Bed Bugs Can Hide In Hotel Furniture

You may have read articles about how you should not unpack your suitcase while on vacation, and there is a reason for this practice. Bed bugs love hotels and motels since there are a lot of people traveling in and out of one location. Bed bugs can hide anywhere, and the cleanliness of the hotel is not a factor that bed bugs care about. Bed bugs only care about warm bodies and the blood inside them. 

The reason you should avoid unpacking your suitcase is dressers and drawers. Most hotels and motels use furniture made from wood and these are great places for bed bugs to hide. Wooden furniture has a lot of dark places for bed bugs to hide during the day and then come out at night to eat. 

According to Dr, Jason Singh at Travel Leisure.com "Alright, so how many of you completely unpack your clothes from your suitcase into a hotel dresser," Singh began in his Instagram clip. "I want to know because hotel dressers, especially those that are made of wood or have joints or crevices, are a risk for bed bug infestation. So, it's not just beds that have bed bugs; hotel dressers can have them, too, and they're not readily cleaned either."

When you arrive at a hotel/motel you might want to do some due diligence and inspect the furniture for bed bugs. Take a flashlight and check the following areas for bed bugs:

• Joints and cracks in desks 
• Folds on the front and back of chairs
• Couches 
• Pillows 
• Cushions 
• Behind picture frames 
• Electrical outlets
• Behind baseboards

If you really need to get your clothes out of the suitcase, then it's recommended to hang your clothes in the closet. It is the better option than taking the risk with the drawers and dressers. 

If you get the feeling that bed bugs may have hitchhiked their way into your house from your vacation then please give us a call at 816-237-5342. Please our FAQ page for what the signs are for bed bugs and what to do if you find any. 

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