If you travel plenty for work, leisure, or if you have a vacation or trip coming up soon, you have to keep in mind that you may not be the only one or thing in your hotel room. Because of this, staff entomologist Brittany Campbell, Ph.D. for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) has stated that once people get into their hotel rooms, they should toss their bags into the bathroom and do a full scan of their room before they settle in. But what should they be looking for?
Information initially reported by ApartmentTherapy.com.
The reason Campbell insists that people check their room is in case of a bed bug infestation, and that people should store their bags in the bathroom as there is less of a chance that bed bugs spread to the bathroom in the case of an infestation. Once people do check their room thoroughly and don’t find any of these critters, they can have the peace of mind to place their bags back in the room and let their trip officially kick off.
According to Campbell, regardless of the status of a hotel (whether 5 stars or 1 star) there is still a decent chance you may come into contact with bed bugs, especially if you are unaware that you should be checking for them in the first place. According to a 2018 study, 68% of survey respondents who have had contact with bed bugs or an infestation in their own home had recently stayed at a hotel near the time they had contracted them.
It my seem like an inconvenience at first, but the reward is definitely worth the extra effort.
Will you be keeping your luggage in the bathroom from now on? Let us know below!