Traveling is an awarding experience for everyone. This is especially true for those who are willing to take advantage of every sight-seeing, nature trail, and tour guide opportunity. Like pros, cons come along with traveling as well. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are risks involved in traveling to foreign locations. One specific risk that comes to mind is bed bug exposure. Minimize your bed bug exposure risks by heeding the tips provided in the article below.
Full Inspection
This tip, a very important one indeed, is to inspect your room fully before bringing in your luggage and accessories. During the inspection, you need to be on the lookout for signs of a bed bug infestation. These include dark spots on bedding, linen, furniture, wallboards, floorboards, and carpet. The resurgence of bed bugs has put all hotels and motels on the line, regardless of location, status, and customer rating. Be sure to take the time to utilize all of your senses during the inspection. While bed bugs do not pose a major health risk to humans, they do bite, injecting an enzyme in the skin to avoid detection while the victim is sleeping. If you happen to have bed bug bite sensitivity, you may very well experience a mild allergic reaction.
Look Underneath Bedding And Furniture
Bed bugs exhibit deceptive behavior to avoid detection. They are notorious for hiding underneath mattresses, box springs, furniture, bed linen, and pillows. Visually inspect these areas to determine if these tiny critters have been present at some point since the linen was last changed. Also, inspect crevices and cracks utilizing a flashlight if at all possible. Bed bugs try to hide in these areas because they are often overlooked during a visual inspection.
Lift Up
Do not be afraid to lift up bed linen, pillows, furniture, luggage rack, mattress, wall hangings, and other accessories for better visualization. In moderate to severe infestations, bed bugs can be found hiding under the aforementioned items. Pull items away from walls to minimize the risk of bed bugs escaping detection.
Assess Your Belongings
If the initial visual inspection did not render signs of a bed bug infestation, you should not stop here. In fact, there is the risk of picking up one or more bed bugs during your offsite travels. To ensure you do not invite these opportunists home with you, before heading out the door for the last time, take the time to thoroughly inspect your luggage and other accessories. Do not stop at a visual inspection of your luggage. Instead, you should remove every item from your luggage and inspect it carefully before replacing it.
Take Advantage Of Hotel Amenities
It is possible to eradicate live bed bugs with extremely hot temperatures. How are you supposed to be able to generate high temperatures when staying in a hotel? By utilizing the hotel’s laundry room, of course. Transport your luggage to the hotel laundry room a few hours before you leave for good. Put your attire and other machine-washable accessories through a full wash and dry cycle, utilizing the maximum heat mode.
If your time is limited, skip the wash and commence to the dryer, selecting the maximum heat cycle. Your accessories need at least 15 minutes to eradicate any potential live bed bugs.
Learn more by contacting one of our bed bug experts in Indianapolis, Indiana. We want to ensure you do not take any live bed bug souvenirs home with you. Remember, we are only a phone call away. Whether you are on vacation or at home, we are here to extend our bed bug extermination services to you and your family.
