a cap full of Vet's Choice Concentrate to the soak water. When soaking thick items such as blankets and sweaters, add two caps of Vet's Choice Concentrate and soak for an hour. ​

Step One: Fill washing machine or soak basin with water.
If you have a front loading machine,  you'll have to fill a bathtub or soak basin with water. 

Step Two: Add one cup of borax with one cap full of Vet's Choice Concentrate. 

For more than 20 years, pet owners and veterinarians have trusted this product to wash and soak animals afflicted with mites. The formula can also be added to laundry water to help kill mites in the wash. 

Step Three: Add the same amount of laundry detergent you'd normally use. 

There's no need to add double the amount of detergent. Follow package instructions for normal wash loads. 

Step Three:​ Use a long instrument to stir the water.

Stir the water with a long instrument such as a broom handle. Be certain that the borax granules have dissolved completely. Stirring will also help distribute the concentrate more thoroughly. 

Step Five: Add clothing and soak for at least an hour.

Add clothing. Be sure not to over stuff the machine. Densely packed laundry could inhibit the flow of treated water through clothing fibers.

Tip: Add sachets made with cedar granules to your dirty laundry bins

Our cedar granules can be used in so many ways!​​​
  • Make pest controlling sachets and put into laundry bins.  Just fill organza bags (pictured below) with the granules. Toss the sachet bags into plastic bins full of dirty laundry and keep the lid closed over the bins. 
  • Toss sachets into drawers and cabinets
  • Fill trays or bowls with granules and place the bowls into cabinets, especially cabinets under sinks. (Don't forget to spray all wood areas under sink with Dr. Ben's Evictor.)
  • If your mite infestation began outside and spread indoors, you can surround the perimeter of your home with the granules to prevent further infestation. Granules have longer residual effects than liquids. Each time it rains, a fresh shot of pest controlling fluids will drip into the soil. Get up to two months of residual effects! ​
  • Spread granules around your yard to control fleas, ticks and mites.
  • Spread granules throughout your vegetable garden to control the pests that eat your food. 

Questions?

Call (734) 782-5205. If you have a long list of questions regarding mite removal or total home treatment, I humbly ask that you wait until after 5 p.m., as I'm busy processing orders during the day.  In the meantime, browse the articles listed below to see if your issue is covered. Email: WholesalePesticides@hotmail.com.

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