General Procedure(S)

General Procedure(s)

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For:Health & Safety

Date:06/13/2008

Re:Bed Bug Precautions

Procedure_Pest-Bed Bugs.doc1

General Procedure(s)

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General Overview

There are times when bedbugs are or are suspected to be present in Creative Housing properties. The purpose of this protocol is to outline measures that we can take to reduce the likelihood that bedbugs will be carried to another Creative Housing, to the homes of our staff, or to our office.

If a property may have bed bugs present, contact the Residential Services Coordinator prior to entering a home for verification of any previous record of infestation. Any additional questions regarding bed bug precautions should be directed to the Director of Maintenance.

Staff should use their own judgment and knowledge of the places they go and make decisions about which of the following measures to use in a given environment. Staff should be sensitive to the feelings of individuals and families when using the following measures, while protecting themselves.

Columbus Health Code Information (CCC Ch. 705 & 713)

In housing with two or more dwelling (family) units, the owner (landlord) must get rid of any insects, including bedbugs. Every tenant (occupant) must keep their apartment clean and sanitary.These requirements are enforced by the Department of Development.

Preventative Measures for Potential Work Exposure

Awareness

Know the signs of infestation.
You can recognize bed bugs by blood stains from crushed bugs or by rusty (sometimes dark) spots fecal on sheets, mattresses, bed clothes, and walls.
Fecal spots, eggshells, and shed skins can be found around their hiding places.
There is an offensive, sweet, musty odor when bed bug infestations are severe.
Upon entering a home, look up, down, and around for evidence of infestation.
Assume beds, furniture and other items you are about to inspect or work around are infested and act accordingly.
Avoid contact with upholstered furniture. Sit on un-upholstered chairs or remain standing. Minimize direct contact with potentially infested materials.
Bring your own seating (portable stools will be made available to staff upon request). Explain that it is a precaution taken to avoid spreading bugs from one home to another. Coat the legs of the stool with Skin-So-Soft, petroleum jelly, or double sided tape.
Conduct meetings on hard surfaces rather than upholstered furniture.
If you are working with objects on the floor, use a cloth that will be provided to define the play area. When done, roll it up and put it in a sealed plastic bag. Disinfect tools or other items used in the session.
Upon leaving the home, inspect yourself and items carried in for evidence of bedbugs.

Clothing

Wear shoes with shallow treads or no treads and without laces.
Disposable “booties” may be used to cover shoes (will be made available to staff on request). Explain that it is precaution taken to avoid spreading bugs from one home to another. Put them on before entering the home and take them off after leaving. Place them in a plastic bag and discard.
Pants without cuffs are recommended.
Wear white or light colored clothing.

Tools & Equipment

Bring as little as possible into homes being visited. If you bring something into a home and must put it down, put it on a wooden or metal surface, not an upholstered surface or the floor.
If you choose to take a tote bag into a home, use a transparent one.
Avoid using laptops, especially plugging into electrical outlets. Bedbugs hide in the outlets and seem to be attracted to the computer’s heat.

Treatement

If you should see any live bedbugs on your clothing or belongings, you may spray the clothing or item immediately with Steri-Fab. This will kill any live bedbugs. Avoid getting the Steri-Fab on your skin or in your eyes. Promptly wash any skin that has had contact with Steri-Fab with soap and warm water. Also avoid inhalation of vapors.
Steri-Fab does not have a residual effect after it dries. Therefore, spraying your clothing before entering a home will not prevent bedbugs from attaching themselves to you. Also, spraying with Steri-Fab does not kill bedbug eggs.
If you are concerned that your clothes might contain bed bugs, take off your clothes as soon as you get home. Remove your clothes over a NON-carpeted floor and be ready to immediately capture and destroy any bed bug that you see.
Since spraying with Steri-Fab does not kill bedbug eggs, if you are concerned that you have been exposed to bedbugs, remove clothing and shoes, if possible, before you enter your home (e.g., in the garage). Put clothing in a sealed plastic bag. Empty the clothing immediately into a hot washer or dryer (120 degrees) for at least 7 minutes. Dispose of the plastic bag. This will kill any bedbug eggs that may have attached themselves to your clothing.

Procedure_Pest-Bed Bugs.doc1

General Procedure(s)

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General Information for Precautions at your Personal Home

Infestations are not always due to poor hygiene or housekeeping.

Preventing Bed Bugs

Keep all beds pulled slightly away from walls, furniture, and curtains.
Keep the floor under and around beds free of clutter.
Change sheets & pillow cases weekly (wash in hot water or machine dried at medium or higher heat).
The mattress sheet should be form fitting (with elastic or tucked under the mattress.)
Use light colored sheets and check for discolored spots when removing them from the bed.
Look for signs of bedbugs along the seams of the mattress in places where you are staying (hotel, motels) and keep your bags and luggage off the floor and bed.
Do not place anything (luggage, blankets, pillows, stuffed toys) which may have bedbugs onto any bed. Be particularly careful when returning from a trip.
Only sleep on beds. Do not sleep on couches or in upholstered chairs.

If Signs of Bedbugs Are Found

Remove pillows, sheets, blankets, mattress, and box springs from the bed frame of the infested bed.
Wash sheets, blankets as you normally would. Dry at medium or high heat.
Clean the bed frame completely and treat the bed frame with a residual insecticide (see below).
Vacuum and clean the box springs and mattress. The contents of the vacuum should be thrown out in a tied shut plastic trash bag.
Encase the box springs and mattress in plastic zippered mattress covers.
Put the box springs and mattress back on the bed frame.
Tumble all pillows in a dryer for at least 20 minutes at medium or higher heat. The pillows must be hot to the touch when removed from the dryer.
Make the bed with the freshly washed sheets, pillow cases, and blankets.
Apply the residual insecticide to potential bedbug hiding places in the bedrooms. Hiding places include cracks and crevices along the base of walls.
Every week, re-apply the residual insecticide to the bed frame legs, vacuum, and replace all sheets, blankets, and pillow cases.
Replace the sheets, blankets, and pillow cases more often if bed bugs are found or any bedding has hung to the floor overnight.

About Residual Insecticide: Residual means that the insecticide will keep killing after it is applied. Very few insecticides today are specifically labeled to control bed bugs. Use an insecticide which has on its label that it is for INDOOR use to kill COCKROACHES and will keep killing for WEEKS or MONTHS. One gallon ready to use containers of such insecticides with sprayers are readily available at reasonable cost at local stores. Do not apply any insecticide to the box springs, mattress, sheets, blankets, pillow cases, or pillows unless the label specifically permits such an application.

Remember that bedbugs are killed if subjected to temperatures under 10 degrees and over 120 degrees for several hours. Bed bugs are killed in minutes by temperatures over 140 degrees. Bed bugs can live for months without feeding. All these control measures must be continued for at least three months beyond the last observed bed bug or bite. The plastic on the box springs and mattress must not be removed for at least 6 months.

Procedure_Pest-Bed Bugs.doc1