How to make sure there are no bedbugs bed in a hotel room?
The last thing you want on vacation is to be attacked by these critters.
These horrible little insects have the particularity of coming to bite sleepers at night.
Not only do they leave terribly itchy pimples, but they also become embedded in suitcases and clothes.
And so we bring them home. And there hello the invasion at home...
Checking your hotel room for bedbugs saves time and money.
Why ? Because trying to eliminate them once you have brought them home can take months and months and cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars...
Fortunately, here are simple and effective tips for spotting bedbugs and avoiding bringing them home. Here's how to find bed bugs. Watch:
The first reflex is to leave your luggage in the car or in the hotel lobby while you inspect your room. If this is not possible, you can also put them in the bathroom, because there is very little chance that there will be any in this body of water. You will put your luggage in the room only when your inspection is complete. You will then be sure that there are no bed bugs in your room and therefore no risk of bringing them home!
Use your smartphone's flashlight to spot bed bugs. You must identify those that are alive, but also dead ones, eggs or egg shells. To locate them, illuminate the mattress, but also the bed base. You should also check the walls and especially the small cracks. Bedbugs are small, oval-shaped, reddish-brown critters about the size of a pinhead. When they are adults, their size can reach 6 mm. Be careful, because you can easily confuse their eggs with specks of dust. They look like small translucent dots.
Completely undo the bed. Yes, it's irritating to undo such a well-made bed, but nothing should be left to chance if you don't want to spend the night scratching yourself... Take the pillows, remove the pillowcases and shake them out. Remove the sheets from the bed so you can inspect the mattress. Look carefully to see if you see any live or dead bedbugs. Also check that there are no small bloodstains left by bedbugs.
Bedbugs love to nest on headboards. It is therefore an essential place to check before spending the night. To do this, take your flashlight to see the bed bugs and carefully inspect the slots and holes in the bedposts. Pay particular attention to the contact points between the bed and the headboard.
There you go, you now know how to detect bedbugs in a bedroom :-)
Not that complicated, is it?
Of course, if you see any sign of these bloodthirsty insects, ask to change rooms and check again!
Be aware that a bed bug has a very long lifespan:it can survive 1 whole year without feeding of blood. That's why it's so hard to get rid of!
- If during your inspection or after you have settled in, a red, slightly swollen bite is itchy, then you can be sure that you are sharing your room with bedbugs. And you suffered the bites of these horrible critters! Better to leave as soon as possible and deal with all the clothes or objects that you have put in this room.
- To be sure not to bring bedbugs home and avoid contagion, it is best to wash your clothes normally and then dry them in a dryer at high temperature for at least 30 minutes. Why ? Because heat kills bed bugs.
- If possible, keep your luggage in a garbage bag for the duration of your stay, to avoid leaving it on the carpet.
- When you arrive in your hotel room, you often have the reflex to put your travel bag on the bed. Avoid doing this and place it on supports designed for this purpose.
- When you get home, remember to leave your empty luggage in the garage or in the attic to avoid bringing it back into the house.
