How to check for bedbugs

Memorial Day weekend is here! A lot of you will be traveling and we will show you how to avoid getting more than you bargained from your hotel. Bed bugs are huge problem in hotels for the past few years since the previous methods for treating bed bugs are no longer available.. 

Bed bugs can bet brought into the hotel through luggage, boxes, infested clothing, etc. They can also spread from room to room if infested items are shared. Bed bugs regularly catch a ride on purses, clothing and luggage in areas that have plenty of people traffic. Think about movie theaters, airports, transport vehicles, airplanes, offices and dry cleaners.

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signs of bed bugs

Bed bugs are large enough to see without any magnifying aid. Bed bugs are flat, small and either black or brownish-red. Although, you aren't likely to see any bed bugs directly since they they are skittish and try to stay away from lit areas. Instead you will look for signs that they have been around. They do shed their skin so you can look for clusters of black or brownish-red dots. Also look for rust colored smears and stains. This is their excrement (gross!) and can be a positive sign of an infestation. Finally, if you wake up and have red marks that resemble mosquito bites or multiple rashes your probably missed the other signs.

where to look for bed bugs

Check the bed

• Look behind the headboard.
  
• Inspect the sheets and covers then take them off.
  
• Look at the seams, top and bottom of the mattress and box spring.
  

Check the furniture

• Look in any dark areas of dresser and nightstand.
  
• Check any upholstered furniture similar to the way you did for the bed.
  

Check the rest

• Window treatments, edges of the carpet and moldings are prime areas for bed bugs.
  

If you detect signs of bed bugs, contact management and request a room on a different floor. An early bed bug outbreak is most likely contained to one room. If your next room has signs of bed bugs, it is time for a new place to stay.

still nervous about bed bugs?

If you haven't found any signs of bed bugs, but are still anxious about them there are a few precautions you can take.
First, leave your luggage and shoes either on non carpeted flooring or on top of non-upholstered furniture.
Second, don't send your clothes to the cleaner. While washing and drying your clothes at higher temperatures will kill bed bugs, the hampers they travel in are usually not cleaned regularly.