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When people travel for the holidays, they typically have a few extra things to pack at the end of the trip. Gifts from loved ones, sweet treats, and souvenirs from new experiences are all worth making a little extra space in your suitcase. Some people inadvertently bring home more than they intended from holiday travels-bed bugs. Bed bugs can crawl into your luggage or hitch a ride on your clothes and follow you home. Don’t bring bed bugs home with you from your holiday travels! A few simple steps while you travel and when you get home will drastically reduce your chances of bringing bed bugs into your house.
Do a visual inspection of the bed and surrounding area
When you get into your hotel room do a visual inspection of the bed and surrounding area for bed bugs. You will need to pull back the sheets for this and look along the edges of the mattress. Check the seams and any crevices you see because these are areas where bed bugs like to hang out. The pests can also infest the areas around the bed. Bed bugs are small and will be difficult to see but it is worth the time to take a look. If you do see bed bugs then get your stuff out of the room to avoid transfer of the pests to your home. The next step is up to you-either ask for a different room or move to another hotel if you are concerned that the infestation may be in the other rooms as well.
Keep your items off the bed and floor
As mentioned above, bed bugs are small and can be difficult to spot. You could potentially miss an infestation even if you look carefully for one. As an extra layer of protection, it is a good idea to treat your things as if there are bed bugs in the room. This means keeping items like your suitcase off of your bed and off of the floor. You should also keep your dirty clothes off of the floor and bed. These are simple things that you can do to reduce the likelihood of bed bugs transferring from the bed onto your things and eventually to your home.
Use heat to kill of bed bugs that followed you home
If you have any concerns that bed bugs may have followed you home then you can use heat to kill them off. Bed bugs cannot tolerate heat past a certain level so you can use your washing machine and dryer as an extermination method for your clothes and possibly luggage. Wash and dry your clothing on the hottest setting that is safe for the fabric. If you can wash and/or dry your luggage then do the same with it. If your luggage cannot be thrown in the dryer then let it sit outside in a covered area for a few days. If bed bugs are in the luggage they may leave it to search for their next meal.
No one wants to come home from a holiday trip and have to deal with bed bugs. If you are proactive about inspecting your hotel room and keeping your items off the bed you can reduce your chances of bringing these pests home. If you develop a bed bug problem-despite your best efforts-then call in professional help right away. Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate so professional help is often the only way to banish them for good.
