So here is what I did while travelling to New Orleans:
I protected my clothes by packing them in large plastic zippered bag before putting them in my suitcase.
Before checking into the room, I left my luggage in the hallway, then proceeded to check with a flashlight in hand:
1.- Under the mattress and around the piping – above and below.
2.- Under the boxspring.
3.- Under the bed skirt
4.- Behind the headboard
5.- Behind the picture above the bed
6.- I did a cursory on the nightstand, opened up the drawer and also checked behind the nightstand.
7.- Flashed my light toward the ceiling all around and in the corners.
8.- Flashed where the carpet met the wall.
9.- Of course, I checked the sheets for any evidence of clusters of peppered dots and even what looks like a blood smear. Shed skins helps too or dead bugs for that matter but you need to be able to identify them. If you find a suspicious bug crawling around, the best way to catch it is with a piece of scotch tape. Or any other sticky tape.
I didn’t observe any evidence, so next I brought my suitcase in the room and immediately put it on top of the luggage rack, making sure to pull the rack away from the walls and anything else that touches it.
Took out the minimum clothing, changed and put my changed clothes in the suitcase. And for the night, I put the luggage in the bathtub, with my shoes and hung up the coat on the shower rod.
When I returned from the trip, I put everything that did not need to be washed into the dryer. Otherwise, wash and dry. I also put my shoes in the dryer. BTW, it is the dryer that kills bed bugs and eggs, as long as it reaches 120 degrees or more. This is the high temp setting on most dryers.
For those of you who travel frequently, you may want to consider investing in a thermal container such as the PackTite thermal container that will hold your suitcase and kill bed bugs. Click on my product
page for a link to this product.
But if you want peace of mind, contact us here and let our dogs find them for you.
