TRAVEL TIP: Summertime is Bedbug Time

Here are a few way to try to prevent bringing bedbugs home from your travel.

Bedbugs are not choosey, they will effect a 5 star property just as fast as a 2 star hotel, resort or even a cruise. Here are a few time to try to make sure bedbugs don’t come home with you.

1. Air out personal luggage before traveling, but do not pack on your own bed just in case your bag has some friends from your last trip.

2. When unpacking during your trip – do not use the beds and keep you close hung up or in your bags, no in the draws or on the floor. Also use the baggage rack only after testing to see if the fiber band of cloth do not contain any bugs. To check take baggage rack into the bathtub and whack gently with a shoe. if small black dots appear on white tub porcelain, do use the rack.

3. Clean out tub with scalding hot water and dry off. Keep bags in tub, on toilet or sink counters due to bedbugs can not climb on slippery/slick/smooth surfaces. Why not the baggage rack? bedbugs could have been transferred from another persons bags to the material of the straps if make of cloth. If the straps are plastic or wood etc., then it is ok to use the rack.

4. To make sure you haven’t brought any bugs home with you, bring all cloths into laundry and place in the dryer for 20 minutes at high (over 160 degrees). The dry heat will kill any bugs that may have caught a ride home with you. Then wash your cloths normally. If you can’t do this right away, leave bags in the garage or somewhere with no carpet for the bugs to start infecting your home.