BED BUG TRAVEL TIPS
Before leaving
- Do your research! Check online reviews for your hotel to see if there have been past complaints of bed bugs as well as the Bed Bug Registry.
- Pack lightly, the less places for bed bugs to hide, the better!
- Pack clothing, shoes and toiletries in sealable plastic bags. Bed bugs prefer folds and crevices so your packed clothing is the ideal environment for them.
Arriving
- Upon arrival to your hotel ask to inspect your room before accepting it.
- Using a flashlight and a keen eye, check the bed skirt and any decorative pillows/accents. Turn back the comforter, sheets, and mattress pad checking all sides and seams.
- Check behind the headboard as well as any other furniture in the room for evidence of bed bugs.
- You should be looking for the cast skins, and dark spots and stains from bed bug excrement.
- It’s very important to not set your suitcase/luggage on the bed or floor upon arrival. Bed bugs have a harder time crawling on smooth, hard surfaces like countertops or bathtubs.
- During your stay store your luggage on luggage racks rather than on the floor.
- Upon inspecting your room, if you find evidence of bed bugs do not move to a room that is adjacent or directly above/below the infestation. Bed bugs can travel via wall sockets through to adjacent rooms, as well as hitch a ride via housekeeping carts. It's best to avoid rooms close to the origin.
- Keep all worn clothing in plastic bags, do not store back into your luggage.
- Before packing to leave inspect your shoes and clothing and luggage.
Back at home
- Bed bugs travel by hitching rides. Make sure to thoroughly inspect all luggage outside or in the garage BEFORE bringing them back into your home.
- Immediately unpack directly into your washing machine. Wash all your clothes in hot water to ensure that any bed bugs that may have made it back are not placed into your closet or drawers.
- Dry clothes on high heat for at least 30 minutes to ensure any previously undetected bed bugs have been killed.
- Vacuuming your suitcase before storing it away will also help to make sure you didn’t look over any unwanted hitchhikers!
- You may use a garment hand steamer as bed bugs are sensitive to high temperatures. The advantage to this is that heating is intense and immediate so it helps to kill both the bugs and their eggs.
- Once clean store suitcases away from your bedroom, such as in the basement or in the garage. Never store them under your bed.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT BED BUGS
If you suspect you may have bed bugs, it’s important not to panic. Bed bugs are not an indication of cleanliness – you can pick them up at the office, on public transportation, or even staying in a hotel! Calling a professional exterminator immediately is your best course of action.
At Killingsworth, we treat bed bugs in Charlotte using thermal remediation, also known as Bed Bug Heat Treatment. Heat Treatments are a non-toxic approach to bed bug treatment that penetrates walls, mattresses, and other surfaces by directly and evenly heating a space. Bed bugs are killed wherever they are, no matter what growth stage they’re in. This is critical since not all bed bug treatments effectively kill eggs, leading to a latent infestation. Heat treatments can eradicate all stages of bed bugs in one treatment.
After treatment, your Killingsworth Technician we will return to verify all bed bugs are dead.