How To Check For Bed Bugs In A Hotel Room: Life Hacks

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 wardrobe – 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.