If you and your family are making travel plans that include a stay in a hotel, you may end up sharing your room with uninvited guests. If you should wind up taking home some stowaways, services such as bed bug exterminator Toronto can resolve your infestation quickly and easily.Luckily, there are also simple steps you can take to avoid bunking with bed bugs and bringing them home.
Getting Ready to Go
- Research your destination -Before choosing a vacation destination, be sure to check whether or not the area is currently experiencing problems with bed bugs. This can be done with a quick online search. Keep in mind that just because a hotel is expensive, it doesn’t mean it’ll automatically be bed bug-free.
- Packing prevention -Since fabric is an ideal environment for bed bugs, use luggage that doesn’t have fabric lining. You can also spray the inside of your luggage with a bed bug control spray or pack your clothes inside sealed plastic bags (a great use for those plastic vacuum-sealed bags).
When You Arrive
- What to look for -Once you’re at your hotel, look for signs of bed bugs. The bugs themselves are similar to ticks but have an oval body and are brownish-red. Immature bed bugs are lighter and resemble a grain of rice. If you find any bed bugs, inform the front desk and ask for a different room, or consider a different hotel altogether.
- Where to look -Not only are the sheets a good place to check for bed bugs, but also look in the rest of the bedding as well the as the box springs and headboard. Check any cracks and crevices around the room’s baseboards, the flooring and under window casings. If you walk into your room and there’s a musty odor, that’s a red flag for bed bug infestation.
- Keeping your clothes protected – Putting your clothes in the dresser drawers and closets in your room is an open invitation for bed bugs. Reduce your chances of picking up hitchhikers by leaving your clothes inside sealed plastic bags inside your luggage. Bed bugs find hard, cold surfaces uninviting so you may consider keeping some of your clothes in the bathroom.
Before Heading Home
- Give everything a good inspection – more than once -Even the most diligent travelers have found themselves the victim of bed bugs. Before you leave for home, use a flashlight to check through all your belongings – even your laptop or cell phone, as bed bugs have even been found lurking in electronics.
- Spray – again -If you used luggage spray before you left for vacation, be sure to use it again prior to returning home.
Once You’re Home
- Heat ‘em up – Bed bugs can’t survive in heat over 113 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re still worried about possibly bringing home bed bugs, you can wash everything you took with you in extra hot water and dry on extra hot dryer cycles. Steam cleaning is a great option for luggage that can’t be laundered at home.
- In the meantime… Keep anything that can’t be cleaned right away outside in your garage. Otherwise, bed bugs could make their way into your home.
