Each year thousands of people bring bed bugs home after exposure during hotel stays or while on airplanes, trains, buses or cruise ships. The steps below can reduce the possibility of staying in a bed bug infested location and prevent infesting your home when you return from your travels.
Before Unpacking
- Don’t put your suitcase or backpack on the bed or floor; elevate them on a luggage rack.
- Inspect the closet and baseboards nearby the luggage rack before placing items in the closet or on the rack.
- Wall mounted headboards are a standard in many hotel rooms. Check behind and around the headboard.
- Lift bedding, mattress and box spring and check seems, folds, tags, stapled dust cover and other hiding areas carefully. In hotels, these areas are disturbed frequently and inspected by housekeeping often, so they are not found here as frequently as they are found here in a home.
- Inspect nightstands, dressers, and other furniture around the bed area including behind wall hangings.
During Your Stay
- Periodically inspect your suitcase and clothing.
- Each morning, check for new red marks on your body, and for blood spots on the bedding.
Before Leaving
- Inspect your clothes and other items before packing.
- Carefully check crevices in suitcases and backpacks.
After Returning Home
- Check again all traveling stuff, and separately wash and dry on the highest permitted temperature all clothing and bedding items for at least 30 minutes, or dry clean if necessary.
- Check your suitcases again.
- Don’t store your suitcase or backpack under your bed.
