How to Keep Bed Bugs from Hitchhiking Home with You

As summer approaches, you may be already planning your beach vacation. Sometimes, despite the hard work that you put into finding the perfect hotel, you can end up in a risky situation. Hotels are one of the most common places to find bed bugs. Most people don’t realize this, however, and they end up bringing home some new, unpleasant tenants. These few that you bring home can quickly infest your entire house, causing an expensive – and itchy problem – that requires a professional exterminator. But don’t fear! Here are three ways to keep bed bugs from hitchhiking home with you during your next hotel stay.

Determine if Your Hotel Room is Infested

Thankfully, bed bug infestations are one of the easier infestations to catch before they become a big problem. Before bringing your personal belongings and luggage into your hotel room, check closely for signs of infestation. Check the bed coverings, walls, and curtains for rust colored spots – these are droppings. Check along floorboards and corners for dead insects.

According to the EPA, bed bugs can be the size of an apple seed, so check carefully! Look under the bed and along the headboard, too. Bed bugs are nocturnal, but you can often find them up to five feet away from the bed or couch during the day. If there are any pictures or wall hangings, carefully remove them and check behind them for either rust colored stains or live insects. Bed bugs are notorious for hiding in every seam, nook, and cranny. If you see signs of an infestation, immediately ask to be moved to a room far away; adjacent rooms are likely suffering from infestations as well. Even if you don’t see any signs of infestation, be cautious over your trip.

Be Careful with Your Laundry

If you plan on staying for a while, you may end up having to make a trip or two to the laundromat. Laundromats are the perfect areas for infestations to occur and be transferred. Instead of carrying your laundry in an open basket, use a laundry bag you can close. Also, avoid setting your clothes – especially after they have been washed – on the countertops or floors.

While you are folding your laundry, check for any dead insects that may have been caught in your wash. This will help you recognize if an infestation is taking place, even if your hotel room showed no signs.

Travel Smart

When it’s time to leave, there are a few things you can do to make sure that you aren’t bringing home any unwelcomed guests. The best thing you can use is a vacuum-sealed bag. Not only does this making packing easier, but it makes it harder for pests to follow you home due to the conditions inside of the bad.

While packing your clothes, check to make sure there are no bugs on them – living or dead. When you return home and begin to unpack, do the same thing. For the first few days, store all your luggage in a room away from your bedroom. Vacuum along the outside and inside of your luggage to make sure no bugs are hiding in there too.

If you discover bedbugs in your home, be sure to give our experts a call right here at Total Pest Solution.