Travelling without bringing bed bugs back

Travel is the leading way bed bugs are introduced into a home. Five minutes of inspection on arrival prevents months of trouble on your return.

On arriving in a room

1. Put luggage in the right place

   In the bathroom, on the bathtub or on a metal rack — never on the bed, the carpet or the armchair.

2. Inspect the bed

   Pull back the sheets, examine the mattress seams, the box spring corners and around the headboard with your phone light.

3. Look behind the headboard

   It is the most common hiding place in hotels. Look for small black spots.

4. Check the surroundings

   Night table, armchair seams, curtains touching the floor.

5. If in doubt, change rooms

   Ask for a room that is not adjacent to, above or below the first one.

During the stay

• Keep the suitcase closed and raised, away from the bed.
• Do not leave clothing on the bed or on armchairs.
• Keep dirty laundry in a sealed bag, separate from clean clothes.

Back home

• Do not put the suitcase on the bed or the sofa. Unpack in the entrance, the bathroom or the garage.
• Put all clothing — even what you did not wear — through the dryer on high heat for at least thirty minutes.
• Vacuum the suitcase, including seams and pockets, then discard the bag outside.
• Store the suitcase somewhere other than the bedroom, ideally in a sealed plastic bin.

If you think you slept in an infested room

Apply the return instructions above, then watch your bed over the following weeks: mattress seams, box spring, headboard. At the slightest doubt, have the place inspected rather than wait.