Bed bugs in my hotel. How do I avoid bringing them home?

Bed bugs hide in seams and folds, so what works is heat for anything that can take it, a careful look at the rest, and a few weeks of quiet watching at home. It is a chore for a weekend, not a disaster.

And if you are scared you already have: a bug or two in a bag is not an infestation. Caught at the door, they are much easier to deal with than anything you find months later.

While you are still there

1. Tell the front desk and ask for a different room, ideally not next door or directly above or below. Photograph what you found first, with the date. It helps if you later want to complain or claim.
2. Keep your bags off the bed and the floor. The luggage rack, pulled away from the wall, or the bathroom, which has fewer places to hide.
3. Live out of the case, zipped. Do not unpack into drawers. Put worn clothes straight into a sealed plastic bag.
4. Check the case before you leave. Seams, zips, pockets and the handle housing, with your phone torch.

If you want to claim money back, can I claim compensation from a hotel covers reporting it in writing and what to keep.

When you get home

1. Unpack outside the bedroom. The hall, a hard floored kitchen, the bathroom, or the garage if you have one. Not on the bed, not on the sofa.
2. Everything washable goes straight in. Carry the sealed bags to the machine, empty them in, and bin the bags. Wash on the hottest setting each item’s care label allows, then tumble dry hot. The drying is the part that matters most, so do not skip it. That includes clothes you did not wear.
3. Things you cannot wash. If the care label allows a hot tumble dry, that works for shoes, soft toys and some bags. For anything delicate, keep it sealed in a bag and ask a pest professional or a dry cleaner. Freezing can work, but only with a very cold freezer and enough time, so check your local public health guidance before you rely on it.
4. Vacuum the suitcase. Inside and out, along every seam, round the wheels and handle. Empty the vacuum into a sealed bag and put it in an outside bin.
5. Inspect it with a torch. Look for dark spots like ink dots, pale shed skins and live bugs. Our page on droppings and egg cases shows what they look like.
6. Store it away from bedrooms. A large sealed bag in the hall cupboard or garage, not under the bed.

Do I have to throw out my suitcase?

Usually not. A case that has been vacuumed, inspected and stored sealed is very unlikely to be the problem. Soft cases with lots of pockets take longer to check than hard ones, but the steps are the same.

Throwing it out also does not guarantee much on its own. If a bug has already got out, the case was never the last hiding place. The washing and the watching are what protect your home. If it is worn and full of torn lining, that is a fair reason to let it go.

Watch for a few weeks

• Interceptor cups under the bed legs. They catch bed bugs climbing up or down and show you if any made it home. Pull the bed a little away from the wall. See bed bug interceptors.
• A weekly look at the mattress seams and the sheets for small dark spots.
• Note any new bites with the date. One night of bites on holiday is not the same as fresh bites at home a fortnight later.

Empty interceptors and clean seams over the next few weeks are a good sign. A bug in a cup, or new spots on the seams, means it is time to call a professional. The bed bug guide has what to ask them.

Bites in a line: was it bed bugs?

Maybe. Bites in a short row are common with bed bugs, but mosquitoes and fleas can leave similar marks, and some people do not react to bed bug bites at all. The bite alone cannot tell you. If you checked the mattress and found nothing and the room was full of mosquitoes, the mosquitoes are a fair suspect. Do the home steps anyway, they cost little. More in something bites me at night.

Bites: if they spread, blister, look infected or you feel unwell, see a doctor or pharmacist. Do not spray insecticide on bedding, luggage or clothes you will wear.