How To Prevent Bringing Pests Home With You When Traveling

It's fun to go on vacation to get away from any stress at home and to have fun or just relax. It's always fun to bring home souvenirs from your vacation, but one souvenir you don't want to bring home is pests such as bed bugs or roaches. It's important to protect yourself from these pests while traveling, so you don't end up relocating them to your own home. See below for tips on how to prevent this from happening to you:

Inspect The Room

Be sure to inspect the room you are staying in before unloading your belongings. If you spot signs of pests such as blood stains on the wall, any skin sheds from bed bugs in the bed or on any furniture, if you see any roaches scattering when you turn on the lights or if you open up any of the drawers, you should look for a new hotel. Be sure to report anything to the front desk so they know they may have a problem.

Use Hard-Sided Luggage

If you have fabric luggage, a pest can easily make its way onto your luggage, but hard-sided luggage is more difficult to attach itself such as bed bugs. Invest in hard-sided luggage instead, which is also easier to clean.

Use The Luggage Rack

Be sure to use the luggage rack that is in your room for your suitcase, and don't unpack in the drawers, keep your belongings in your suitcase. By keeping the suitcase off of the floor, you can prevent bugs from climbing into your luggage or in your clothing. Be sure to keep your belongings inside a plastic bag, which can also help prevent bugs from getting into your belongings. You can place outfits into a zip-lock bag, which can help you be more organized and can also prevent bugs.

Wash Everything

Wash everything immediately in hot water when you get home to prevent any pests that may have gotten into your luggage or clothing from surviving and making their way into your home. Also don't unpack the luggage until you can wash it, keep it in your garage and away from your home. You can also vacuum your luggage if you suspect that you may have brought something home with you. Empty the canister outside of your home.

Bringing home souvenirs is fun when traveling, but bringing home pests is not. If you've brought home pests with you, or you have an existing pest issue, call a professional pest control company like Blackburn Pest Control for help.