Vacuums: Backpacks and Bedbugs Make Strange Bedfellows

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According to the National Pest Management Association, from 2000 to 2006 there was a 71 percent increase in the number of calls from hotels about bedbug infestation.

Dining on human blood, bedbugs travel around the world on hotel guests. About the only way to detect bedbugs is if tiny red spots–from blood–are left on sheets and mattresses.

Fumigating rooms is one way to get rid of the pests. However, a major San Jose hotel sought a healthier solution.

The hotel replaced their upright vacuum cleaners with backpack machines so housekeepers could easily vacuum carpets, beds, and upholstery without having to change or adjust their machines.

Several backpack machines were evaluated, but one system rose to the top: the PV10 (10-quart) Pac-Vac® vacuum from Tornado.

“These machines are quiet, comfortable, and do the job,” says one housekeeper. “We haven‚t had any complaints about bedbugs since we started using them.”