What to Do If You Were Bitten by Bed Bugs on Vacation

There is nothing worse than worrying you may have been bitten by bed bugs. While bed bugs may not carry disease, they can cause an itch so severe that you can’t help but scratch it and risk infection, and since bed bugs travel in groups and never bite just once, you’re often left with a vacation that is completely ruined.

But the biggest fear isn’t that you were bitten by bed bugs. The biggest fear is that you may bring some home.

Bed bugs are amazing hiders. They have the ability to hitch rides in your luggage, travel with you for hours/days, and then take up residence in your home. When you’ve been bit by bed bugs on vacation, it means that you’re at severe risk for more bites in the future and a home invasion.

What to Do Before You Go Home

If you’re still on vacation and about to travel home, there are some steps you can take to reduce the risk of a bed bug invasion:

Bag and Seal All Clothes – Place all of your clothes, clean or dirty, in a sealable plastic bag. If the bag is sealed, bed bugs will be unable to escape (nor will the likely try, because they will be hiding and waiting to go to your home). This is a crucial first step. Also make sure you examine your luggage for bed bugs.
Take Out Bags Before You Go Inside and Heat Them – Once you get home, take out the bags and carry them directly to your clothes dryer. Dump all the clothes in the dryer and turn it on high heat for 30 minutes. This will kill any bed bugs hiding in the clothes.
Consider Boric Acid in Suitcase – Go back outside and examine your suitcase. If you aren’t sure if there are bedbugs, then consider putting some boric acid powder inside. It’s a toxic chemical, so handle with care and consider all warnings, but it can kill off any bedbugs that may remain inside of your suitcase. This is optional, however, as an inspection of an empty suitcase is often enough.

You may also want to take off the clothes you’re wearing as well, in case a bed bug is living on it, but these steps are often enough to kill bed bugs. Make sure you monitor yourself and your family for any bites over the next few months.

What To Do If You’re Already Home

If you are already home and suspect you may have brought bed bugs home with you, the best solution is to call a Bed Bug Exterminator. The reality is that bed bugs are amazing hiders, resistant to sprays, and can reproduce quickly. An exterminator will often provide a free inspection to see if you have any bed bugs and recommend the best course of action.

If you need a bed bug exterminator in Pennsylvania, call Green Pest Solutions today.