Latest / Thanks For Visiting / 243. Bug Off: Tips for Preventing & Dealing with Bed Bugs

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243. Bug Off: Tips for Preventing & Dealing with Bed Bugs · Thanks For Visiting

0:00
Sarah: Hello, welcome back for another great week.
0:02
My name is Sarah Karakaian.
0:03
Annette: I am Annette Grant, and together we are--
0:06
Both Annette & Sarah: Thanks for Visiting.
0:07
Sarah: And we're going to kick off this episode like we do every week, and that is
0:09
sharing one of you, our amazing listeners who's using our hashtag #STRShareSunday.
0:15
Annette, who are we sharing this week?
0:17
Annette: This week we are sharing @frontrangeaframe.
0:20
Again, that's @frontrangeaframe.
0:23
Would you please come to the front desk?
0:24
That's what it sounded like.
0:26
Let's get into it though.
0:28
I got jokes always, so everyone knows.
0:30
The biggest thing that stood out, and I want to make this a, um, public
0:34
service announcement to all of you short-term rental hosts out there.
0:38
Whitney, love your account.
0:39
But one of the things we love the most is in Whitney's bio, in her Instagram, she
0:45
has, not seeking collabs at the moment.
0:49
I so respect that.
0:51
I bet you Whitney was being bombarded, and other hosts listening right now,
0:56
maybe you are too, with potential collabs from influencers that would
1:01
like to stay for free in exchange for photos or a shout out on their page.
1:10
So I respect that she is putting that there because I wonder how
1:14
much time and energy is going into maybe some not so fruitful collabs.
1:22
So hosts, we just want to take this time for a PSA to really
1:25
vet those collaborations.
1:27
They can be, shall I say, ego-boosting in the beginning, but we just want to
1:35
remind you, you've got to make sure that both of you are getting results there.
1:38
And you need to have a clear definition of what you want
1:40
that to result in for yourself.
1:43
And just be careful that you have some parameters built in.
1:46
You want to make sure it's not during those busy times that you could be getting
1:51
potential revenue or a lot of revenue.
1:54
So just make sure before-- I know very complimentary to get those requests, but
1:59
you just want to make sure that you have that built into your whole entire year.
2:03
And maybe it is part of your marketing, but have that built in and ready to go.
2:08
But other than that, there's so many other things about Whitney's property,
2:11
but I just wanted to give her a shout out for putting that in there.
2:15
I've never seen that before, and I just think it's a great way to
2:18
let people know where you stand on that, whatever type of collab it is.
2:23
You got to stand for something or fall for anything.
2:26
But this A-Frame, which they purchased a few years ago, they have done a
2:30
complete reno and they've just taken the time and attention to detail.
2:35
And if you go through their feed, they have made the investment in some higher
2:39
end furnishings into their cedar hot tub.
2:43
And as I can tell from their post, it looks like they are reaping
2:47
the rewards from their reviews and finances by investing in
2:52
their property from the get-go.
2:54
So Whitney, we are going to put you on our wish list.
2:57
Thank you for using the hashtag.
2:59
If anybody is heading to Colorado soon, make sure to reach
3:03
out to them and book a stay.
3:05
All right, Sarah, let's get into the episode.
3:11
Have a vulnerable moment.
3:14
Let everybody know.
3:15
Sarah: Listen, everybody, I want you to know how much I love all of you for
3:19
tuning in each week, because this episode truly comes from the depths of my heart
3:24
and bravery because when I first moved to New York City as a young budding actress,
3:30
and it wasn't more than I think a year into living there, it was, I don't--
3:34
Annette: When you were
3:36
Sarah: invincible.
3:36
Invincible.
3:37
2005, also very poor.
3:39
And this little bug started popping up into headlines, and I was one of
3:46
the early victims of this bug coming back to existence in our society.
3:52
And it is, I'm going to say it once, I don't if I'll be able to
3:54
say it again for the rest of this episode, but they're bedbugs.
3:56
This episode is important for all of you because you cannot predict getting
4:03
the bedbug, having an infestation.
4:06
It has nothing to do with how clean you are, how well-vetted your guests are.
4:12
These bugs truly feed on human blood, and so as long as you're alive, this
4:18
bug wants everything to do with you, and you can pick them up truly anywhere.
4:24
And I've had them about three times in my life.
4:27
Twice in New York City when I lived there, and then once when I was on tour.
4:31
And actually it wasn't from staying in a hotel on tour.
4:34
I was an actor and we were touring with musicals.
4:37
We were staying at a friend's house who lived in San Francisco.
4:40
And I thought I was saving money and hanging out with a friend.
4:43
And she didn't know it at the time but she had the bug.
4:47
So yeah, that's what today's episode's about.
4:49
So one of our past members from our membership Hosting Business
4:52
Mastery membership, she's here in Columbus, and she messaged
4:56
me that she's having this issue.
4:57
And I was like, Annette, we've never done an episode on this terrible,
5:00
terrible, but very important topic because these bugs are expensive.
5:05
And if you don't think it'll happen to you--
5:08
Annette: They do not discriminate at all.
5:10
Sarah: They don't discriminate.
5:11
And I hope it never does happen to you, but the important part is
5:15
knowing what to do and tackling it the right way the first time.
5:18
Because if you don't, it is incredibly expensive.
5:22
Annette: Yeah.
5:23
There's going to be two parts to this episode.
5:25
The first part is we're going to talk about some prevent measures that you
5:28
can take in the beginning, but again, like we said, they do not discriminate.
5:32
So we're going to help you as much as we can, but we're also going
5:36
to give you some post information if this ever happens to you.
5:39
There's four things that we want to go over that we think
5:41
could be extremely preventative.
5:44
And the first one is, and I know there's a lot of you out there,
5:49
but please just heed our warning.
5:51
We have to tell you we warned you.
5:54
If you are a Facebook marketplace finder and a thrifty, we love you.
5:59
We understand that there can be some amazing gems on those sites.
6:03
Sarah: And this is sustainable.
6:04
I'm here for the sustainability aspect of it.
6:05
Annette: However, when it comes to couches, mattresses, those
6:12
fabrics, we just have to warn you.
6:16
Sarah can probably attest to this, that one of the bedbug infestations came from--
6:22
Sarah: A couch.
6:22
Annette: A couch that was in our lobby.
6:25
Sarah: It was brand new and it was 2005.
6:27
So again, bedbugs weren't in the headlines yet.
6:29
And my lovely roommate, I was working at a restaurant, she
6:33
texted me, she goes, oh my God.
6:34
You're going to be so excited to see what I brought up to our
6:35
apartment when you get home.
6:37
And for some reason I knew this was bad.
6:39
My intuition--
6:40
Annette: Why wouldn't someone else in the building get rid of it.
6:42
Sarah: Yeah.
6:43
It was like-- the math didn't math and she brought this couch up to our apartment
6:48
and weeks later we couldn't figure out why we all had giant hives all over our body.
6:55
And my world was forever changed, honestly because I never felt more violated.
6:59
Annette: Mm-hmm.
7:01
And we've heard all the stories.
7:02
We've heard the stories of people furnishing their properties with these
7:06
finds, or maybe not even finds on Facebook marketplace or thrift store.
7:11
We've heard some where they find things maybe in other places.
7:15
Sarah: The side of the road.
7:16
And again, because we understand sustainability, we get that buying new,
7:19
even as short-term rentals ourselves, we have to be very conscious about
7:23
the waste that we create as hosts.
7:24
And we're not trying to be insensitive.
7:26
Annette: Oh, I've been there.
7:27
I've been like, wait, this is awesome.
7:29
Why is this here?
7:30
I want to-- now I know.
7:32
It's probably out there, I always thought it was because they were
7:35
moving, like, oh, they probably just couldn't take it with them.
7:37
But now I know there might be a larger issue there.
7:41
So that's step number one.
7:43
Step number two, please get bedbug mattress protectors
7:47
and pillow case protectors.
7:51
I know a lot of people always invest in the mattress protector and sometimes
7:55
forget about the pillow, or they do the pillow and not the mattress.
7:58
So wise investment for a multitude of reasons.
8:01
And what I love about the mattress and pillow protectors is it's going
8:04
to protect against so many other things, not just the bed bedbugs.
8:08
But you need to make sure that there are certain ones that
8:12
are specifically for bedbugs.
8:13
Because you will notice they are airtight.
8:15
They zip, and Velcro.
8:18
They are tight.
8:19
So there is definitely a difference.
8:21
So you might be listening, thinking, oh, I have mattress protectors.
8:24
I have pillow protectors.
8:24
Double check because the ones that protect against bedbugs are different.
8:30
The next one that we want to chat about, you guys know, because
8:33
I talk about it every time.
8:33
I see it every day.
8:35
Please have a vacuum cleaner that stays in your property.
8:38
That's for your team and for your guests.
8:41
You don't know where that vacuum cleaner has been before.
8:44
If your turnover cleaning team is bringing it in, it might be their house.
8:48
It might be the last house they were at.
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You just don't know.
8:52
Sarah: It's not like spiders where you suck the spider up and you know
8:55
they're dead because of the air.
8:56
Bedbugs are incredibly resilient.
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I mean, DDT is the reason why we went so long without bedbugs from
9:03
the mid-80s until, again, about 2005.
9:06
But DDT, unfortunately, also causes cancer.
9:09
So it's incredibly toxic.
9:11
And so getting rid of these bugs is very hard and still today.
9:15
And it's expensive.
9:17
So these vacuums, they're not dying if they're being sucked up by a vacuum.
9:21
So they will absolutely transfer from place to place if you're allowing
9:25
vacuums and mops that haven't been cleaned from home to home.
9:29
So just make sure everything's going.
9:30
That way things can stay contained.
9:34
All right, Annette, is that it?
9:35
Annette: No.
9:36
Got the biggest one last.
9:38
Sarah: Oh, biggest tip.
9:40
Annette: If you do not have short-term rental insurance that covers you for
9:43
bedbugs, please look at your policy today.
9:47
And we get this question so often of like, I have air cover
9:52
or I have homeowner's insurance.
9:55
Please look through both of those.
9:57
I highly doubt they will cover bedbugs and potentially your loss
10:02
of revenue if you get bedbugs.
10:04
And so I can't speak to all of the insurance parameters around that.
10:09
But if you haven't looked at your policy or you haven't reached out to
10:13
your representative, I would definitely shoot an email across to them just
10:19
confirming, they could probably point it out really quickly to you, what
10:23
might happen if you were to get bedbugs.
10:25
Would they cover the lost revenue?
10:26
Would they cover coming in to take care of it?
10:29
I don't know exactly what your insurance would cover there, but
10:33
I know that short term rental specific does have that in there.
10:36
Please check on that.
10:37
We're going to have to see if we can have one of our friends
10:39
come on and talk about that.
10:40
Sarah: Because what I want you to understand is right now, so one
10:43
of our new team members we want to introduce you to soon, everybody.
10:46
Her name is Colleen.
10:47
She comes to us from the hotel world and as she comes to us, just in the
10:51
past few weeks, there is a room at her hotel or her old hotel that had an
10:55
infestation of bedbugs and is six weeks.
10:58
Again, it's a commercial space.
11:00
They have all the tools within their reach.
11:03
They have protocol SOPs, which we're going to share with you very soon here
11:06
on this episode, but it's six weeks.
11:09
Now, imagine that's you and your home, and that is how much revenue
11:14
that you could be missing out on.
11:15
Could be your high season, could be your low season.
11:17
Like we said, these bugs don't discriminate
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Annette: And they had to get rid of the mattresses, tearing up the carpet.
11:23
So it's not just the revenue that you're losing out on during that time.
11:27
It's also what investment are you having to make to actually
11:30
eradicate the bugs too.
11:32
Sarah: Yeah.
11:32
What happens if you get them?
11:33
You're like, cool ladies, thank you.
11:34
Now that I'm freaked out entirely, what do I do if I get them?
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And that is the most important thing to know, is to, yes, sure, be afraid
11:42
of it, but also have a plan in place.
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Annette: Ooh, one last super tip, because Colleen was going over
11:49
this pretty thoroughly with us too.
11:51
Last part of preventative, not last, but one of the important ones, if you have
11:57
a potential guest reach out to you and they're looking for a stay because they
12:02
need somewhere to stay because they're getting rid of beg bugs, or the current
12:06
place that they're staying, or hotel or Airbnb, or their own home has bedbugs
12:12
and they need to relocate, I would not let them relocate into your-- again, I
12:16
know you can't discriminate against them, but the issue is you don't know if--
12:20
Sarah: No.
12:20
Because people don't handle it correctly.
12:22
I'm just going to interrupt you because I feel very passionate about this.
12:24
I'll never forget I was in an audition in New York, and it was a couple
12:27
of years after being traumatized by having bedbugs several times.
12:30
And I was sitting next to a woman, a friend of mine.
12:32
She was like, oh my gosh, I had to move out of my apartment yesterday on a whim.
12:35
And my friends and I were like, why?
12:37
And she was like, because we have bedbugs and we just can't get rid of them.
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So all she did was pack up her stuff into a U-Haul.
12:42
So now the U-Haul was--
12:43
Annette: Passed all the bugs.
12:44
Sarah: Yes.
12:44
And then she just moved to a new apartment.
12:46
And this is what people are doing.
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And I get it.
12:48
The problem is expensive to eradicate.
12:51
It's expensive to take care of.
12:53
And so this is why it makes it very hard and tricky.
12:56
So everyone, we-- this episode is coming to you with love and understanding that
13:01
this is not a fun topic to talk about, but is, again, it's crazy expensive and you
13:05
have to know what to do so it doesn't need to be more expensive than it needs to be.
13:09
Annette: Colleen was letting us know that if another hotel is
13:12
trying to transfer guests because they have bedbugs or if guests are
13:15
trying to check in, they're just--
13:17
Sarah: They'll refuse service.
13:17
Annette: Sorry, we're booked.
13:18
We cannot have you anywhere near our property.
13:22
And again, it's not about the person, it's about the bug.
13:25
Sarah: And so I'm going to preface this, what to do with this.
13:29
In your world, in your operations with your team, whether it's your team and a
13:32
bunch of vendors, or your hiring cleaning team, or you have your inspectors,
13:35
create a world of open communication.
13:39
If they see an ant, if they see a baby cockroach, which are often mistaken as
13:45
bedbugs, give them the open-door policy to let you know every time and to run to
13:51
you and let you know every time because these bugs get mistaken all the time.
13:56
We have an example, a property, and I just renovated last year.
13:59
I think it was our third guest in, they sent us a picture of a bug on a pillow.
14:02
My stomach sank and I freaked out.
14:05
And what I did was, I'm going to go with the SOPs.
14:09
I did all these things.
14:10
The guest left.
14:11
I called an entomologist.
14:12
I called a bedbug expert to go in and confirm.
14:16
I wanted to know what bug this was.
14:17
Annette: Right.
14:18
Not hearsay.
14:19
Sarah: So he went in, he took the bug back to his lab.
14:21
It was not a bug.
14:22
It was some beetle in which he gave me a report saying that it was not
14:26
a bedbug that I could then put on, it was via Airbnb we got booking.
14:30
I uploaded that to Airbnb so they could see that it was not a
14:33
bedbug because I don't need that scarlet letter on the property.
14:36
Annette: Forget, Sarah, because we got the invoice.
14:38
It was not cheap, but it also was a fraction of having
14:42
anything like maybe 150.
14:43
Sarah: It was the best $150 I ever spent my entire life.
14:45
Annette: And that guy, he was awesome.
14:46
He came out ASAP.
14:47
Sarah: He came out that day.
14:49
Because he could hear in my voice, I was like, this matters very much to
14:52
me, to know where I'm at in my life.
14:55
Annette: AD MARKER
14:56
Sarah: Okay.
14:56
So create a culture with your cleaning team, with your inspectors of, hey,
15:00
these things, they don't discriminate.
15:02
It's not about how clean you are.
15:04
It's not about how good you are at cleaning.
15:06
Annette: Right.
15:06
It's not a reflection of your work.
15:08
That's, I think, the most important thing to talk to them about.
15:10
It's not a reflection of your work at all.
15:12
Sarah: It's not reflection of your work.
15:13
It's not a reflection of how much you make.
15:14
It is nothing to do with any of those things.
15:16
In fact, I read this back in the day when these little suckers came into my
15:20
life, literally, back in the day, having bedbugs used to be a sign of wealth
15:27
because you had a warm place where you could lay down and bodies warm.
15:30
Annette: And they wanted to find you.
15:31
Sarah: Yes.
15:32
And they would find you.
15:33
So if you had bedbug bites, it was actually a symbol of wealth.
15:36
So just take that with you because people can make them it-- it can
15:40
make them feel bad or like less than.
15:42
But again, these bugs don't discriminate.
15:43
So let your cleaners know, especially if you're hiring a cleaning team.
15:46
Ask them, what are your safety protocols?
15:48
And see if they bring it up.
15:50
So we're not just talking about bleach and chemicals and making sure we're
15:52
not cross contaminating, but we're also talking about what are your
15:55
protocols, do you look for these bugs?
15:57
How do you look for them, and what do you do if you find them?
16:00
See if they have their own operational procedure because they are the
16:04
first line of defense in most cases.
16:06
Annette: Mm-hmm.
16:06
And that's also, unfortunately, something that we need to dig into too.
16:10
If for some reason you were to get them, depending on how many people
16:13
you have coming in and out of your house, not just the guests, but if
16:15
you have service providers coming in, they could come in on purses or shoes
16:20
or any material that they're wearing.
16:22
So you need to do a deep dive also if you were to ever get them.
16:26
Make sure that everyone on your team is in the loop on that.
16:30
But what do you do, Sarah?
16:32
They've been spotted, unfortunately.
16:34
Our team has come to us, they ran to us, found something.
16:37
What happens?
16:38
Sarah: Let's go the [Inaudible] scenario, because you can take it.
16:40
If your team finds it, you can pick up this scenario where we left off,
16:42
but let's say a guest tells you.
16:44
Because that's the biggest what if, is how do we be the hospitality
16:48
providers we are and make sure these guests aren't taking it with them.
16:52
And here's what you can tell them to do.
16:54
You can tell them to take their clothes off, put it in the dryer at the hottest
17:00
setting for as long as possible.
17:02
They can put their clothing back on and leave their luggage and anything they're
17:07
not confident that has the bugs there at your property and you will reimburse them.
17:11
Annette: But when you say as long as possible, I know you have some SOPs over
17:14
there, is it an hour, is it 15 minutes?
17:17
What should we tell the minimum?
17:18
Sarah: At least an hour on highest heat possible.
17:22
So if the offer is bulky bedding, towel settings, they're at the highest heat
17:26
you can possibly do for at least an hour.
17:28
This way the guests can ensure they're not going to take it
17:30
with them whenever they leave.
17:32
And even if they do that, let's say they take their clothes off, the entire
17:35
party take their clothes, they put it in the dryer for an hour and a half,
17:39
and they leave the home, have them leave their luggage either outside bagged
17:42
in a garbage bag or whatever they want to do, and you will reimburse them.
17:45
Here's where money starts adding up.
17:47
That's the right thing to do, in my opinion, because you don't want
17:49
them to take it with them and again, be a part of that bigger problem.
17:53
And then when they get home, what I would recommend you tell them to do
17:55
is if they've got a garage or a place outside where they can have someone
17:59
put a blanket and shield them, take off those clothes, bag them up and
18:03
go inside the house and start fresh.
18:05
It's honestly what I would have them do.
18:08
Annette: Okay.
18:08
Sarah: Okay.
18:09
That's where we're at.
18:09
Annette: Right.
18:10
Because we are going to tell a story of a firsthand encounter of someone that
18:15
did stay in a hotel, did get the bedbugs, they went home to their apartment.
18:20
I just learned this today.
18:21
This is something new that I did not know.
18:23
But the bedbugs can penetrate the HVAC and also your outlets.
18:29
So if you are connected to any other-- let's say you're in a multi-family,
18:34
and you're connected to any other building, you want tape those off.
18:38
And so when that guest got home to their own property, they actually
18:42
spread the bedbugs to other--
18:45
Sarah: I keep calling them the bedbugs.
18:48
Annette: The bedbugs.
18:50
The other people in their building got them because they freaking
18:53
may-- I mean, I'm just going to say it probably was from them.
18:56
If they were-- it was their neighbors, and they can go up, they can go
18:59
down, they can go side to side.
19:00
But I had no clue about the taping of the outlets and the HVAC until--
19:05
Sarah: So yeah.
19:06
Annette is skipping, uh, ahead because it's a big-- yeah.
19:09
Okay, your guests leave, the reservation gets canceled, money out of your pocket.
19:14
They leave their luggage there, you replace it for them.
19:17
Maybe you even put them up for the place that night if they're out of town.
19:19
But again, tell them, it is not in our best interest for any of us for you to
19:23
bring that bug with you to that hotel.
19:25
Do your best to not bring that bug with you at your next spot.
19:28
So there's that.
19:29
Okay.
19:30
Then it depends on, and what I want you to do after listening to this episode is
19:33
try to get in your back pocket, a company that you can lean on if this happens to
19:38
you, so you know who to call right away.
19:40
Because you need to know what step happens next.
19:43
It's one of two things.
19:44
It's either the company offers the service of, okay, the guest is out now
19:49
they go in and help you from A to Z.
19:51
Or if you're like a commercial space where the companies, the exterminators request
19:58
that the commercial hotels, essentially, strip the room of all the fabrics.
20:01
So the hotel has to remove the bedding.
20:03
The hotel has to tape up, like Annette said, the vents, the outlets,
20:08
anything that can penetrate, to not even just other apartments.
20:10
Let's say you have, um, a single-family home and multiple bedrooms.
20:14
You want those bugs to say contained to that bedroom if you can.
20:18
Annette: I have a question.
20:19
I don't think this was in the SOPs I was reading.
20:23
Let's say I was the person going in to take off the bedsheets
20:28
and put them in the bag.
20:30
Am I wearing gloves?
20:31
What the heck am I wearing?
20:32
What do I do?
20:33
What do you-- are they jumping on me?
20:35
Now I'm all--
20:36
Sarah: Let's say you're a company that you want to work with.
20:38
They say, the thing is, you need to prep the space for us.
20:41
We will not take the bedding off of your bed and do all the things.
20:45
So then what I recommended you do is designate who that human will be.
20:47
It'll be my husband, and they will put on, essentially a, not a hazmat suit, but
20:52
a onesie and putting some, either rubber boot that has no seams or people will
20:59
tie garbage bags high up on their legs.
21:02
Annette: Oh, okay.
21:03
Sarah: So it's harder for these bugs to crawl on you and take them with you.
21:06
And then when you're done with the space prepping, you can de-robe and--
21:10
Annette: Burn it.
21:10
Burn the clothes.
21:12
Probably shouldn't burn them.
21:13
Sarah: Kind of.
21:14
So here we are.
21:16
Your guests left.
21:18
They're not happy, but you've done what you can do.
21:20
If this booking came from an OTA, let the OTA know what's going on.
21:23
If it's a direct booking, then all you have to worry about is telling yourself.
21:26
And trust me, that's going to be hard to do, to live with
21:28
this because it's frustrating.
21:29
You already have your company that you want to work with and they've told you
21:32
that you have to prep the space for them.
21:33
So you're going to go in there, you're going to bag up all of the
21:37
linens and what we did in New York is go to a laundromat and wash those
21:43
things on very, very high heat.
21:46
Annette: Then you go to the laundro-- oh my gosh, I'm never leaving my house again.
21:49
No.
21:49
Sarah: That doesn't mean it won't come to you.
21:51
Annette: I know.
21:51
Sarah: There's no escaping it.
21:54
So yeah, you want heat treatment, exposing your bedding to very high heat.
21:57
Annette: I know they're called bedbugs, but can they get in your
22:01
couch cushions and other furniture?
22:03
Sarah: Yes, Annette.
22:04
Annette: Okay, so what do you do about that?
22:06
Sarah: So often the exterminators are very well trained in this.
22:12
There are some companies that have bedbug sniffing dogs, and
22:16
the dogs will sniff it out.
22:19
But when we-- at our property, Annette, when that guy came to check
22:21
it out, he not only grabbed the bug from the bed, but he tore our entire
22:27
town home apart looking for them.
22:30
And he couldn't find them anywhere.
22:31
I mean, we didn't have them, but--
22:32
Annette: They will still look out.
22:34
Sarah: They will not just look at the place where the activity was found.
22:37
But they will inspect your entire property.
22:39
Annette: They understand the bed, if we strip the linens-- do you
22:42
have to get rid of the mattress?
22:43
Sarah: Okay.
22:44
It's a good question.
22:45
We learned that hotel-- not hotel.
22:47
Marriott and Hilton require the mattress to be disposed of.
22:52
If you decide to dispose of your mattress, please, put it in a mattress encasement
22:57
and I would put a note on there saying there is bedbug infestation so that
23:00
it can be taken care of properly.
23:02
Again, the reason why these are these bugs are still an issue
23:05
is because we keep kicking the problem down the road, honestly.
23:08
Annette: So the next person that has to deal with it.
23:09
Oh man, okay.
23:11
Sarah: Yes.
23:12
Now, every time I ever got them, and that was not because you
23:15
didn't get rid of your mattress.
23:16
But no, I got them on very separate occasion, but I never
23:20
threw out any of my things.
23:21
And that's something that I know a lot of companies champion is,
23:25
don't throw your stuff away.
23:26
In most cases it can be treated.
23:29
But you have to remember too, these bugs, they multiply I think the
23:33
number is by the hundreds every night.
23:34
So the faster you act the better it is, and the quicker you get humans out of
23:38
that home, which is their food source, I believe these bugs can also lay
23:41
dormant for six months without feeding.
23:43
Annette: What?
23:44
Sarah: Right.
23:45
So don't put this problem off.
23:47
Don't dilly dally.
23:49
Know what to do and who you're going to call if and when it happens.
23:53
So there's two main methods for removing bedbugs in your property.
23:56
And again, the company that you call will help most likely
23:58
have a method that they prefer.
24:01
So there's a heat treatment which exposes the area to very, very
24:05
high heat for a window of time.
24:07
Annette: Scorch that place.
24:08
Get it hot.
24:08
Sarah: Yes.
24:09
Now, this method is more expensive.
24:11
and a faster, uh, method for moving the bug, but not as effective in
24:16
killing all their various life cycles.
24:18
Because I mentioned these bugs lay eggs, I think, every day.
24:21
And so oftentimes the eggs aren't subject to the heat.
24:27
Annette: They can resist it.
24:27
Sarah: They can resist the heat, which is why the insecticide treatment, typically
24:31
more effective, longer downtime, requires a reinspection and a possible respray.
24:37
But it's better at catching the bugs that are in their larva stage.
24:42
How's everyone feeling?
24:45
Is everyone okay?
24:47
Annette: I got a lot of things going on in my head right now.
24:50
But when they do this mass extinction of the bugs, well, I'm just wondering,
24:57
do they all fall to the ground and you suck them up and remove them?
25:02
Do you sweep?
25:02
Where do they all go?
25:03
Or just--
25:04
Sarah: I don't get paid enough to know that.
25:05
Annette: I mean, I'm just to put it out.
25:07
Think about it.
25:07
you kill all of them, but they're still around the mattress or around
25:10
the couch, where do they actually go?
25:12
They just don't evaporate.
25:13
Sarah: No, I'm sure there's those bedbugs' skeletons to be picked up.
25:17
Annette: I'll have to go to the YouTubes or something for that.
25:19
Sarah: Don't do that.
25:20
Because then it's going to reserve up bedbug content.
25:23
You don't want that in I promise you.
25:25
But again, the most important thing is containing.
25:28
Contain, contain, contain and act fast.
25:30
Annette: What I said earlier about taping up the HVAC, the vents, and the
25:33
outlets, if you find them in a room, you should probably do that immediately also.
25:37
Sarah: Suit up, aggressive lock gone, or whatever.
25:39
So you suit up whoever your point of contact is, because it
25:41
might not be your exterminator.
25:42
Annette: Your husband can put on his Star Trek suit.
25:45
Sarah: His Star Trek?
25:46
No, he would never subject his uniform to that.
25:50
No, but suit up.
25:52
Have something that you can-- a onesie, like we said, the shoes.
25:55
Go in there, put the bedding that was on the bed where they
25:58
saw activity in the dryer.
25:59
Just put it for two hours, your longest setting.
26:01
Tape up all the things, and then get out of the house and have your--
26:05
Annette: To come in there.
26:09
Sarah: So once the bedbug exterminator does their work, and again,
26:15
there might be a re-treatment.
26:17
I would say more often than not, there is a re-treatment.
26:19
So if there's two treatments, don't feel bad about it.
26:22
I would expect it.
26:24
Do not accept bookings again until you get the okay from your exterminator.
26:30
Annette: How long do you think that is?
26:32
Sarah: I would say four to six weeks.
26:34
Annette: Oh, dang.
26:35
Sarah: Because you know what, these extermination
26:37
companies were like, two weeks.
26:38
No.
26:39
Every time it's ever happened to me, and even right now, again,
26:42
our team member Colleen, who just left her hotel, commercial space,
26:46
all the resources, they're at week six in a one bedroom hotel room.
26:50
Annette: And then are you required, once you have taken care of the issue, do you
26:57
have to tell any guests moving forward?
27:02
Sarah: That's a good question.
27:05
Now my--
27:06
Annette: It's like you don't tell a guest, hey, someone partied
27:08
here before and threw up in the--
27:09
Sarah: Right.
27:10
Someone died here before.
27:11
Annette: Well, if you're selling the house, you got to tell them.
27:15
Sarah: Right.
27:15
I mean, because it's just like--
27:17
Annette: And then it's like how long do you disclose that?
27:19
Sarah: That on your listing?
27:20
Or when they book, they book instantly, hey, by the way--
27:22
Annette: I'm just going to say, I mean, if you've taken care of
27:24
it, if you've had this stamp of approval that it's clear, it's clear.
27:27
I mean, because that's the other thing too, is like, okay, what
27:28
are you going to tell the next?
27:29
Is anybody going to ever stay again?
27:31
You can't do that.
27:32
then it's like, oh, you tell the next two guests but after two weeks
27:36
you don't tell anybody anymore.
27:37
Sarah: I'll say this, I know a hotel will never do that.
27:39
A hotel will never tell you, hey, this room was just being released
27:41
back onto the market after getting me the okay from the exterminator.
27:44
But I will tell you what I like to know so that I can refuse you to stay there, yes.
27:49
Annette: So listeners, we'll let you decide that for yourselves.
27:50
Sarah: Yeah, I'm going to inquire--
27:52
Annette: A lot of times they want to know.
27:54
Sarah: Email Hyatt, thanksforvisiting.me, and let us know what you would do.
27:57
Annette: Oh, my gosh.
27:58
You just opened the flood gates on them.
27:59
Sarah: But I want to know.
28:00
I do.
28:00
Annette: We opened the bug gates.
28:02
Sarah: No, I do.
28:02
Annette: Sorry, I had to say it.
28:04
Wow.
28:04
This is terrifying.
28:05
Sarah: And if you're wondering how much this can run you, let's
28:08
just say this, back in 2005, this was-- how long ago is that now?
28:13
Almost 20 years.
28:15
It cost us $8,000.
28:17
Annette: Ooh.
28:19
Sarah: $8,000.
28:20
And I wasn't making money off my apartment, I was just living there.
28:23
Annette: Right.
28:23
It wasn't revenue-generating.
28:25
Ouch.
28:25
Sarah: So I do know, and when I thought we had them, the guy who I asked was like,
28:29
how much could this potentially run me?
28:30
He goes, uh, for this 1,000 square feet, I think he said anywhere starting $2,500.
28:35
So I would imagine that, but when you have laund-- because then you have to, I mean--
28:39
Annette: The labor involved of just--
28:40
Sarah: Washing all, and I would wash all of your linens in your home.
28:43
Annette: I mean everything.
28:45
Sarah: Now, we prepped for this episode by going over some more commercial SOPs for
28:51
getting bedbugs and also life experience.
28:53
But what I didn't find out is this, so that same guy that I called for our
28:57
property, Annette, mentioned that there is a treatment you can put every quarter.
29:03
Annette: A pre-treat?
29:04
Oh, we should look on--
29:05
Sarah: Part of me feels like, well, listen--
29:07
Annette: That's like them trying to make some money.
29:09
Sarah: If a heat treatment and an insecticide can barely kill
29:11
these things, what is this once a quarter stuff going to do?
29:17
Is it just like a way to make extra money, revenue?
29:20
Annette: And are they potentially-- just my last question about the
29:23
bugs, are different areas like warmer climates, colder climates,
29:27
are different areas more receptible, I guess is what I'm trying to say?
29:32
Is it more likely that certain areas would get them or do the bugs not
29:35
discriminate on any territory either?
29:38
Sarah: The only thing I can say to that is, again, they're attracted to human
29:41
blood, but number two, they often are very active in lower income areas because
29:48
of how expensive they are to treat.
29:50
It's that terrible cycle of--
29:52
Annette: Just not eradicating it.
29:53
Sarah: Because they don't have the tools necessary to.
29:56
And they have landlords who don't do those sorts of things.
29:58
Or people just move out of their apartments and don't
30:00
take care of the issue.
30:02
They bring them with them and they continue to spread these guys.
30:05
So I don't know about climate, but I do know about--
30:08
Annette: The geography.
30:09
You're not going to find them more in one state than the other.
30:11
Sarah: I don't think so.
30:13
Annette: Interesting.
30:14
Sarah: Well, listeners, while this wasn't the most glamorous episode, we hope
30:18
that you can dial in your bedbug SOPs.
30:21
Have an open conversation with your cleaning team and your inspectors.
30:24
Let them know they should let you know anytime they see a bug.
30:27
Annette: Yeah.
30:27
I think that's maybe the biggest takeaway is put some preventative things in place,
30:32
and then also just communicate with your team if they ever see anything.
30:35
Yeah, it's definitely not a reflection of their work.
30:37
Sarah: No.
30:37
And call a company today, tomorrow, this week.
30:40
Get a relationship.
30:41
Figure out what you need to do if you ever found one or something like,
30:44
would they come and identify it for sure, and what happens if it is.
30:49
Just get all those things in place now.
30:50
You'll be thankful because it's a very stressful time to go through,
30:55
especially as a business owner.
30:56
I mean, I've done it as a person just living in the place.
30:58
I couldn't imagine if it was a revenue--
31:00
Annette: And then to with the guests.
31:02
Sarah: Right.
31:04
With that, I am Sarah Karakaian.
31:07
Annette: I'm Annette Grant, and together we are--
31:08
Both Annette & Sarah: Thanks Visiting.
31:09
Sarah: We'll talk to you next time.