How to avoid getting bed bugs whilst travelling

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How to avoid getting bed bugs whilst travelling

by: david field | Total views: 13 | Word Count: 410 | View PDF | Print View
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It’s everyone’s worst nightmare: you come back from a lovely 2-week holiday in the sun and find that you’ve brought home more than you bargained for – bed bugs! They can be really difficult to get rid of, so the best thing to do is avoid getting them in the first place. Bed bugs are quite difficult to identify when you are abroad, so you have to be very careful when abroad, and always think twice about leaving any luggage on your beds.

Bed bugs mainly hide in luggage and attach themselves to clothing, so if you can avoid placing your suitcases or loose clothes on any furniture then you should do so. A lot of hotels now provide suitcase stands, or at least some storage space under a table which will house a suitcase, so you should take advantage of this if it is on offer.

If you find traces of bed bugs after spending a few days in your room, maybe through bites or on the bed-sheets, then clean your luggage with hot water as thoroughly as possible. If you can, then find a small vacuum cleaner and go around your entire luggage with it. You should also request a different room as soon as you find any trace of bed bugs being there or having been there in the past, as there is no guarantee that they are no longer present.

If you are unfortunate enough to bring bed bugs home with you, then follow the same instructions above, but also call an exterminator in, because giving your luggage a thorough wash may not be enough to kill them. It probably won’t be enough to just wash your luggage, but you’ll need to give all your home furniture a clean and vacuum all of your carpets. Calling in the exterminator should kill all the bugs and any eggs they may have lain, which will prevent a recurrence of the problem in the future.

It’s very possible that you could get some bed bug bites either on holiday or when you return home, so you need to know exactly how to deal with them. Immediately upon discovering the bite, you should wash it in warm soapy water then apply some ice and antihistamine cream which will stop the itching. If the worst comes to the worst, and the bite gets infected, then go see a doctor and he or she will advise you further.
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