Bed Bug Prevention

Travel Tips

Upon Arrival in Your Hotel Room (before unpacking) –

• Don’t put your suitcases or backpack directly on your bed; elevate them on a luggage rack or put them in the bathroom while you inspect the room.
• Inspect the closet and luggage stands 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 for signs of bed bugs behind and around the headboard.
• Lift bedding, mattress and box spring and check seams, folds, tags, stapled dust cover, and other hiding areas carefully. In hotels, these areas are disturbed frequently and inspected by housekeeping often, so bed bugs 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 for signs of bed bugs.

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 for bed bugs.

After Returning Home

• Check again all baggage, 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.

Frequent travelers will bring with a change of clothing for their return trip and keep that clothing in a sealed bag. Before leaving the hotel, they will bath and change into the clean clothing. When home, they will store their suitcase in a deep freeze until the next trip.

These are extra steps you may want to consider taking if you travel frequently.