When you’re traveling, one of the most important things to check in your hotel room is the bed. And you don’t want to focus on the appearance or cleanliness only – you will also want to know how to check for bed bugs in a hotel room. Lucky for you, we have some tips ready.
Quick Tips: Checking Bed Bugs In A Hotel Room
Bed bugs are a significant problem worldwide. The rise of global travel has also made hotels and other overnight accommodations susceptible to bed bug infestations. If you’re a frequent traveler, now is the best time to know how to check for bed bugs in a hotel room:
1. Check the mattress and the bed frame – Bed bugs stay close to their food source, which is why they’re almost always in beds.
- Start by inspecting the headboard and its designs and details.
- Move the bed from the wall and check underneath and behind.
- Inspect corners, crevices, tiny cracks, and holes.
- Be attentive to the seams of the pillowcases.
2. Check the cabinets by the bed – Pieces of furniture near the bed become a bed bug hotspot
- Open the drawers, and inspect inside.
- Check the joints and handles of your drawers.
- Check lamps, frames, and other items by your bed.
3. Check baseboards and wardrobes – Although these items are far from the food source, you still have to check these areas for early signs of infestation.
- Check cracks, crevices, and dents.
- Inspect gaps between the baseboards and the walls.
- Carefully examine all the drawers, wardrobes, and other pieces of furniture.
4. Check hotel room sofa chairs and throws – Bed bugs are attracted to the CO2 we produce, that’s why they stay in areas with high human interaction.
- Remove all cushions from the seats.
- Look in between sofa joints.
- Remove the cushion covers, and inspect the seams and zips.
5. Check your luggage – Your luggage can be a carrier of bed bugs, which is why you should leave this out first before making your checks in the room.
- Check the joints of your luggage.
- Carefully inspect the wraps around your luggage frame.
Knowing how to check for bed bugs in a hotel room also means you should know how to identify bed bug signs. Here are some things to observe:
- Live bed bugs – They are small, flat, and shaped like an oval.
- Dark stains – Bed bugs excrete these stains after a meal.
- Blood smears – These are traces left by crushed bed bugs.
- Shed skin – If you notice any skin shedding, this means there is a large infestation in the room.
- Eggs – Bed bug eggs are laid in batches of 10 and are white.
Conclusion
We have a responsibility when we check into a hotel room, and that is to make personal inspections around the area. It’s crucial to know how to check for bed bugs in a hotel room, for your sake and others that might follow. Know more on how to check for bed bugs.