You’ve probably heard, ‘Don’t let the bedbugs bite!” But that’s easier said than done. You really can’t stop the pesky little blood suckers from biting and leaving you with itchy reddish welts.
If you’ve gone on vacation, you can only hope that the hotel you billeted into is bug-free or that no bedbug took up temporary residence in your clothes or luggage. Otherwise, you’ll end up bringing home a little bloodsucker souvenier from your two-week vacation. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to unknowingly infect your home with bedbugs after a bout of traveling.
But don’t fret since there are ways on how one can avoid bringing bedbugs home. Here’s how.
Pack for protection
A plastic trash bag or a sealable plastic container will help your clothing and your luggage bedbug-free. Cover your luggage with a large plastic trash bag to keep the bugs from entering your suitcase.
Store your belongings safely
If you want to put your clothes in the hotel drawers or clothes cabinet, sealing it in a plastic bag or container will help you make sure that no bedbugs hide in your fashionable ensemble. And if you are putting them back inside your luggage, make sure to inspect your clothing that no critters are hiding away. Also, always keep your luggage close at all times.
Head straight for the bathroom
The least place that bedbugs hide and dwell is the bathroom, especially the bathtub. So, directly bring your luggage in the bathroom to avoid those little critters. In case you will leave your suitcases in the room, make sure they are placed in sealable plastic containers that are closed at all times.
Play detective
Once you arrive in your hotel room, inspect all crevices of the room, especially your bed. Check the bed, under the covers, and even pull back the beddings.
If needed, remove all pillowcases and check the seams and crevices. You may think this is a bit extreme especially since enjoying your vacation should be your top priority. However, taking a few minutes to play detective and being meticulous in checking your bed, beddings, pillows, pillowcases and headboards will help you make sure that you won’t get bitten and suffer from bites later on.
See Also: 10 Things You Never Knew About Bed Bugs
Teach kids hotel protocol
Teach your kids how to pack properly for protection, store the luggage in the bathroom and to check the beds and beddings inside and out, including the headboard’s creases and crevices.
Following these tips will surely help you avoid bringing home bed bugs as well as teach your kids some useful and practical life skills. But in case you suspect that some critters still managed to get into your luggage, directly store away your suitcases in the basement or put it in a large plastic trash bag and leave it inside your car outside. The heat of the sun can kill bedbugs for good.
More so, it is best to unpack your clothing, used or not, directly to the washing machine at 120 degrees temperature or more. Also, make sure to spin it dry since this will ensure that you are killing all bed bugs and its eggs.
To further make sure that you are protected, take the time to read up on our bedbugs protection plan. This way, our post-vacation plan won’t be wasted on killing and disinfecting your home with these bloodsucking critters.