When bed bugs are found in a care home or in a supported person's home, laundry has to be organised alongside pest control, resident care and family communication. This guide sets out a practical incident sequence for registered managers and adult social care coordinators, focused on the textiles laundry can handle and the decisions that must be made before collection.
In brief: confirm the pest control plan first, agree sealed bagging and a collection time with the laundry service, keep enough clean bedding and clothing for the resident, and tell us about dry-clean-only or delicate items before collection.
Start with the property plan
Laundry follows the pest control provider's plan for the room or home; it does not replace it. Agree with the contractor which rooms are affected, when treatment takes place, and when textiles should leave the room. The NHS advises using a pest control service for bed bugs.
An incident sequence for care teams
- Name one coordinator for the incident and one collection-day contact.
- Agree bags, labels and collection arrangements with the laundry service before staff start bagging.
- Bag bedding and clothing in the affected room, close each bag, and avoid carrying loose items through communal areas.
- Record a bag count and a non-clinical room or resident reference; keep the matching record at the site.
- Put any dry-clean-only, delicate or treasured items to one side for assessment.
- Agree where returned laundry should be kept so it does not go back into a room before treatment allows.
Resident dignity and continuity
Explain to the resident, and their family where appropriate, what is being collected and roughly when it will return. Make sure they have enough clean nightwear, clothing and bedding while their items are away. Do not put diagnoses or personal details on external bag labels.
How MyLaundress supports care providers
MyLaundress holds seven London council contracts for specialist laundry services. That is a statement about the contracts we hold, not a council endorsement, and it does not mean every contract covers every specialist service. For bed bug laundry we keep loads apart from ordinary laundry, wash at 60°C only where fabric allows, adjust drying to the fabric and inspect items before return. In London, specialist laundry is processed at our separate North Tottenham facility.
Specialist laundry is available in London and across the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to postcode, textile suitability and agreed collection arrangements. Ordinary laundry and everyday dry cleaning remain London services, and London urgent-collection wording is not a national response promise.
Common questions
Can you collect on the day we find bed bugs?
In London, urgent specialist collection can sometimes be arranged from 30 minutes, subject to location, driver availability and confirmation. Elsewhere in the UK, timing is confirmed when you book. We do not promise a response time.
Do you provide pest control?
No. We handle suitable textiles. Pest treatment of the property is arranged separately.
- Request a care or housing provider quote
- Bed bug laundry service and prices
- Bed bug laundry and pest control: who does what?
- Preparing a specialist laundry quote brief
- NHS: Bedbugs (source)
Published 2026-10-31 by MyLaundress team. Request a regular laundry quote