Check any and every hotel room for signs of a bed bugs infestation before you bring in your luggage.
Remove the blankets on the bed and lift up the mattress at all four corners and check the box springs. Check the sheets and blankets – they leave behind brown or red spots.
Check furniture, upholstery and hollow bedposts, as well as crevices behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper.
Large infestations of bed bugs can create a musty, sweet odor.
Elevate your luggage and other items. Carefully inspect the hotel’s luggage rack. If there are no signs of bed bugs on it, use it to keep your suitcase off the floor and away from the bed.
Pull the luggage rack away from the wall. This will reduce the likelihood of the insect crawling up the wall and getting into your things.
Check your luggage while repacking and once you return home, to ensure you haven’t picked up unwelcome visitors. Bed bugs are great hitchhikers, so be sure to check your luggage and clothing for bed bugs before bringing luggage back into the bedroom. You may want to unpack in a utility room or garage.