If you are planning to stay in a hotel while on a business or leisure trip then you must be beware about bed bugs. Bed bugs are sometimes found in hotels, motels and any other place where beds are used by many people. Bed bugs are little blood suckers, you will notice their presence through itchy, sore bites usually on the arms or shoulders. Once you stay in a place with bed bugs, then the chances are high that they may follow you home too. Once they reach your bed at home then it is really an expensive affair to totally remove them.
In this article, we will discuss a few ways to avoid becoming a victim of bed bugs while checking in an hotel.
Inspect the bed thoroughly
It is necessary to check the bed thoroughly when you enter your hotel. You may pull back the linen and see if there are any bed bugs. Check under the mattresses, behind the headboard and all the other possible places. If you can notice any blood stains or black dots that look like mold then it is a sign that bed bugs are present. Even the best beds may also have bed bugs.
Bed bugs are usually the size of apple seeds and they usually remain hidden in any corner of the bedding. In case, you find any suspicion of bed bugs then immediately alert the hotel staff.
Keep your luggage in the bathroom
Before you inspect your beddings in the hotel, make sure that your luggage is placed in the bathroom. This is because bed bugs can easily hide in the luggage and you will carry them back to your home. However, bed bugs are not likely to be present in bathroom as they do not like floor tiles as there is no place for hiding for them.
Check the room
Now you must inspect other areas like behind picture frames, under the telephones or alarm clock, under the books and brochures etc. Mostly bed bugs remain within 15 feet of the bed, but few can remain away from this boundary too. They may also be present under the cushion, couch or soft chairs.
Keep the luggage off the ground
If you leave your luggage on the ground or on the spare bed then bed bug can settle down in them and reach your home. These bed bugs can travel miles this way.
Wrap your suitcase in plastic
To get extra protection from bed bugs, you may wrap your suitcase within a plastic zip bags that are available in the market. This precaution is useful not only for hotels, but also when your travel in train or airplanes.
Move 2 floors away if bed bugs are noticed
The moment you notice any trace of bed bugs then you must immediately complain to the hotel staff. Usually for any bed bug scare hotel staffs are extra cautious and try to oblige their customer as much as possible. Therefore, you must request for a room that is at least 2 floors above the initial room.
As questions about bed bug prevention
Before checking into a hotel, you must ask the hotel staff what action they take in order to prevent the occurrence of bed bugs. Many hotels hire pest management companies as a preventive measure to get rid of the bugs.
Read reviews about the hotel
Before checking into any hotel, you must read the reviews on the internet and find out whether any bed bug was ever noticed in the hotel.
Check all your belongings on return of home
When you return back to home you must wash all your clothing including the dress that you have not used in hot water. Bed bugs cannot survive at high temperature. Also inspect and vacuum clean your suitcase before you store them back. In case, you have plastic bags then keep them in safe place to be used next time.
Call professional if bed bugs found
In case, you find any trace of bed bugs at home then do not try to tackle them yourself. It will be best to call a professional and ask them to take necessary measures.
Don’t panic
If you find bed bugs in the room then do not panic, as it is not necessary to douse all the items with insecticide.
