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My girlfriend got bedbugs in her luggage after a trip to Florida. Although there were only 4 or 5 bugs total, we had to have the house fumigated, we had to toss the mattress, and leave all of our clothes and stuff in black garbage bags in the sun for a few days. Now when we go to a hotel, the first thing we do is pull up the sheets all around the bed and check for bedbugs. Bedbug bites are really painful, and one bug will bite you several times in a row.
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According the Wiki, bedbugs were all but extinct thanks to generous DDT use in the 40's and 50's. Now that DDT use is outlawed, they are making a comeback.
So, Bald Eagles and bedbugs...good with the bad I suppose.
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\"Harvard recommends that 'suitcases should be carefully inspected, scrubbed with a stiff brush, and thoroughly vacuumed. Leaving such luggage for several hours in a closed vehicle in full summer sun may render the items bug free.'\"
does this kill the bedbugs, or make them scurry to some dark place in my car? 'cause i don't want creepy crawly bedbugs infesting my car.
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I think one huge problem is ignorance. Having combed the Tripadvisor reports I see lots of cases where people think they got bitten by mosquitoes in bed. In December in Oregon?? People also still seem to turn up their noses at the thought of giving mattresses a once-over when checking in. Our smugness and ignorance is going to only help them proliferate.
I've heard a lot about this problem similar to Maria's experience. Everytime I stay in a Hilton, I get all itchy the next day.
There was even an undercovers report about the bugs in every Hilton, at least I think it was undercovers, since it was all in green night vision.
But I think things are going to change, because I was told Hilton had to spend 45 days being reformed before allowing the public back in.
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I've actually stayed in that Santa Monica Best Western, and it was the worst hotel experience I've ever had in my often-on-the-road sales engineering career! I was in Santa Monica on business, and brought my fiance along for the ride, which ended up being a bad idea. When we went to sleep that night, we pulled back the sheets (room 201) to discover lots and lots of human hair. No bed bugs (though now I'm sure there must have been some of them, too), but definitely an indication that cleanliness was not a priority here. When we asked the front desk to change the bed, a guy just showed up with a new sheet. We slept on top of the covers. I noticed while I was checking the hotel pamphlets that this Best Western had at some time lost its AAA accreditation (there was a sticker over the AAA mention), and I know why: it was a dirty, dark, and all-around horrible hotel. Avoid at all costs!
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@malarkey21: I stayed at a Hilton last week in Philadelphia and got really itchy from the sheets. I don't think it was bed bugs that caused the reaction, though, but rather the detergent they use to wash the sheets.
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A while ago I read about bedbug problems becoming more and more common in London. When we went to Europe last October I was terrified that we'd stay in an infested hotel, bring a bunch back in our meager luggage, and infest our apartment. We must have picked the right places though, because we were never bitten and 7 months later our apartment is still clean.
I'm not usually bug-squeamish, but the thought of staying somewhere with an infestation horrifies me.
goher646: better to have a reaction to the detergent than to have them not use it.
after reading this article, i think i'll stay in town for a while.
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Damnit. I'm staying at a hotel tomorrow night.
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@gopher646: Hahaha, I think he's making a reference to Paris Hilton, the more filthy Hilton (In my opinion).
I've fortunately never experienced bed bugs, but I do have to wonder if Best Western (corporate office) is aware of these problems? I certainly wouldn't want my flag on a hotel such as this. All hotels have beds & toilets; service is what determines a good hotel (and a repeat customer!) from a bad one.
Working in the hotel industry, I know firsthand that bedbugs are becoming more and more common.
It generally helps to stay at the nicer hotels, and a good indication of how they keep the rooms is to always check the general cleanliness of the hotel (lobby, business area, food areas). Always report when you are in a room and find/get bit by bugs. Higher quality hotels will move you (if there's an available room), and block off that room to thoroughly clean it. If you do need to get moved, remember that not every room in a hotel will have bedbugs.
If the front desk/manager refuses to make any concessions/accept responsibility to your liking, do not be hesitate to contact the owner of the hotel (or whatever company it is). Keep documentation (pictures of bites if you get bit, doctor bills, etc), and don't be scared to have an attorney write a letter/contact the company if need be.
While the hotel may not be aware of the issue, it is their problem to fix it.
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@12-Inch Idongivafuck Sandwich: not necessarily. My sister stayed in a suite at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and was bitten with bed bugs. The best hotels are not always better.
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The heat in the enclosed space will kill the bugs. It's a safer method than chemical spraying. Has to be pretty hot though.
Hahaha, I think he's making a reference to Paris Hilton, the more filthy Hilton (In my opinion).
Picking up bed bug bites would be the least of my concerns if staying in that particular Hilton.
BUT I would be worried about picking up some other not-so-friendly critters. (crotch rot anyone?)
You folks need to stop picking on Paris Hilton. Are you still singling out women for sleeping around and issue never-ending public humiliation?
Lots of other reasons not to like her. How about being stupid? Rich yet useless? Drunk driving?
Her having a healthy sex life is NOT one of them, you fucking prudes.
If she were a hot young famous man, you would NOT be shitting on her. You would be idolizing her or simply accept her.
Or still be a prude, in which case piss off.
@Veritech_Ace: I've had the same issue. I've stayed in a decent number of hotels and never had a bedbug problem, but definitely an unclean-room problem. I'm pretty phobic about germs and such, and knowing how inattentive most hotel housekeepers are to what they're doing, I ALWAYS go around the room and check for nastiness--hairs in the bed (between all the covers as well as on the fitted sheet and pillows), hairs in the tub (how on Earth do they NOT see those??), etc. I do more than that but if I list everything you'll all think I'm a freak...which I am, but no need to bore you with the details :)
I've actually considered purchasing a set of cheap sheets to bring with me and changing the bedding when I get there. I tend to have these awful daydreams of who slept in the bed before and what they did in it.... *shudder*
@oldhat: I think you misunderstood my comment. I didn't realize that the Hilton I was in had Valrex (not usually part of a \"healthy\" night) in the personal storage safe. If I had known this previously, I would never had stayed in that Hilton all night (and again the next day for just a little bit in the morning before I did the quick checkout).
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Recently, I've been obsessed with the BBC show How Clean Is Your House? (also available, apparently, on Lifetime, and syndicated in the U.S. on BBC America). As I've recorded more and more episodes, I've become more and more worried about shit like this. I've also started cleaning my bathroom more. And I bought a Dyson two years back, which has seen quite a bit of use recently.
The most wonderful outcome of watching How Clean..., however, has been that I've started...well, cleaning like a middle-aged British woman, I guess. I'm using white vinegar, lemon juice, baby oil, \"washing-up liquid\" (dish soap), and \"biological washing powder\" (laundry detergent with lipases and proteases) more than I'm using brand-name cleaners and detergents. In fact, I just cleaned the entire refrigerator in my new flat (I mean, apartment) using warm water, a bit of bleach, and washing-up liquid. Cleaning is fun! And I'm a 27-year-old guy!
I stayed in a lovely hotel in Mexico last March; while this hotel was a bit more \"rustic\" than stateside lodgings, it was still quite clean. I find it amazing that, in this age of germ-o-phobia, more hotels aren't making sure their rooms are ship shape. Of course, any Consumeristers who come stay at my house needn't worry!
The Guidelines for the Control and Prevention of Bed Bug Infestations in California recommend that a hotel room is left vacant for 48 hours following a bed bug treatment. The full guidelines can be found here:
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/disb/pdf/California%20Bed%20...
This gives me the heebie jeebies.
Now I won't be able to sleep in my own freaking bed.
Grr. *shudder*