Travelers

Help! I Stayed at a Place That Had Bed Bugs! What Can I Do to Prevent Bringing Them Home? (.pdf)

When you are on the road away from your home you are at an increased risk of coming into contact with bed bugs and possibly bringing them back in to your home. There are a number of things that you can do as a traveler to reduce these risks.

We recommend that you do a careful inspection of your hotel room (or other location where you will be sleeping) for signs of bed bugs. See How to inspect your hotel room for more information.

Bed Bug Identification

Information on how to identify bed bugs can be found in: Have I found a Bed Bug? When inspecting your room for bed bugs it is important to not only check the mattress, but also box spring, head and footboards and near the valet (luggage stand) these are the areas where bed bugs are most often found.

Returning Home

When you return from your travels we recommend that you launder all of your clothing immediately to help reduce the chances of bring bed bugs into your home. You should also isolate your luggage by putting it into a large plastic bag or other container which you can seal tightly shut. This will keep any bed bugs from getting off your suitcase and into your home. If you have items that you think may have come into contact with bed bugs but which can not be put into the laundry you can freeze them to kill any bed bugs.

The internet is full of advice and contradicting information on what to do if you have bed bugs, here you can find some basic information on what not to do if you have bed bugs.

If you now have bed bugs in your home please see the section for Homeowners and Tenants for more information.