Make Sure to Check for Bed Bugs When You’re on Vacation
It’s a new year, and with COVID numbers hopefully dropping again, you may be planning your next trip. But there’s one souvenir no one wants to bring back from vacation: bed bugs. These nasty critters are notorious for hiding out in hotel rooms and hitching a ride back in your suitcase. Make sure to check for bed bugs when you’re on vacation this year, and remember, if you do end up with a bed bug problem, call Hopper Termite & Pest for reliable extermination service right away.
How to Check for Bed Bugs in Your Hotel Room
- Step One: As soon as you get into your hotel room, pull back the sheets from the bed and inspect the seams of the mattress. This is the area of the bed where these vile insects like to hide out, so make sure to look closely at the bed’s corners and look for stains or spots in addition to actual bed bugs, as these could be droppings they left behind.
- Step Two: Once you’ve finished with the bed, you can move on to checking the rest of the room. Make sure to look behind the headboard, in sofas and chairs, in the curtains, in the dresser, nightstands, and even the cabinets—basically any type of fabric, or anywhere that’s near the bed. You may want to use a flashlight to make this process easier.
- Step Three: Wait to unpack until you have finished thoroughly sweeping your hotel room for bed bugs. As soon as your suitcase comes open and your clothes come out, you become vulnerable to bed bugs, so this is extremely important. If you do see signs of bed bugs in your hotel room, alert the hotel’s staff and ask for a different room immediately. Also make sure they don’t give you a room adjoining your current one, since if there’s bed bugs in your current room, there’s a good chance they are also in the room next store. And of course, when you get home, make sure to wash and dry clothes right away, and maybe even leave your suitcase outside for a few days just to be safe. Bed bug eggs are small and sticky, so it is possible for them to end up in your luggage even if you didn’t see any signs of bugs in your room.