I’ve been to four hotels in four weeks — how I avoid bringing bed bugs home with me

Passport, check. Currency, check. Toiletries, check. Bed bugs… hopefully not. After the Parisian bed bug outbreak of 2023, many of us have become more cautious when traveling. But what steps can you take to ensure the blood sucking pests aren’t an unwelcome vacation souvenir?

Hotels are a common breeding ground for bed bugs as the number of guests means plenty of opportunity for introduction. I spent time in multiple hotels this summer, and I’ve also recently upgraded to the best mattress for my sleep style — the last thing I wanted was to bring any critters home with me. 

If you’re already battling a bed bug infestation, the good news is that the Labor Day mattress sales are now live, making now an excellent time to buy a new bed at a discounted price. For me, I decided caution was better than infestation and came up with a series of steps to ensure bed bugs weren’t my unwelcome travel companion. Here’s what I did…

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small pests that are often found living in soft furnishings such as mattresses — hence the name bed bugs. Measuring only around 5mm long, reddish brown in color, and with a tendency to come out at night, it can be hard to identify a bed bug problem until you’ve woken up covered in bites.

Bed bugs can multiply quickly and their bites are itchy and uncomfortable, so it’s important to prevent them from making a home in your mattress. Bed bugs are often a concern when traveling, as other guests risk bringing them into a hotel. 

If you’re going on vacation, it’s important that no bed bugs make it from the hotel to your home. As a sleep writer who traveled this summer, I’ve become adept at checking for bed bugs. Here’s how I do it…

How to avoid bed bugs at the start of your vacation

I’ve always been one of those people who likes to arrive at a destination and immediately start exploring. However, knowing my luggage and my hotel mattress were prime real estate for bed bugs, I knew it was important to break the habit of a lifetime and start my vacation with some caution.

1. Put your suitcase in the bath

If you’re anything like me, the first thing you do in a hotel room is chuck your luggage on the bed. This is a bad idea, as any bed bugs in the mattress are given immediate access to your clothing.

Instead, place your suitcase in the bath tub (or shower stall, if your hotel doesn’t have a bath). Bed bugs don’t like smooth, hard surfaces, so they’re unlikely to be hiding in the bathroom. Either place your hand luggage in the bath as well, or hang it in the wardrobe. And leave it there as you get on with the next step…

2. Check the mattress for bed bugs

We have a lot of tips and tricks for checking for bed bugs when traveling, but the easiest method is to simply use your eyes. Begin by familiarizing yourself with common signs of bed bugs. The most obvious sign is a bug itself or the shed skin of a bed bug. Rusty marks and black spots are less obvious indications, but worth looking out for.

Check the seams and corners of the bed first, as this is where bed bugs are most likely to hide. Bed bugs like the dark, so try turning off the lights and using the flashlight on your phone to get a good look in the crevices. 

Try using a hot iron to draw bed bugs to the surface of the mattress. Bed bugs are attracted to warmth, so ironing the top of the mattress can encourage them to reveal themselves. Fingers crossed, no bed bugs will appear and you can sleep soundly. But if they do appear, you need to take action…

3. Move rooms or hotels

You don’t want to stay in a room with bed bugs, so if you spot any you need to ask to move. Collect any evidence of bed bugs you might have found, including any dead skins or photo evidence. To get as far away from the bed bugs as possible, ask to move to a different floor or the other side of the hotel.

If you’ve found bed bugs but can’t move rooms, you might need to switch hotels. Unfortunately, there’s no guaranty you’ll get your money back. Again, gather evidence of the infestation, as that will make your case stronger if you want to claim a refund.

4. …and repeat

When moving from hotel to hotel, it’s important to keep up your bed bug checks. This can be hard to remember if you’re caught up in the vacation fun (or the travel fatigue), so I’ve found it useful to keep a note on top of my clothing in my luggage. This way I’ll always remind myself to check the mattress before getting tucked up in bed.

I’ve also tried using essential oils to keep bed bugs out of my luggage. A few spritz of lavender oil in my suitcase can potentially repel bed bugs — and as a plus, the pleasant smell helps me relax in the evening.

How to avoid bed bugs at the end of your vacation

Even if you’ve followed all the advice above, there’s still a chance bed bugs might have found their way into your belongings (they’re very sneaky). Following the steps below have helped me feel confident I’ve not taken bed bugs home, and as a bonus, they’ve also helped me become a much more efficient unpacker. 

1. Put your luggage in the bath tub (again)

Yes, once you get home, put your luggage straight in the bath tub. This prevents bed bugs from leaping out of your suitcase into your mattress, carpet, or other soft furnishings. And it gives you a few minutes to relax if you don’t want to go straight through the door and start unpacking. 

2. Check luggage thoroughly as soon as you get home

You might be feeling worn out from traveling, but the bed begs are probably full of energy. So while I used to wait a few hours (…or days) before getting stuck in with my unpacking, I’ve now made it a priority.

It’s best to work methodically, checking one item of clothing at a time. To make things quicker, prioritize the seams and hems. Once you’ve decided an item is clean, keep it in the bath or place it in an equally bed bug-unfriendly place, like a bucket.

If you have found bed bugs, you can try freezing the afflicted items. Seal them in a plastic bag and place in the freezer for three to four days. This should kill the bugs. After that, it’s time to get on with cleaning. And even if you haven’t found bed bugs, you need to be doing the washing anyway…

3. Clean everything

It’s much easier to bundle all your vacation clothes in the washing machine than it is to remove bed bugs from a mattress, which is why the final step is a thorough clean. I recommend a wash of around 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), followed by a spin in the dryer on the highest heat setting (if you don’t have a dryer, put your clothes in a sunny spot).

Next, it’s time to clean your luggage itself. The washing machine probably isn’t an option here, so use a vacuum cleaner instead. I’ve found that even if I haven’t spotted any bed bugs, this cleaning provides peace of mind.

What to do if you bring bed bugs home

Even following these instructions, it’s still possible a few bed bugs might have snuck their way into your furniture. If you’ve found bed bugs in your mattress, you need to act quickly, as bed bugs can multiply quickly.

To get rid of bed bugs in your mattress, begin by vacuuming the bed. Vacuum the mattress all over, and if you have a fabric headboard, vacuum that as well. Next, you want to vacuum the rest of the room, including the soft furnishings and the carpet. After this, empty the contents of the vacuum canister into a bag, seal the bag, and throw it away (into an outside trash can, preferably). 

Now it’s time to wash the linens. Use as high a heat as possible, before drying (again at a high heat or in a sunny area). As you can’t put a mattress in the washing machine, use a steam cleaner at 130 degrees F for a chemical-free method to clear bed bugs. Chemical cleaning sprays can also be used to clear bed bugs, but make sure to follow the instructions closely before using on your mattress.

These methods can be used to reduce the number of bed bugs, but a serious infestation can require professional cleaners. And if the issue is severe, the only solution might be to replace your mattress. But don’t worry, if even a chronic unpacker like me can avoid carting home bed bugs, so can you.