General Discussion

pandr32

(11,583 posts)

44. So gross!

Mon Aug 12, 2019, 03:37 PM

Aug 2019

Bedbugs can actually be in a person's clothing hiding in seams. It is hard to not worry about that when jammed next to people.
Best thing to do is strip down when you return home, leave everything outside and process all the clothing by laundering (even if it was never worn) and leaving suitcases open to the sunlight before putting them away.

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This Entomologist Has a Travel Warning: Always Put Your Suitcase in the Hotel Bathroom [View all] Demovictory9 Aug 2019 OP

A great tip. Makes total sense, but I never woulda thunk it on my own. NT emmaverybo Aug 2019 #1

But I really didn't need the advice SCantiGOP Aug 2019 #27

LOL. emmaverybo Aug 2019 #42

kinda makes you want to orleans Aug 2019 #2

Or just not travel. nt Blue_true Aug 2019 #57

Always, with the bathroom light on. Also, I dump a full can of Lysol in the room and even in the A/C TheBlackAdder Aug 2019 #3

Holy shit, I thought I came up with this idea! BigmanPigman Aug 2019 #4

Read this years ago--especially after having a bed bug attack at home. C Moon Aug 2019 #5

Stressful HOURS? Took me a friggin' YEAR to rid my house ... mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #29

Oh crap! That sounds awful. Yeah, I believe we caught them semi early. C Moon Aug 2019 #64

Sad and scary. PoindexterOglethorpe Aug 2019 #6

But, but, but... Control-Z Aug 2019 #7

It's so they don't catch a ride on your luggage xmas74 Aug 2019 #9

They would still be on your clothes you wear to bed and stuff. cbdo2007 Aug 2019 #17

Clothes would be easier to clean and kill the bugs. xmas74 Aug 2019 #18

Yes, they could be, but it's all a matter of building up the odds in your favor Downtown Hound Aug 2019 #21

This makes no sense to me, either. kcr Aug 2019 #25

Germs are nothing compared to bedbugs. And steam isn't going to 'ruin' your clothes mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #30

If clothes are the only thing you travel with, fine. kcr Aug 2019 #31

You're right that there's a BUNCH more you really need to do than just that ... mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #35

Right, but my point is it doesn't sound like it would actually help kcr Aug 2019 #37

Like I say, it's about reducing the odds ... the bugs primarily live in/near the bed ... mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #38

From what I recall (after having them in our house), they bite just before dawn C Moon Aug 2019 #65

It also occured to me that fabric suitcases would not be great to travel with. Maraya1969 Aug 2019 #8

Plastic, or not if there is a darkened crevice they can JCMach1 Aug 2019 #41

More trouble. GoneOffShore Aug 2019 #10

I've spent years traveling, in this country and others. cwydro Aug 2019 #11

I travel a lot. Pacifist Patriot Aug 2019 #13

YEah, not getting this advice really. cwydro Aug 2019 #15

I was wondering about pajamas. Pacifist Patriot Aug 2019 #16

Thanks for the important persective, guys. Hortensis Aug 2019 #20

I have never had bedbugs, but I check all luggage except a computer bag. Blue_true Aug 2019 #59

Checking sounds like a good pro idea. Hortensis Aug 2019 #60

If you ever sleep with bb's in your home and have to deal with it, your opinion will change QUICK. C Moon Aug 2019 #66

High end hotels are pretty good at keeping the problem at bay Downtown Hound Aug 2019 #22

Well, in my younger days I had the experience of staying in pretty cheap places. cwydro Aug 2019 #46

I do not know how old you are, but bed bugs only began to reemerge as a problem Downtown Hound Aug 2019 #48

I've been traveling my entire life. Pretty sure bedbugs didn't just emerge into the world. cwydro Aug 2019 #49

They didn't just merge into the world, they've been around for many thousands of years Downtown Hound Aug 2019 #50

One bad experience with bedbugs is enough to make me pay attention to this... blitzen Aug 2019 #45

I know exactly one person who had bed bugs or admitted it... Phentex Aug 2019 #55

Same here on the travel and the outcome. Blue_true Aug 2019 #58

Yup, I have been doing this for years, and keeping zero clothes in the "room" part obamanut2012 Aug 2019 #12

You can ask if your room has been treated for bb at some time. tavernier Aug 2019 #14

They might legally have to tell you , but that doesn't mean they're going to be honest about it Downtown Hound Aug 2019 #23

That's by far my biggest fear when it comes to hotels, ecstatic Aug 2019 #19

Not worth the trouble of wrapping in plastic for that short of a time ... mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #32

They can survive for a year without food. 58Sunliner Aug 2019 #53

That could mean a lot of suitcases for some folks. JudyM Aug 2019 #56

I recently stayed at Motel 6. One good thing about the place is there is nothing upholstered in the UniteFightBack Aug 2019 #24

Especially true for anyone staying at a resort/hotel owned by Chump FakeNoose Aug 2019 #26

I've heard of bedbugs on airplanes pandr32 Aug 2019 #28

Phoenix airPORT had an infestation a couple years back actually in some seating areas (nt) mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #34

So gross! pandr32 Aug 2019 #44

Had the mis-fortune of getting these nasty critters once sdfernando Aug 2019 #33

Another tip for avoiding them ... if you order up some housekeepers at your home? mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #36

And people wonder why I prefer to camp. Runningdawg Aug 2019 #39

I asked for seats to be cleaned at one of the dinner/movie places... Phentex Aug 2019 #54

I got bed bugs in an airport hotel in Chicago back in April. And last October in Guadalajara. a la izquierda Aug 2019 #40

Water in a washing machine not really hot enough to kill 'em mr_lebowski Aug 2019 #47

I washed everything a few times... a la izquierda Aug 2019 #69

If you buy the big paper bags of potatoes... zackymilly Aug 2019 #43

In that case, better to sleep in the bathtub.. pangaia Aug 2019 #51

Ended up with bedbugs once. When I got home I stripped in the garage AJT Aug 2019 #52

Bedbugs are having a resurgence for several reasons. GulfCoast66 Aug 2019 #61

Fantastic advice here. Lucid Dreamer Aug 2019 #63

Yes. Fantastic advice! C Moon Aug 2019 #67

To Add To The Above RobinA Aug 2019 #62

+1 C Moon Aug 2019 #68