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Vacation season is here and if you want to avoid bringing bed bugs back from your travels, there's one essential you should pack alongside your passport and sunscreen: a lint roller. And make it extra sticky.
I nearly learned this the hard way. Hotels and public transport are bed bug hotspots, and if you bring these pests back to your accommodation, they'll quickly infest your luggage, bedding and mattress. But luckily I'm a dust magnet, so I came prepared with a lint roller.
A quick going-over with a lint roller helped me remove bed bugs from my shoes after a long day on public transport, before they lept from my shoelaces to my suitcase. You can pick lint rollers up for under $2 from Walmart and they're small enough to slip into even the most over-stuffed carry-on. Here's how to use this bed bug prevention hack...
Key takeaways: At a glance
- Hotels and public transport are common bed bug hotspots.
- Summer is also bed bug season, which means summer vacations are prime time to bring home bed bugs.
- A sticky lint roller can be used to remove bed bugs from your shoes and clothes when you're on the go.
- You can also use a lint roller to remove bed bugs from your mattress and headboard.
- When you first enter a hotel, place your luggage in the bath and check the mattress for signs of pests.
How to use a lint roller to get rid of bed bugs
Trust us when we say you'd much rather transport a lint roller back-and-forth over allowing teeny tiny bed bugs to a hitch a ride in your luggage.
There are two ways to use a lint roller to prevent bringing bed bugs back from vacation.
They're both super simple and mean you can spend your time off focusing on Mai Tais and sandcastles — not worrying about bed bug removal methods like rubbing alcohol and diatomaceous earth.
Method 1 — bed bug removal 'on the go'
During busy vacations you're hopping from place to place, meeting new people, trying new things... and unknowingly exposing yourself to bed bug hotspots.
The aim is to capture any bed bugs you might have picked up along the way before they make it back to your hotel, jump in your luggage, and start to multiply.
When you get back to your room, stand in the doorway or head straight to your bathroom. Do not sit on your hotel mattress.
Next, run the lint roller over a few key areas: your shoes, the hems of your trousers, and the seams of your top.
Inspect the lint roller for any signs of bed bugs. If you see black or red dots on the lint roller, these are likely to be crushed exoskeletons and blood marks from the bed bugs. Give yourself another once over.
Remove the used bed sheets, squish any bed bugs that look like they're alive, seal the bed sheets in plastic bags, and hand them to the hotel's concierge to dispose of.
Method 2: The hotel bed refresh
Before you settle into your hotel room, run a lint roller over the headboard of the mattress, plus the seams of the mattress and any quilting or tufting (these are favorites places for bed bugs to dig in and hide.)
If any bed bugs, or remnants of bed bugs, are caught on the lint roller, take the evidence to the hotel staff and ask to move rooms (ideally, far away from the infested room.)
Method 3: At-home bed bug control
The lint roller method can't exterminate a bed bug outbreak, but if you follow the tips above, it can prevent one from starting.
If you already have bed bugs in your home, the lint roller can be used to control an outbreak.
Simply roll the sticky sheets over the seams of your mattress in the morning and evening, and if you spot a bed bug during the day, capture it in the sheets.
How to avoid bringing bed bugs home from vacation
Hotels of any type — from five-star resorts to roadside motels — are a lightning rod for bed bugs because they house people from all over the place. Add on pest-friendly warm weather and it's no wonder summer is prime time for bed bugs.
But we're not saying that to scare you. If you're planning a trip away, follow our simple three-step guide to keep yourself bed bug safe when you travel.
1. Put your luggage in the bath or shower
No, it’s not to give them a good soaking but instead a way to avoid introducing bed bugs to your vacation clothes.
Many of us are guilty of entering a hotel room and immediately offloading our baggage directly on the bed. But if your hotel is harboring bed bugs, they’ll quickly start making a home in the seams of your suitcase.
When you first enter your accommodation, place your luggage on a hard, fabric-free surface, like the bath or shower, while you move onto step two.
2. Use the iron trick to find bed bugs
Bed bugs are drawn to heat — it’s part of the reason your slumbering body is so alluring — and you can use that to your advantage. The hot iron bed bug method uses your hotel room's iron to bring pests to the surface.
Begin by heating your iron (if your hotel room doesn't have an iron, use a hairdryer.) Then, pull back the comforter on your hotel mattress, leaving the fitted sheet in place. Rub the hot iron carefully over the corners and seams of the mattress, where bed bugs are most likely to gather.
Next, pull back the sheet and mattress protector and investigate for bed bugs — use a lint roller or the credit card hack to draw them out of the seams.
If you have spotted bed bugs, take the evidence to the front desk and ask to move rooms.
3. Wash your clothes as soon as you get home
To keep yourself extra protected, when you return home from your vacation, place all your clothes in a hot wash. Yes, even the sweater you swore you needed to pack but never wore once.
As your clothes wash, wipe down your luggage (particularly the seams and zips) using a cloth dipped in a rubbing alcohol solution.
Finally, put your freshly cleaned clothes in a hot dryer for a double-whammy of bed bug treatment.
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