Chelle Hartzer, B.C.E., Technical Services Manager, Orkin, LLC

There are many areas within long-term care facilities that are at risk for pest infestation. In fact, many of the amenities and services offered to make patients and residents more comfortable are also havens for pests. One often forgotten area is the laundry room. Pest activity can be common because of the warmth, food, moisture and shelter it provides. Stacks of both dirty and freshly cleaned clothes provide warmth and a place for pests to hide. Even in the most organized of laundry rooms, if the room is used daily, finding time to deep clean and potentially treat can be difficult.

Despite having a laundry list of tasks to make each day successful, effective pest management needs to remain a priority. If ignored, you’re leaving your facility open to negative publicity, property damages and even potential lawsuits, as well as putting your patients’ health and safety at risk as many pests such as cockroaches and rodents can carry dangerous pathogens and spread diseases.

Fortunately, there are beneficial steps you can take even in the most sensitive of healthcare environments. As part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan, ongoing sanitation, monitoring and maintenance of pest “hot spots”–-like the laundry room – is a key way to help prevent pest problems. After a thorough inspection, a customized IPM program can be developed specific to your facility and its unique pest pressures, whether it be ants, cockroaches, rodents or other unwelcome guests.

How to avoid an infestation

Pests can’t infest a place that doesn’t provide them what they need to survive. Here are some valuable IPM tactics to help eliminate and prevent pest activity in the laundry room.

  • Start from the outside-in. If there are any exterior doors or windows, make sure they fit tightly and install door sweeps that seal the door to the ground.
  • In addition, have maintenance caulk any and all crevices to help prevent pest activity. Rats, for example, can find their way inside by means of quarter-sized holes.
  • Make sure floors stay free of piles of clothing, litter and other debris. Similarly, don’t keep laundry baskets or hampers filled overnight.
  • A clean and open floor will allow for regular sweeping and mopping as needed to prevent any residue that can attract ants. Remember to empty those lint traps!
  • Line and cover any garbage containers, making sure to empty these daily. Don’t forget to clean out the inside of the trash can on a regular basis too.
  • If the laundry room is also used to store mops, brooms or other cleaning supplies, keep these off the floor, dry and organized.
  • Do not place storage racks flush against the wall. As a general rule, keep an 18-inch gap between the wall and the rack.
  • Keep tiled ceilings intact. Broken or missing tiles should be replaced as soon as possible since ceiling voids can be used as a crawl space for rodents or a breeding ground for flies.
  • Prior to washing, inspect clothing, bedding and linens for pests or evidence of pest presence such as droppings, chew marks or shed exoskeletons to detect pest activity early on.

When bed bugs come into the picture

Proactive, ongoing pest monitoring is the best way to identify and prevent infestations. Bed bugs, for example, are the exception to the rule when it comes to sanitation. While clutter can hide a bed bug introduction into your facility, their presence actually has nothing to do with cleanliness or sanitation practices. Anywhere that humans are, bed bugs can inhabit.

As the number of bed bug cases at healthcare facilities continues to grow, it’s critical to detect and treat for them as early as possible. The laundry room is a key part of this effort. Inspect clothing, bedding and linens for bed bugs (flat, reddish-brown, oval insects about the size of an apple seed) or signs of them, including small, brown ink-colored stains and shed skins.

Bed bugs spread quickly and tend to stay out of sight unless they are feeding. For that reason, it’s important to regularly check behind baseboards, outlet covers, torn wall paper and under broken floor or ceiling tiles – any place that bed bugs could easily hide if brought in with the dirty laundry. Since bed bugs are attracted to body heat, don’t forget to check around, under and behind the dryers.

If bed bug activity is detected, take the following steps:

  • First, alert management immediately and report the issue to your pest management provider.
  • Quarantine any room thought to have bed bugs until it has been inspected and treated professionally.
  • For items that can be laundered, wash in hot water with detergent and dry potentially infested bed linens, curtains and clothing on the hottest temperature allowed for the fabric. The combination of heat and soap will kill bed bugs.
  • Talk to your pest management professional to determine which items should be removed and thrown away.

If left unchecked, bed bugs and other pests can quickly become a full-blown infestation, which is unacceptable for long-term care facilities like yours. Partner with a knowledgeable and reliable pest management provider so you know which pests to look for, where to find them and how to prevent them from becoming an issue.

Chelle Hartzer is Technical Services Manager for Orkin. She is a board-certified entomologist and provides technical support and guidance across all Rollins brands in the areas of operations, marketing and training. For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.orkincommercial.com