If you’ve ever experienced a bed bug infestation, you know they’re not fun. If you haven’t, you don’t want to – especially while you’re traveling.
Some people believe that you only find bed bugs in dirty environments, however, they can actually be found anywhere. This means that booking a five-star hotel over a three-star hotel doesn’t guarantee you a bed bug-free hotel room.
To make the most out of your trip and to avoid getting bed bugs, follow these guidelines from our Newark Airport parking members:
Bed Bug Spray
Spray your luggage (including carry-ons, checked baggage, duffle bags, and purses) with bed bug luggage spray. This spray deters bed bugs from entering your luggage and settling in to your belongings.
Signs
When you check into your hotel room, look for signs of bed bugs: pull back the sheets, lift up the mattress, and inspect any seams and corners. Look for the bugs themselves (an adult is about as big as an apple seed) and also small brown or black spots. These spots are bed bug fecal matter.
Also check other upholstered furniture and any furniture near the beds for signs of bed bugs. If you do find signs, alert the hotel desk immediately and change rooms. Make sure you don’t get a room adjacent to the bed bug-infested one.
Elevated Luggage
Even if your room is in the bed bug clear, it never hurts to be cautious. During your stay, store your luggage in an elevated area (such as on a shelf in the closet or on top of a table). This makes it much harder for bed bugs to climb into your bags.
Wraps
For extra prevention, store your luggage inside a plastic luggage bag or a garbage bag while you’re on your trip. The extra layer of protection will keep out bed bugs.
Post-Trip
If you made it through your trip without any bed bug bites, that doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t hitched a ride in your belongings. When you get home, wash all of your clothes (even the ones you didn’t wear) in hot water to get rid of any potential threats. After that, inspect, vacuum, and zip up your luggage before you put it away.
If you did get bit while you were on your trip (bites are usually red and clustered together in groups of three to five), wash the bites and apply a corticosteroid cream to help with any itching.
