Bed Bugs Travel Tips
I get a lot of family and friends that ask me what they can do to avoid bringing bed bugs home when they are travelling on business or on vacation. Ironically my wife and I were in a hotel earlier this month and found a live bed bug crawling on the bed right out in the open for me to see. When I go anywhere, I check the room and look for signs of any current or past infestation – this room had none of those and still we came to face to face with the problem. It just goes to show you that you can encounter this pest at any time even if it’s what you do for a living.
So how do you try and avoid bringing them home even when you cannot tell if you have had an encounter with one? First, I recommend never putting your clothes or belongings in the dressers or nightstand if possible. Leave what you do not need in the suitcase sealed up and only open it when you need to get something out. I put my luggage in the shower or bathtub when I am away – it’s not 100% full proof but I have found it to be better than on the floor next to the bed. Second, when you come home, immediately wash all the clothing that you took on the trip and inspect any books, personal items like a purse, iPad or laptop.
Last inspect all the luggage or bags you took with you on the trip and make sure no one hitchhiked home with you. If its small enough to fit in the dryer on a shelf, put the luggage/bag on hot for 30-40 minutes. Another option is use a product like Sterifab or rubbing alcohol and treat around exterior of luggage around zippers, wheel and handles – anywhere a bed bug could hide. And lastly check out reviews of where you are going to stay and see if they have had numerous issues reported. Sometimes you are at the mercy of who stayed in the room the night before you, and like I found out, it can happen to anyone, even a pest guy! Dave
As always, if you need help with a pest issue give us a call at 234-571-1203 and we would be glad to help. Dave.