An expert is speaking out about the best place to store your luggage in order to avoid bringing creepy crawlers home after home rentals or hotel stays.
Eric Braun, a Pennsylvania-based, board-certified entomologist and experienced technical service manager at Terminix, has 27 years of experience and when it comes to traveling, he has advice that he says you should follow.
“I always recommend leaving as much as possible in the suitcase. Only unpack the essentials,” Braun told Fox News Digital.
“Personally, I place my toiletries on the bathroom counter, hang clothes that need to be hung in the closet and then leave everything else in my suitcase and place my suitcase in the bathroom,” he added.
While the bathtub and shower might seem like an unusual place to store your luggage, Braun has a good reason for putting your extra belongings in this specific location, he said.
Braun said he does not unpack in the bathroom, but simply places his suitcase in there after unpacking the important stuff.
“Bed bugs prefer soft or textured materials, so they are less likely to be found on the smooth, hard surfaces typical of bathrooms, such as bathtubs,” Braun said.
“If clothes are left inside the suitcase and placed on the floor, near the bed or within the radius of potential hiding spots for bed bugs, then the suitcase and its contents can be at risk for hitchhiking bed bugs.”
Braun also suggested that travelers store luggage in other areas of the bathroom, on a coffee table or on a desk.
Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are not attracted to things that are dirty, Braun said. So, the state of cleanliness of a luxury or budget-friendly hotel does not play a part in whether you might contract bed bugs.
“They are attracted to the carbon dioxide humans exhale and the warmth and odor of our bodies, not the cleanliness of our surroundings,” he noted.
While you might want to unpack your bags on the luggage holder, the straps under the suitcase holder have been found to hide the portable pests.
Braun said people should check the removable lids found on ottomans and stools.
Carefully examine throw pillows, particularly zipper areas, and check the seams, edges and folds along furniture crevices and inside cushion covers of sofas and chairs. Don’t forget any removable lids of ottomans or stools
4. Nightstands and wall fixtures
In the same way that Braun does not recommend placing your clothes in dressers when traveling, he encourages travelers to examine the drawers in the room and other cracks and crevices within the furniture bugs might get into.
“Open and shake any books that may be in the drawers. Observe the edges, backside and underneath lamps, picture frames, alarm clocks or other decorative items and fixtures,” Braun said.
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