Hello, Room Service? No Bed Bugs in My Hotel Room, Please!!!

It’s time for Spring Break!

DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia residents are bound to get the travel bug this year and head off to exotic places for vacation. Everyone knows that as fun as vacations can be, they usually come with their fair share of pests. 

Some travelers may have a snooty flight attendant that charges too much for a bag of peanuts. Others will be trapped in the car for hours and hours while their family members belt out show tunes. Add to that the usual flat tires, long lines, and flight delays that are always seem to know when to strike to ruin a great trip.

But many vacationers may unknowingly bring a pest home with them that will turn their lives upside down: BED BUGS.  

The notorious blood-sucking nuisances may not be gripping the national media as they did last fall, but they are still a living and breathing threat to national security.

…Okay, so there is a lot of misinformation and sensationalism surrounding bed bugs. That is why American Pest is prepared to share what you need to know about bed bugs to avoid turning your spring getaway into a Bed Bug Nightmare.

1. Inspect Your Sleeping Quarters                                                                                             

Bring a flashlight from home, and use it as you pull back the covers, sheets, and pillows, keenly inspecting everything for the insects themselves, shed skins, dark brown spotting, or bloodstains. If the bed does not have a mattress cover, check the crevices of the mattress, which is a common hiding place for bed bugs.  Also use your flashlight to inspect the headboard and nearby furniture, including the nightstand, chairs, and bureaus. (Click here to see our own Wayne White demonstrate a hotel room inspection for the Washington Post!)

2. Monitor Your Luggage

Bed bugs can hitch a ride on your luggage or personal items just as easily as they can hitch a ride on you. Upon entering your hotel room, keep your belongings on the luggage rack or outside of the room until you have had time to inspect the room. After the inspection, it is still wise to keep your luggage off the bed. If there are bed bugs that you miss, this will decrease the likelihood of you taking home an unwanted souvenir.

3. Worried? Launder Your Clothes Promptly

If you are worried you may have encountered bed bugs throughout your travels, or you enjoy life on the safe side, send the clothes from your travel bag directly to the wash upon your return home. The wash and dry cycle will be sufficient ammunition to terminate any bed bug activity in your clothes. Don’t forget the clothes on your back when you walk in the door! Change into a bathrobe and wash those clothes along with everything else. Your baggage can be left in the garage, or sealed in a large black trash bag and left in the sun for a day or two.  

4. Relax and Enjoy Your Trip!

We understand that the prospect of bringing bed bugs home with you is frightening, but there is no need to panic. It may be very difficult to eradicate bed bugs once they have entered your home, but it can be done. Plus, with these tips, you greatly reduce your risk of bringing these pests home with you. So, while American Pest encourages proactively avoiding bed bugs, there is no reason why you cannot enjoy your Spring Break!

If you come across bed bugs in your travels, American Pest recommends taking the following steps:

1. Tell Someone

A manager of the facility should be notified immediately so they can initiate procedures from their company’s policy on bed bugs.

2. Launder/Inspect Your Items                                                                                                                                                                                                                        If the hotel does not offer to wash your items to ensure the bed bugs have been eliminated, handle your items as we’ve prescribed immediately upon your arrival home. You may even want to keep your luggage in a sealed large black plastic bag by the door outside of your home for 24-48 hours in hopes that the insects will abandon your luggage before you bring it in. Any item that cannot go through a rinse cycle should be inspected carefully before being put away.

American Pest wishes you good luck in using these tips to prevent bed bugs from turning your vacation into a Spring Break Bummer!

For more information about how we can help solve your pest problems, contact American Pest today at 1-877-282-1886, or fill out our online contact form.