Bed bugs are a tremendous nuisance for any person running a hotel. They can not only ruin a guest’s experience but can ruin a hotel’s reputation. While it may be impossible to 100% bed bug-proof a hotel, there are several steps you can take to keep your hotel free of these pests.
Prevention
It may be impossible to make sure that no guests ever bring bed bugs with them, but you can take steps to make your hotel inhospitable to them. Bed bugs love to hide, so sealing areas where they are known to hide is important. They like to hide in baseboards, so sealing the space between baseboards and walls with caulk can be an easy preventative. In addition, most hotels now use sealed mattress and pillow covers.
Monitoring
Early detection is also important in keeping your hotel free of these pests. Teaching staff the signs of bed bugs can help you spot a problem early so that they can be eradicated before they spread. Staff should look for rust-coloured stains on sheets and mattresses, small eggshells, eggs, and skin in bedding, signs of feces, and live bed bugs. They should also be trained to report these signs immediately.
Encouraging
Encourage your travellers to use bed bug precautions. These include: never placing clothing or luggage directly on the bed, but using luggage racks instead; packing clothing, shoes, and personal items in plastic bags; and laundering all items in hot water when you return home or freezing items that are not hot-water safe.
Cleaning
Bed bugs are not a sign of an improperly cleaned hotel. This is important to realise because even the cleanest property can be vulnerable to bed bugs. That said, stringent cleaning requirements can help prevent the spread of bed bugs in a property. Rooms should be vacuumed thoroughly and sealed vacuum bags disposed of after being used. If a room is infected, vacuum rollers should be inspected for bed bugs before using in other rooms. All linens should be washed at high temperatures or steam-washed.
Extermination
Perhaps the most important thing to realise is that if you see bed bugs you need professional help. There are plenty of pests that can be handled with a DIY approach or by your trained maintenance or cleaning staff. Bed bugs are not one of them. Bed bugs are notoriously resistant to most pesticides. They can be killed with high heat, extreme cold, or pressurised carbon dioxide.
Heat Treatment Technology
Flick’s Heat Treatment Technology is an innovative service that effectively eradicates bed bugs in a closed area in an impressively short amount of time, saving you money and time. Heaters and fans are strategically placed where bed bugs are active in a room. The room reaches a minimum of 60°C and is exposed to the heat for 3 hours to kill bed bugs at all life stages effectively.
Conclusion
Bed bugs can quickly escalate from an annoying nuisance to a business-threatening nightmare. At Flick, we can help you if you have a bed bug problem, but, more importantly, we can help you take preventative steps that will help keep you from ever having to deal with an infestation
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