Travel, Hotel Rooms and Bed Bugs

In case you haven't heard, bed bugs are back. And one of the most popular places they like to hang out and "feed" is in hotel rooms. So if you travel -- and who doesn't? -- you need to take some precautions to make sure you don't bring any little critters home with you. I can tell you from personal experience that getting rid of these pests is both a hassle and extremely expensive. Better to avoid the problem in the first place.

Here are his recommendations for keeping the bed bugs away:

1. Check for Complaints

Before you book any hotel, go online and check for bed bug complaints from other travelers. Some favorite sites for this include TripAdvisor, The Bedbug Registry and Bedbugger.com. Just keep in mind that researching a property before your trip won't guarantee you a pest-free stay since many infestations go unreported.

2. Inspect the Room

Once you get your room key and step over the threshold, it's time to get to work. At a bare minimum, you should inspect the mattress (you'll need to remove the sheets and carefully check the seams), headboard (try removing it from the wall if you can), and side tables by the bed. If there's a sofa bed, you'll need to open that up too. You're looking for everything from live bed bugs and their eggs to blood spots and fecal matter.

If you happen to notice a white powder residue in the drawers or around the circumference of the room, chances are the hotel has recently treated for bed bugs.

3. Keep Luggage Away from the Bed

The biggest mistake you can make is to lay your suitcase on the bed and start unpacking your clothes. In fact, you don't even want to store your bag on the floor. Instead, use the luggage stand. Just make sure to inspect the wooden legs and cloth straps before doing so.

Really cautious travelers will even keep their suitcases in the bathroom (and the tub, if possible) since bed bugs don't tend to sleep in the powder room.

4. Use Plastic Bags for Laundry

Anything you wear in the hotel room, especially your pajamas, could come in contact with bed bugs. The smartest thing to do is to place all of your dirty laundry in a sealed plastic bag so it doesn't contaminate your other clothing or your suitcase.

5. Wash Everything

Once you get home, you should wash and dry (preferably on hot) all of your dirty laundry. For your clean clothing, you can skip the washer and just pop it in the drier.

How Do I Prevent Bringing Bed Bugs Home?

If you have visited a dwelling or hotel  infested with bed bugs, the following procedures will help prevent you from bringing the pests home.

• Wash all clothing in 110°F water and use a machine dryer set on hot before or as soon as the clothing is brought back into the home.
• Suitcases should be carefully inspected, scrubbed with a stiff brush and thoroughly vacuumed.
• Seal the luggage in a plastic bag for several months to prevent bed bugs from feeding and they will eventually die. Bed bugs can live several months without a blood meal.
• Leaving luggage for several hours in a closed vehicle in full summer sun may also kill bed bugs and eggs.

Several different kinds of insects resemble bed bugs, so any bugs found in your home should be carefully compared to pictures to confirm their identify. A pest control expert or entomologist can also accurately identify the insects you collect.

Landlords and property owners have an obligation to provide safe and habitable accommodations for tenants. Tenants have an obligation to cooperate with owners and landlords. This includes preparing the home so that the pest control operator can easily inspect the rooms and treat if necessary.