Tips For Travelers

Helpful hints to make sure you sleep alone - and don't bring home any uninvited guests!

Tip #1: Ask Questions
If you're staying in various hotels, and are worried they may have Bed Bugs, ASK. There is no harm in inquiring about the hotel's current Bed Bug Plan and how often their rooms are being inspected for activity.

You can also ask if there have been any reports of Bed Bugs in the hotel, and if so, whether or not it was in your room or a room adjacent to yours. Finding out the answers to these questions will generally provide you with enough comfort to put you at ease.

Tip #2: Become An Inspector
Bed Bugs generally stay in close proximity to their food source - the guest in the bed. During the day they disappear in crevices associated with mattresses, box springs, sheets, furniture, upholstery and hollow bedposts, as well as crevices behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper. Make sure to lift and look around all possible hiding spots for Bed Bugs in the hotel room, not just the mattress. Check headboards, mattresses and box springs for Bed Bugs and the dark blook spots they leave behind. Remember - even if you don't see them, that doesn't mean they're not there.

Tip #3: Hang 'Em High
Hang all clothing. Leave nothing lying on the bed or furniture. Avoid unpacking clothing and storing clothes in the hotel's furniture drawers. Elevate your luggage and other items. Carefully inspect the hotel's luggage rack. If there are no signs of Bed Bugs on it, use it to keep your suitcase off the floor and away from the bed. Also pull the luggage rack away from the wall. This will reduce the likelihood of an insect crawling up the wall and getting into your things.

Tip #4: Be Vigilant
Vacuum suitcases when returning, and immediately wash clothing in hot water. Examine your luggage while repacking and once you return home, to ensure you haven't picked up unwelcome visitors. Bed Bugs are great hitchhikers, so be sure to check your luggage and clothing for Bed Bugs before bringing luggage back into the bedroom.

Tip #5: Bed Bugs Don't Come Into Your Home Just From Travel
Reports of Bed Bug infestations in office buildings and retail shops are on the rise, and homeowners should take the following precautions protect themselves:

• Inspect furniture, antiques, used appliances or consignment items for signs of Bed Bugs before bringing them into the home.
• Never pick up used mattresses or furniture left curbside. Inspect clothing for Bed Bugs and wash (in hot water) new items in hot water after bringing them into the house.
• Use zippered encasements on infested mattresses and box springs.

Tip #6: Consult A Professional
Bed Bugs are extremely difficult to kill and cannot be controlled by over-the-counter treatments. If you suspect you have Bed Bugs, have your home inspected by a trained pest control professional with specific experience treating for these pests.