Planning to check into a hotel for your holiday vacation? You need to be careful of those bed bugs. Motels and hotels are the hotspots for these bed bugs and mites, which are small reddish-brown insects.
These insects can continue to live happily in your bed and even hitch a ride to your home on your clothes and luggage.
You have to be very careful with these bed bugs, and you might end up having these bugs in your bed at home. In this post, we will discuss how to check for bed bugs in the hotel and some solutions.
Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?
Bed bugs tend to develop when proper hygiene is not maintained. This is why they are more frequently found on hotel beds.
These hotel beds have hair, dead skin cells, sweat, and food crumbs. These are food sources for these bugs, and when you lay on such a bed, they get on your clothes and luggage.
You can end up carrying them back to your home with your clothes and your luggage. And they will start developing on your bed in your home. This is especially true if you don’t maintain proper hygiene.
How To Check Hotel Rooms for Bed Bugs?
These bed bugs are pretty easy to identify as they are reddish-brown and leave the same hued fecal spots on mattresses, walls, and upholstery.
To determine whether the room you checked in has bed bugs, there are a few signs you need to look out for. So, how to check hotel rooms for bed bugs?
Mattress and Bed Frame
These bed bugs can be directly present on the mattress, or they can also be present on the bed frame. But these are the most common places to find these bed bugs. And from here they will get on your clothes and luggage.
In most cases, they are on the underside of the box spring mattress and the bed frame. And as soon as you sit on the mattress or lie on it at night to get your sleep.
These bugs come out and start feeding on your blood and your dead skin cells. Therefore, you need to look for any signs in these areas, and you will surely find any bed bug infestation.
Bedside Cabinets
Apart from the bed frame and the mattress, another common place for these bed bugs to be are those bedside cabinets.
These are the places that are the second most common places for these bed bugs to be because these cabinets are directly in touch with the bed frame and the mattress that is already infested.
Again you will need to look for those signs on these bedside cabinets, and if you find any of these signs, the hotel room will be infested with bed bugs.
Wardrobe and Skirting Boards
If your royal room has any wardrobe or skirting boards, these areas are also highly prone to bed bug infestation. People tend to leave their beds and go to the bathroom using the hotel wardrobe.
That is why these bed bugs tend to be there in the wardrobe. Apart from that, people also wear this hotel wardrobe and use the bed, exposing the wardrobe to these bed bugs. So, you must be careful when wearing this wardrobe and skirting boards.
Sofa, Chair, and Throws
In Addition to the bed frame, mattress, bedside cabinets, and wardrobe, these bed bugs can also appear on sofa, chairs, and throws.
Bed bugs can be transferred from the wardrobe to these chairs and sofas as you take them off and throw them on the furniture. Moreover, these chairs and sofas have foam mattresses in them, so people use them to take some rest.
They might get up from the bed and sit on the sofa, which can also transfer these bed bugs to the other furniture. Again you will have to look for any sign of these bed bugs to determine if there is an infestation or not.
Luggage
Luggage is another place where these bed bugs can stay for a long time and end up in your home too. You place this luggage on that bed or sofa for easy access; when you open it, it gets exposed to bugs.
This is why luggage is a common carrier of these bugs because it mostly goes under the bed, sofa, or chairs. These are the places that are already infested with these bed bugs.
Bed Bug Signs
In most cases, you will see these red and brown colored insects on the mattress, and they will mostly leave the same-colored fecal stains behind. This is the most common sign of bed bug infestation.
These fecal stains can be on mattresses, wardrobes, sofas, and chairs. And if you see these signs, you can be sure that the room you are staying in is infested with bed bugs.
Tips for Traveling Without Bed Bugs
You must ensure that you stay away from these rooms, or you will become the carrier of these bugs and bring them home. Here are some tips that you need to follow,
- Make sure to palace your luggage in the bathroom and right in the center, and don’t place it on the bed or the sofa.
- Check the mattress and see any signs of these bed bugs. You must notify the hotel management immediately if you find bed bugs around any rust-colored spots.
- You also need to inspect behind the furniture and see if there are any signs of these bed bugs, and if there are, you need to notify the management.
- If you want to change the rooms, make sure not to go to adjacent rooms because these bugs also travel in the housekeeping carts.
- Make sure to cover your suitcase and luggage with plastic bags.
- Don’t leave your dirty clothes on the luggage rack and put them in plastic or Ziplock bags.
- You can carry your vacuum or steam cleaner and use it to deal with these bugs (check the top rated steam cleaners for mattress).
- Make sure to wash your clothes in warm water if you will be doing that on your own.
Conclusion
How to check for bed bugs in hotels is not that deficient of a task. You need to make sure that you look for the mattress and the bed frame along with the bedside cabinets for any red spots.
These are signs of bed bug infestations. And if you see these signs, you need to change the room immediately by notifying the management. This way, you won’t bring any bed bugs to your home.
Bed bugs in hotel FAQs
What is the best way to detect bed bugs?
You need to see those blood stains on your pillowcases and sheets resulting from the bugs' fecal releases. You might also see bed bug eggs shell or skin sheds, and you might also notice an offensive musty odor in the infested areas.
What are the chances of getting bed bugs from a hotel?
If these red bugs have infested the room in which you stay, there are high chances that you will bring these bed bugs with you to your home because they can easily travel on your clothes and luggage.
What do bed bugs look like on hotel sheets?
The adult bed bugs look like tiny reddish-brown spots. When they gather, they look like rust-colored spots the areas where they hide and their tiny white eggs are translucent beads.
Can you see bed bugs with the naked eye?
Yes, you can see these bed bugs with your naked eye. But it is not that easy because they are tiny. They are much easier to see in groups as they appear in rust-colored spots.
How do I ensure I don't bring bed bugs home from a hotel?
You have to be careful where you place your luggage and where you put your wardrobe. Before you do anything, if you have detected an infestation, make sure that you don't stay in the room. This is the best way to steer clear of these bed bugs.