Combatting Bedbugs In A Daycare Facility: Four Steps To Take

Combatting Bedbugs In A Daycare Facility: Four Steps To Take

3 January 2019
 Categories: , Blog


Bedbugs can be a pesky problem at home, but having them infest a daycare facility can cause havoc for all the families you provide care for. If you suspect there is a bedbug problem in your daycare center, here are a few steps you can take.

Install Commercial Clothes Dryers

One way to take immediate action when you first spot bedbugs is to put affected items in the dryer. When dried at high temperatures, the bedbugs can be effectively killed. Consider installing commercial dryers in your facility, and use them to quickly treat blankets, jackets, and even stuffed animals. This step can be taken before your exterminator arrives, and it can be repeated even after the bedbugs are gone as an added precaution.

Limit The Fabrics In The Room

While daycare centers typically have lots of soft surfaces, plush toys, and other fabrics throughout, these materials can be a haven for bedbugs. Contain these items in a separate area of the facility, and place as many as you can in sealed plastic bags. The bags can prevent the bed bugs from spreading throughout the building, giving you time to treat the items while still dealing with the main source of the infestation.

Encase Nap Mats

If your facility uses nap mats, be sure to encase them to prevent bed bugs from spreading. You can use bed bug mattress covers for this purpose, or you can invest in plastic zipper bags intended for storage. You can find extra-large bags for this purpose at a local home improvement center. If your students use mat covers at nap time, be sure to have them professionally cleaned before returning them to use in the facility.

Have The Building Treated

Your pest control expert can use effective treatment options to help eradicate the pests, so make an appointment at the first sight of a bed bug. Offer full transparency to families so they know what the problem is and which steps you are taking to treat it. Parents may want to know which types of chemicals will be used, and they will also need to know how long the facility will be closed while the treatments are performed. Remember to follow instructions provided by your pest control expert after the treatment process is complete, as you'll want to make sure surfaces in the building are cleaned efficiently afterwards. This includes making sure that dining areas, plates, cups, and other similar items are properly cleaned.

Contact a bed bug removal service for more help.