People repeat that a hot wash kills dust mites, but rarely say how hot and for how long. Enter the wash temperature and how long the load actually held it, and the tool judges both conditions separately and shows how far short the weaker one falls, to one decimal place. The verdict is made at the same precision the figures are shown at.
The threshold comes from published research: holding 131 °F (55 °C) or higher for more than 10 minutes kills virtually all mites, and all mites died in water at that temperature or above. The source wording is or higher for temperature and more than for time, so 131.0 °F counts as met while exactly 10.0 minutes does not. A claim that 140 °F also kills eggs comes from an advocacy group as a secondary source and is not used in the verdict (as of October 2026).
Do not read a shortfall as proof the wash was useless. Cold washing fails to remove most live mites, yet allergen levels still fell by more than 90%, and even in machines that missed the condition, allergen per unit area dropped by 99.5% on average. Wash frequency, cost and drying methods are not covered. Follow the care label on your bedding and the manufacturer guidance first.
Frequently Asked Questions
131 °F counts, because the source says or higher. Exactly 10 minutes does not, because the source says more than 10 minutes. Both are implemented with the source wording.
No. Cold washing fails to remove most live mites, but allergen levels still dropped by more than 90% in the same study, and allergen per unit area fell by 99.5% on average even in machines that missed the condition.
No. This page judges only whether the temperature and hold time met the condition. Frequency and cost belong to a different tool.