Paris bed bugs: everything you need to know about how bed bugs are impacting travel

How can I avoid getting bed bugs?

There are several ways to avoid getting bed bugs. “When people arrive in their hotel room, many place their suitcase straight onto the bed and start unpacking their clothes,” says Martin Seeley, CEO of MattressNextDay. “However, we would suggest keeping your suitcase off your bed as this is where bed bugs are most commonly found.” Instead, unpack using the luggage rack provided by certain hotels, or keep the suitcase close to the door. Remember to keep your dirty items of clothing separate – “research shows that bed bugs are more attracted to dirty clothes than to clean clothes. So, make sure to take a spare bag for your dirty clothing, and knot it each time you add to it,” says Martin. Plus, according to the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), “the ideal temperature for an adult bed bug to thrive is between 21-32°C, so it’s best to keep your room cool at night-time with aircon”.

When you get home, make sure you unpack your clothes away from your bedroom, “ideally on a hard floor as you won’t be able to spot bed bugs in the carpet”, Martin tells us. Then check every corner of your suitcase for evidence of an infestation, and make sure you “wash every single item of clothing – even those you did not wear. If the washing labels of your clothes permit it, wash them in hot water.”

According to Bed Bug Specialist, “a combination of a hot wash cycle (the maximum allowed according to the labels of the clothes) along with detergent will be too much for the bed bugs”, but “the wash cycle has to be long enough, hot enough, and the detergent has to come in contact with the bugs and their eggs”. Research shows that “washing clothes at 60 degrees C for 30 minutes terminates all bed bugs and eggs”.