How to Inspect Your Hotel Room for Bed Bugs
It is known, but widely forgotten that bed bugs are often found within hotels and motels. When you and your family arrive at a hotel in the beginning of your vacation, it can often escape your mind to check your bed for signs of these pests. And if the room does have bed bugs, you may be leaving with more family members than you came with.
This is also true for those that travel for business. Often times, they will arrive at the hotel late, drop their bags on their bed, and immediately head out to a meeting that they are already 15 minutes late for without inspecting the bed first. This gives bed bugs the perfect opportunity to hitch a ride on their luggage to the next stop on a business trip or to their home.
Before beginning your inspection, place your luggage in the bathtub or shower it is dry. You may also place it on the bathroom counter. These areas are less likely to have bed bugs because of their lack of hiding places.
Basic Inspection
Start your basic bed bug inspection with the mattress, which is the most common place bed bugs would be hiding. Gently remove the fitted sheet and using your phone flashlight or a small light, check the seams of the four corners of the mattress. If you notice something bed bugs or what looks to be bed bugs, you should switch rooms IMMEDIATELY.
After checking the mattress, check other furniture items such as the headboard, luggage rack, couches, and chairs. Carefully check cracks and crevices, as bed bugs are known to seek these small places as their daytime hide outs.
Detailed Inspection
Other places to check for bed bugs include:
- Pictures hanging on the wall
- Nightstand – be sure to check screw holes and joints in the drawer
- Any furniture item that is upholstered
- Upholstered items have more seams, which create the perfect place for bed bugs to hide
When You Find a Bed Bug at your Hotel
If you do find a bed bug in your hotel room, notify the front desk immediately and remove your belongings from the room. If you left your luggage in the bathtub or bathroom, you are less likely to have any in your belongings. Request you be moved to a new room in the building, in any room that is not adjacent to the infested one. Bed bugs are able to travel through the walls and electrical outlets to other rooms, so be sure your new room is not anywhere near your old one.
If you placed your items on any furniture in the room for an extended period of time before you found the bed bug, inspect your items immediately! Check the seams, pockets, and other small areas around your bags. We would also recommend drying all of your clothing items on high heat for at least an hour to be sure none are in your luggage. You do not want to bring these buggers into your home.
There are several sites that record hotels that have been identified with bed bugs, check them out:
Did you bring bed bugs home?
If you believe you brought bed bugs home from your recent trip and live in the Cleveland, OH area, call Bed Bug BBQ today at (216) 221-1227 for a FREE inspection or contact us on our website.
Stay #BedBugFree Cleveland ✌️
