How to Check for Bed Bugs in a Hotel

As you may have heard, Paris is in the midst of bed bug infestation. This has only heightened travelers’ concerns about bringing bed bugs home by accident.

There are many ways to ensure bed bugs don’t get into your home. First and foremost, travelers should always check their hotel rooms for these pests. These six steps will show you how to properly inspect your space, preventing unwanted bites now and potential infestations in the future.

Tips for Checking for Bed Bugs in a Hotel

Place Your Luggage Out of Reach

Robert Puckett, Ph.D., an associate professor and extension entomologist at Texas A&M, told Forbes bed bugs struggle to climb smooth surfaces. So place your suitcase on the luggage stand or in the bathtub as soon as you enter your room. Keep it there while you perform a full inspection.

Check the Bed

Bed bugs, unsurprisingly, love beds. Consumer Reports recommends pulling back all the sheets and blankets to check for bed bugs. Then look at the headboard, mattress, boxspring and pillows.

Scan for adult bugs, as well as eggs, nymphs, exoskeletons and any “dark, rust-colored spots” of fecal matter. Don’t forget to use a flashlight to check under the mattress and box spring too!

Inspect All Soft Surfaces

Bed bugs love to burrow, so check all the crevices of soft surfaces. In speaking with Consumer Reports, Michael Potter, Ph.D., a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky, suggests inspecting any upholstered furniture.

“If I’m traveling, I’ll take a quick look at the couch or recliner, if there is one — at the seams and the head and neck area,” he says.

Report Infestations Immediately

If you do find any bed bugs in your room, alert hotel management immediately. If you choose to remain at that hotel, Puckett says, be sure to get a room that doesn’t share a wall, floor or ceiling with the infested one.

Bag Your Belongings

Regardless of whether you find evidence of bed bugs, Potter says it’s always wise to place your belongings in plastic bags. And keep your items close together instead of spread out across the room.

“If there happen to be bugs, they sometimes will get into things,” he told Consumer Reports. “The more stuff you have around, the higher probability of that.”

Do Your Laundry ASAP

As soon as you return home from your trip, do your laundry.

In an interview with Forbes, Garrett Thrasher, vice president of Thrasher Termite & Pest Control in Southern California, suggests leaving your luggage outside and putting clothes directly into the wash.

And throw everything in the dryer, as opposed to air-drying them. Thrasher says water doesn’t kill bed bugs, but 30 minutes of high heat in the dryer will.