Traveling? Tips for Protecting Yourself from Bed Bugs

Don't bring bed bugs home from your travels:

When you first go inside a hotel room, either leave your luggage in the car or place it in the bathtub (bed bugs cannot crawl on smooth surfaces). Carefully inspect the room by pulling down the mattress cover or bottom sheet to check for evidence of bed bugs along the mattress seams. Look around the headboard and baseboards, too. (Also see Signs of Bedbugs.)
If you find evidence of bed bugs, request another room, preferably in another section of the building.
Do not place your suitcases or dirty clothes on the floor during your stay. Keep belongings on a luggage stand or table.
Use hard luggage instead of soft-sided luggage.
Keep your suitcases and handbags closed, and keep all luggage pockets zipped shut. Or purchase plastic bags in which to store your luggage and purse.
If you suspect that there may have been bed bugs at a motel/hotel where you stayed, do not put your clothes away right after you get home. Instead, first wash and dry your clothes on the hottest cycles that are safe for the fabric. (See Get Rid of Bed Bugs.)
At home, keep all your suitcases and handbags sealed in plastic bags until you are ready to use them again. Before using them, inspect them carefully to make sure they do not harbor any bugs from a previous trip.

For more information contact: (803) 896-0655 Fax (803) 896-0645