:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/TAL-unmade-hotel-bed-GETRIDBEDBUGS1025-c70f214e766e426c9d4698553714f0b6.jpg "The most common place to get bed bugs is a hotel room, and experts say this simple trick can kill them quickly")
Bad news for travelers: according to pest clinicThe most common place to find bed bugs is a hotel room. And don’t be fooled by the spotless sheets. “It’s a fact that a spotless hotel room can still harbor bedbugs,” the company said. “After all, these insects are not attracted to dirt. Instead, they are attracted to carbon dioxide, blood and heat, things that can be found anywhere you sleep.”
While you can (and should) check your hotel room for signs of bed bugs before unpacking, the real nightmare is bringing them home. Fortunately, one expert says there might be a surprisingly simple way to address them.
In August, the fir spoke with Diamond Exterminators owner Jerry Eason, who shared that the isopropyl alcohol you probably already have in your first aid kit could help kill adult bed bugs hiding in your luggage and clothing almost instantly. According to Eason, isopropyl alcohol dissolves the insect’s exoskeleton, dehydrates it from the inside and kills it in about 30 seconds. However, Eason added, “it doesn’t remove eggs or deeply hidden bugs,” meaning you’ll still have to do some work to get every last one of them.
Pest control expert Georgios Liakopoulos also shared that the best isopropyl alcohol to try is one with a 70 percent concentration, as the higher water content helps the alcohol penetrate deeper into the insect’s shell.
His statements are also backed by science. In 2015, researcher Olimpia Ferguson presented his final thesis on this same topic, which showed that, in general, “topical application of alcohol to adult bed bugs resulted in minimal mortality; however, high rates of alcohol are effective in killing bed bug nymphs when sprayed directly.” Importantly, Ferguson noted that “the rates applied in this study represent very high application volumes and may not be practical or safe.”
Even Orquin offers this warning: “Isopropyl alcohol should be used with care and moderation, as it is highly flammable. Improper use of isopropyl alcohol is likely to create an unsafe situation.”
So what else can you do about bed bugs? As the saying goes, the best defense is a good attack. As Travel + Leisure As explained above, that means learning how to check your room for bed bugs before you actually settle in (including removing sheets to check the corners of mattresses, upholstered furniture, rugs, and even the inside of drawers) and knowing the right place to leave your luggage: in the bathtub.
“The bathroom can easily be washed first and is likely to be one of the cleanest surfaces in the room due to its frequency of cleaning,” Daniel Clarke, travel expert and director of UK-based vacation home rental platform Parklink, told T+L. “Not only does the bathtub prove to be an efficient use of space in a small room, but I haven’t found any unwanted bugs or insects hiding in my suitcases since I stored them there.” If your hotel room doesn’t have a bathtub, a shower works well too.
However, if you bring insects home, Rutgers University says there are some methods to get rid of them for good. That includes using heat or steam treatments, freezing treatments, and vacuuming everything you can. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed that you never need any of this advice.
