Tips to prevent hotel bedbugs when traveling

This is what a bedbug looks like (Photo credit: agrilifetoday)

How to prevent bedbugs when traveling

Bedbugs are more than just a nuisance and vacationers need to be diligent and take precautions to prevent hotel bedbugs when traveling.

In addition to the bedbug bites themselves which are unsightly, painful and bedbugs can cause severe allergic reactions, they can also wreck havoc on your finances should a pesky critter hitch a ride on you or in your luggage and then infest your home.

They know no bounds and strike both the budget-minded and the big spenders with the same voracious appetite for your blood.

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Bedbug infestations have been found in top-of-the-line luxury hotels, cruise ship cabins, motels and all types of accommodations in between.

Even nature lovers that spend their time camping can be bitten by bedbugs and bring them home.

Anyone that spends even one night away from their  home can benefit by using these tips to prevent hotel bedbugs when traveling since eradicating bedbugs from a home can cost thousands of dollars.

Tips to prevent hotel bedbugs when traveling

Use lots of ziploc plastic bags. Bedbugs do not like plastic and sealed plastic bags offer a good amount of protections.  They come in a variety of sizes so all of you belongings can be sealed in plastic bags before being placed in your suitcase.

Choose a smooth leather suitcase instead of a fabric one. Fabric attracts bedbugs.  Using a smooth leather or vinyl suitcase coupled with copious amounts of plastic bags can help protect you.

Keep suitcases in bathroom of hotel rooms. Do not place your suitcase on the suitcase rack, the bed or on the carpeted floor of the closet. Not even for a moment.  The tiled floor in a hotel bathroom or even the bathtub offer a good amount of protection.  If you are as extremely paranoid as I am, you can purchase ziploc style bags that your entire suitcase can fit in.

Check the hotel room. As soon as you enter a hotel room, have your bags brought into the bathroom and begin a room check. Savvy travelers carry a small flashlight.  Check the bed, lift the mattress and check all seams for any telltale signs of bed bugs which include small flecks of blood or dark colored feces. Don’t forget to check behind the headboard and any fabric curtains.  If there are any signs of a bed bug infestation, take a photo of it since you may need it later. Then leave the room immediately, speak with front desk staff and insist that they find accommodations for you elsewhere.

Utilize plastic bags during your stay. Do not commingle your clothes. When you take your clothes off, shake them out and inspect them and then seal them in plastic bags.

Wash everything as soon as you get home. If possible do not bring you suitcase into the home.  remove all of your items that are sealed in plastic bags and bring non-clothing or cloth-like material into your home while still sealed in their ziplock bags.  Clothing and clothing like material should immediately be washed in hottest water the fabric can withstand and dried in a dryer for at least 10 minutes.

Consider purchasing a bedbug heated enclosure. Many pesticides that were effective in successfully eradicating a bedbug infestation and now banned due to their toxicity.  Heat is very effective in killing bedbugs.

Frequent travelers, or those that simply want extra peace of mind, should consider purchasing a personal heat treating system large enough to fit all of your travel items and treat items as soon as your arrive home.

Bedbugs can be extremely difficult to get rid of once they are in your home so it is extremely important to educate yourself beforehand in order to prevent hotel bedbugs when traveling.

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