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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBed Bug Plan & AddendumRenton Commons Bed Bug Plan "Bed bugs" are small, nocturnal insects that feed on blood. They are found commonly in all kinds of locations, from the fanciest hotels to people’s homes. They are about 1/4-inch long and 1/8 inch wide. They have flat, reddish-brown bodies with six legs, and after feeding, they become round and red. They give off a sweet, musty odor. Their eggs are white and very small, and their excrement appears as tiny brown or black spots. Bed bugs are typically found on mattresses, box springs and bed frames, clothing, bedding, furniture, or any dark cracks, seams, or crevices in walls or floor s. They can travel through water pipes, wall voids, and ducts, and can spread from room to room. Some people who are bitten by them get itchy welts on their skin. If you find bed bugs in your apartment, report them to staff as quickly as you can. You will not get in to trouble for reporting bugs to us. We will consider it a building rules violation if you fail to report bed bugs in your apartment. It is critical to that we as a community prevent them from entering or living in our building. These bugs are not just a problem in our building. They have been found in all of the shelters and day programs that many of our residents visit. We have developed the following guidelines and rules to assist us in this effort. Preventing the Introduction of Bed Bugs When bedding is brought into the building for washing or is removed from your unit, seal the items (e.g., sheets, blankets, pillows, and pillowcases) in a plastic bag before transporting them into or through the building, to avoid spreading the infestation to other areas. We will have plastic bags at the front desk. The Laundry room is an excellent place to transfer bed bugs, keep your items in bags and under your control at all times. Dry all clothing on a hot setting. The heat is what kills the bed bugs. Before you move in and and/or bring clothing and bedding into your apartment, wash the items in hot, soapy water and dry them on the hottest dryer setting. Freezing the materials (at less than 0 degrees for several days) is also known to kill bed bugs Used mattresses and used furniture are not allowed into the building, unless property managers are certain that they do not harbor bed bugs. All incoming furniture must be inspected. The mattress provided in your unit is encased in a permanent plastic covering, to prevent bug infestations. If you notice that the plastic covering is torn, please notify the building management staff. If this mattress is the property of Renton Commons it is not to be sold or traded and the cover left intact. If you have your own mattress that you wish to use, we ask that you place it in a plastic bag that we will furnish. Eliminate excess clutter (particularly near beds and clothes), to reduce the number of places where the bugs can hide. Even if you do not have bed bugs, it is a good idea to reduce the clutter now. It will also help you in passing inspections and help lower the number of roaches in the building. In the case of a bed bug infestation, we reserve the right to ask you to dispose of personal items that have become infested. These items will not be replaced at management’s expense. Do not store items for other people in the building or items from people on the street. All of the shelters currently have bed bugs. Allowing your friends to store their backpacks and other items At Renton Commons during the day could bring in bed bugs. It will be a violation of the building rules to store items for other people. Renton Commons staff will be inspecting your bedroom area one time a month, in addition to the regular inspection that we conduct with the pest control people. This inspection will be limited to your bed area. We will be turning over your mattress, and looking under the bed. We ask that you do not launder your sheets prior to this inspection so we can check for bed bugs. We as staff realize that this is very intrusive, but regular inspections, is the only way we will be able to control the bed bugs. The people doing the inspections have been trained to look for signs of bed bugs. We feel that providing a clean, safe and bug free living space is paramount. We will be respectful of your belongings. We are required to give you 48 hours notice of our intent to enter. Since speed is important, we might from time to time ask your permission to enter without the proper notice. You have the right to refuse us entry unless we have given you 48-hour notice. Our hope is that you do not get bed bugs. However, we will take action as soon as we can. It is our goal to eradicate all of the bed bugs from the building; however, we do need your cooperation in keeping them out. Please report people that are violating these rules to staff. It is your building. Be proud of it. Getting Rid of Bed Bugs Report the bugs to the Renton Commons property management staff. We will send someone to inspect your apartment and advise you if they are bed bugs. Then staff will ask for your cooperation and let you know specifically what needs to be done. Staff will assist you in getting your apartment ready for the Pest Control Company. However, dealing with the bed bugs requires your cooperation; we will ask you to de-clutter your apartment. We will advise you of any furniture that will need to be discarded. Mattresses with tears will have to be bagged and thrown away Overstuffed furniture that has rips will have to be bagged and discarded. Excess printed media will have to be bagged and discarded. More than two or three boxes will be considered excess. The pest control company will need access to all of the floorboards. Excess clothing will have to be discarded. More than two or three large bags will be considered excess. Open food items will need to be discarded because of possible contamination with pest control chemicals. Items hanging on the walls will need to be removed, inspected and treated. Do not remove items from your apartment without contacting the staff. We will provide plastic bags, and assist you in removing large items. This is to reduce the potential of spreading the bugs. Not cooperating or throwing away un-bagged items with bugs is a violation of the building rules. You will not be charged disposal fees on any items we remove because of bed bugs. If a mattress with bed bugs is torn and/or infested, it will need to be thrown out, as the bugs can live inside the mattress where they cannot be reached. Do not treat mattresses with insecticides. We will provide a mattress cover for your mattress; it must stay in place for at least a year. Please report to staff if the cover becomes torn. Eliminate excess clutter (particularly near beds and clothes), to reduce the number of places where the bugs can hide. Staff or the pest control company will tell you what needs to be cleaned up. Vacuum cracks, crevices, and other hiding places in walls, floors, and furniture where adult bed bugs or eggs are found. Dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed trash bag. Use hot, soapy water or rubbing alcohol to wipe surfaces where the bugs are living. A scrub brush will remove eggs from the bed rails, floorboards and walls. Wash any infested bedding or clothing with hot, soapy water and dry it on the hottest dryer setting. Clothing needs to be washed and bagged prior to the pest control person coming to treat your apartment. Staff can assist you with this. Do not return un-bagged clean clothing to your apartment until after the pest control people have treated your apartment. Renton Commons staff may place traps in your apartment. To find out the level of infestation the Renton Commons, staff may ask to use a sticky trap in your apartment. We will be using various methods to control bed bugs when we find them. The most important thing is cooperation from the residents and de-cluttering the apartment. Failing to cooperate with staff doing bed bug treatment is a violation of the Renton Commons rules. "A pest control journal cites these as some of the reasons that bed bug treatments fail. "Lack of cooperation from residents” In our experience, the major reason for bed bug retreats in apartments was that the residents did not prepare on the day of the initial treatment. Resident cooperation with the pest control service is a must. Residents scheduled for an initial or major bed bug service need to follow the instructions of the pest control company. Often this will mean residents will need to strip their beds of all blankets and sheets, completely empty all closets, dressers, and nightstands, wash all clothing and linens and place them inside plastic bags or bins in the living room, and then vacuum before service. Such action may sound extreme but it must be done to eliminate bed bugs in clothes and possessions, and to provide the technician with the access necessary for effective treatment. I understand that in the event there are bed bugs present in Renton Commons, I agree to cooperate with staff in treating my apartment. Tenant Signature___________________________ Date______________ Tenant Signature____________________________ Date______________ Tenant Signature_____________________________ Date______________ How to Get Ready for Your Bed Bug Service Visit Bed bugs are tough to control. They hide in many places in beds, closets, furniture, behind pictures, in tiny cracks in the wall so inspections and treatments must be thorough. Pest control technicians need your cooperation in order to control bed bugs successfully. Before technicians can treat your home, you must prepare your home for service. Here is how: Strip your beds Remove all sheets, blankets, mattress covers, pillowcases, etc. from your beds and wash. Fold them and place them in plastic garbage bags. Do not put them back on the bed until the evening after pest control service. Remove everything from bedroom and hall closets Your closets must be empty. Empty all dresser drawers and nightstand drawers. Take everything out of nightstands and other furniture near the beds. Dresser drawers and nightstands must be empty. Remove all clothing, toys, boxes, etc. from bedroom floors. Place items in the living room. Wash ALL clothing, towels, and other linens This means everything and place the clean items inside plastic storage bins or plastic garbage bags. Store them in the living room until after treatment. Vacuum Vacuum floors, furniture, and inside closets, dresser drawers, and bedstands. Also, vacuum mattresses and box springs. Dispose of vacuum bag. Provide access for pest control technician Make sure the technician can get into all closets. If possible, move bedroom furniture away from walls so there is a 3-foot space between the furniture and walls. Avoid contact with insecticide until dry Make sure there are no animals or people in the apartment during treatment and for at least 2 hours afterwards (check with the pest control technician for the exact time). How Did These Bed Bugs Get Into My Home? Bed bugs are secretive insects. They live in the dark in tight cracks, crevices, and holes near sleeping areas. New bed bug infestations are usually centered around the mattress and bed frame. In heavier infestations, bugs move out to occupy hiding places further from t he bed as well. Bed bugs can hide in beds, furniture, piles of clothing, backpacks, and similar everyday items. They can live for 6 or 7 months between feedings. Common Ways for Bed Bugs to Infest Apartments The most common way for bed bugs to invade your home is for you, your family, or your friends to bring them in without realizing it. Bed bugs are excellent "hitchhikers." Here are some ways you could bring bed bugs into your home: Picking up bed bug- infested beds, mattresses, or furniture that has been discarded and placed on the street or by a dumpster. Visiting someone who has bed bugs and carrying them back with you on your clothing or possessions. (Children playing together in one home after another can be transferring bed bugs in their toys and backpacks.) Staying overnight in a bed bug infested room in a hotel or home and bringing them home in your luggage. Renting furniture infested with bed bugs from furniture rental companies. Buying bed bug-infested second-hand furniture, carpets, blankets, luggage, pictures, and fixtures from stores, yard sales, auctions, and flea markets. Bed bugs can also migrate from one apartment to the next through pipe and wiring runs, and through wall and ceiling voids, in the same way that cockroaches move between apartments. Reduce Clutter, Vacuum, and Use Mattress Covers There are a number of things you can do to make it more difficult for bed bugs to infest your bed. Vacuum your bedroom often, particularly the area around the bed and the bed itself. Reduce clutter. Do not keep piles of clothes, boxes, toys, shoes, etc. on the floor, under the bed, or in closets. They provide hiding places for bed bugs. Buy bed bug proof mattress covers (encasements) and put them on your mat tresses and box springs. The encasements trap any bed bugs hidden inside t he mattress and box spring so that they cannot come out and bite. They will eventually die. The encasements also prevent any new bugs from finding hiding places in you r mattresses and box springs. You can purchase encasements online or from pest control supply companies and medical supply stores. Prices range from $20 to over $100 each depending on their quality, size, and thickness. Choose encasements specially designed to protect against bed bugs. For a complete discussion of encasements, click here, and go to # 10. Pull your bed a couple of inches away from the wall so that it is not touching the wall. Quality mattress and box spring encasements reduce bed bug problems Regularly inspect bed frames and t he seams in your mattresses and box springs. Call your rental office if you find a bed bug. Do not scavenge mattresses, beds, or other furniture that others have thrown away. Carefully inspect used furniture, rent al furniture, used luggage, and other used items before bringing them into your home. How to Find Bed Bugs in Apartments Anyone inexperienced with bed bugs will have little idea of just how intense an inspection it takes to find all the pockets of a bed bug infestation. Your initial inspection must be thorough, and you will need to return again after treatment and re-inspect just as thoroughly. Always check these potential hotspots: Check the bed Are you squeamish? Better wear gloves. Strip back the covers and look for blood spots on the sheets. Stand up the mattress. Remove the box spring and flip it over. There is no way to find bed bugs in a bed unless you do. Inspect both carefully. Check every seam. A prime location for a bed bug is resting upside down on the underside of the box spring where the box rests on the bed frame. Look inside the box spring, too. Shine a flashlight through the gauze fabric on the bottom of the box spring. You may even have to remove the stapled fabric to inspect inside. Also, check the headboard, if there is one, and look inside anything and everything that is stored under the bed. Bed bugs can hide inside shoeboxes, for example. Check the rest of the bedroom Bed bugs are not limited to beds, and your inspection shouldn't stop there. Concentrate on furnishings close to the bed. Pull out dresser drawers and check inside the drawers and in crevices. Like cockroaches, bed bugs like to squeeze into narrow spaces. Look under televisions, stereos, and other equipment, behind pictures, in the crevice behind the baseboard, and even in stacks of clothing. Bed bugs are often found hiding in tack strips under wall-to-wall carpeting and behind baseboards. Be aware that bed bugs tend to crawl upwards. In addition, check drapes, wall decorations, and cracks in the ceiling-wall junction. Check the furniture in all rooms Bed bugs hitchhike on clothing, purses, and the like from the bedroom into other rooms. Many people spend as much time on the couch or in an easy chair as they do in bed, so always check for a secondary bed bug infestation in living room and family room furniture. Remove the cushions. Check seams and crevices. Tip back the couch and chair and look underneath, particularly behind skirts and at the seams. Take your time! A thorough bed bug inspect ion in an apartment unit takes one to two hours. But it’s the only way to be successful. Check for secondary bed bug infestation in furniture throughout t he residence