A hotel room can be clean as a whistle and still have bedbugs.
Some commercial sprays advertise that they deter bedbugs, but they contain harsh chemicals that may affect the items in the suitcase or the people to whom the suitcase belongs. Protect belongings by other methods that do not involve harsh sprays that may or may not work. Bedbugs are hard to get rid of and they hitchhike on luggage and infest homes quickly. Bites are harmless unless itched to the extent of causing an infection. Bites look similar to mosquito bites and usually appear alone or in a line of several bites. Itch cream will ease discomfort. Some people do not show any signs of a bite. Does this Spark an idea?
Prevention
The first defense in avoiding a bedbug infestation in a suitcase is prevention. Bedbugs spread in luggage even during a flight. Place clothing inside luggage (both clean and dirty) in sealable plastic bags. Bedbugs cannot eat through or squeeze in plastic. If possible, enclose the luggage in a large sealable bag. Airports frown upon plastic encased luggage so put the suitcase in the bag and then in a duffel bag that can be washed. Garbage bags are good alternatives to sealable bags, but seal well with duct tape.
Check
Check all hotel rooms before unpacking. Pull sheets off and inspect seams in the mattress, along box springs, in indentations or buttons in the mattress and behind headboards if possible. Check baseboards along the floor, around the bed, and in dressers. Bedbugs can hide in tiny cracks and crevasses no wider than the thickness of a credit card making them hard to see. Bugs are the same size as an apple seed and are just as flat. They are brown but swell and turn red when they have eaten. Signs of infestation are pin-prick size drops of blood, smears of blood or black spots that are fecal droppings. Bedbugs shed skin as they grow and leave the old ones behind. Take a flashlight to make them a little easier to see. Even with no evidence, they may still be there.
Luggage Storage
Never put unprotected luggage on the floor or bed. Place it on a luggage stand after checking it or a tabletop. Bedbugs are less likely to get in luggage when elevated, but this is not 100 percent effective. To be extra careful, put luggage in the bathtub.
Going Home
Never take luggage inside the house right away when going home. Bedbugs are hard to see in dark-colored suitcases. Wash clothing even if in plastic bags or clean. Heat kills bedbugs so use water at least 120 degrees F or take to the drycleaner before bringing in the house. Dry at the highest temperature setting for 20 to 30 minutes. Using a hand-held steamer, thoroughly steam clothes that cannot be exposed to high temperature. Steam luggage getting into all crevasses. Vacuum luggage well and dispose of vacuumed material outside immediately.
Tags: Bedbugs hard, plastic bags