How to Protect Yourself from Bed Bugs in Hotels

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" I never liked the last part of this sentence though. With these nasty blood sucking parasites, you can never have a good night sleep. These creatures populate places from the humblest of houses to the nicest of hotels. Bed bugs, as the name suggests, are known to infest human homes. They feed on the blood of humans and pets, and other warm-blooded creatures. These parasites appear transparent and flat before their meal time. And when they are done with their lunch or dinner, they put on a brown or black and plump appearance. One of the noticeable bed bugs signs are bites in the form of large wheels in orderly rows. These bites later, might develop into skin rashes. In some people, the bed bugs bites may occur as swollen and inflamed red bumps. The good news is, these parasites do not raise any major health concerns. However, the itching and swelling that they cause in the bitten area, especially at nights, may result in inadequate sleep.

Tips to Avoid Getting Bitten By Bed Bugs in Hotels

Reviews
The first advice I would like to put forth to you would be about getting some reviews of the hotel, that you have in your mind to find the accommodation in. You may inquire about the hotel with your friends or family. Also, you can look for the reviews on the Internet. One or two negative comments may not make much of a difference. However, if there are more reviews associated with any bed bug problem in the hotel, then it is a bad sign.

Inspection
One important step you must follow if you want to avoid bed bugs from biting you would be doing a thorough inspection of the hotel room you have checked in. The hot spot places where these bugs love to populate include the creases of mattresses, crevices or cracks in the bed, or couches, and edges of carpets. You may also find some of these pesky pests to be dwelling in crevices in the wall. It is better if you carry with you a small flashlight. This is to check the area behind the headboard. You must also shine the light onto the corners or any cracks in the bed.

Mind the Luggage
Never put your luggage on the bed. Use the luggage rack or locker provided to you. Also, it would be wise not to keep your clothes in the drawers or leave them on the floor or near the wall. It is advisable to use a suitcase that lacks any fabric lining.

Know the Signs
Finally when you find no trace of these insects in the hotel room after using all the above steps, the last thing to do would be to spend a night. If there are any bed bugs, they would surely give you some good bites, while you are asleep. And if you notice the bed bugs signs, as mentioned above, then request for a room change.

The task of getting rid of bed bugs does not come easy. The main reason behind this is that these creatures are nocturnal and they do not stay in open places. According to experts, the best way to eliminate bed bugs in your house is by using extreme heat. What I used to do was, once or twice a month I took all my furniture out in the sun at noon time and hanged my clothes, beddings, etc., outside. These bugs cannot withstand the sun's heat for a long time and die out of intense heat. Washing clothes and other washable stuffs in hot water also helps as an effective bed bugs treatment.

So the primary requirement for avoiding an encounter with bed bugs in a hotel is a thorough inspection of the accommodation. And that is the only thing you can do, as obviously you cannot go around every hotel and washing the bedding and stuffs like that. So, before you start off for your travel, know about the accommodation and do a proper inspection, so that you only have a good night sleep and no bed bugs nightmare.