You may be returning from those long trips away from home with more than just jet lag to contend with. Nancy Troyano, PhD, BCE, a board-certified entomologist with Western Exterminator, says that bedbugs frequently hitch a ride on luggage, infesting private homes when their owners return.
To avoid this, Troyano recommends opening suitcases far away from upholstered furniture upon entering a hotel. "Check for bed bugs before putting your suitcase [and] inspect your suitcase, luggage, or other items after you travel for any bed bugs," she says. Troyano also recommends running the contents of your suitcase through a dryer cycle on high heat for 15 minutes "to kill any bed bugs that may have hitched a ride home with you."
Don't hang that new outfit in your closet until you've thoroughly inspected it for bed bugs first.
"Definitely take a look at clothing before you purchase it—but you may not be able to see the bed bugs or bed bug eggs," says Troyano. To help keep bed bugs from coming home from clothing stores with you, Troyano says, "Run everything through the dryer on high heat for 15 minutes to kill any bed bugs prior to running the regular washing cycle."
If you want to ensure you're not inviting bed bugs into your space, make sure you're thoroughly inspecting any purses you bring home.
According to the National Pest Management Association, (NPMA) when purses are placed on furniture or the ground, bed bugs can hitch a ride, nestling unnoticed in seams and pockets until they take up residence in your home.
Those vintage stuffed animals may look cute, but they could be a bed bug's free pass into your home.
The NPMA says that bed bugs can nestle into stuffed animal fur, potentially causing an infestation in any home they're subsequently brought into. If you want to keep this from happening, the association recommends washing and drying stuffed animals on hot when they first come into your home.
Source: https://bestlifeonline.com/news-bed-bugs/