Bed bugs in my hotel room...HELP!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Geez people you don't have to throw the suitcases out.. hello landfill.

Just put them in a big trash bag for 48 hours.

Huh? They take at least 5 months to die w/o a meal - blood, that is.

[Anonymous]

Extreme heat will kill them in 48 hours. So packing everything into suitcases and leaving them in the trunk of the rental car until you fly home, (buy flip flops and a new outfit for today). When you get home, repeat the process. Take all clothing - high heat dry them (put anything that can’t be dried in freezer for a week) Leave the suitcases outside in DC heat for a few days. Shake them out and you will see if you brought anyone home - but they will be dead.

Heat is best for eradicating so dc summer is best timing for this. It sucks but as long as you get dressed outside the room, heat treat everything and don’t bring ANYTHiNg like the diaper bag or your purse into the house until you have heat treated, you will be fine..

No idea if they will compensate you at all

Why did you change your flight?

[Anonymous]

Leave everything to bake in car when you get home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geez people you don't have to throw the suitcases out.. hello landfill.

Just put them in a big trash bag for 48 hours.

Huh? They take at least 5 months to die w/o a meal - blood, that is.

Put them in a car for heat and it will kill them.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I would trust a car to heat consistently or hot enough to kill all the bugs -- if you can afford it, I would recommend the bugzapper box one of the previous posters linked. If that's out of your price range there are little sticker you can get that test if the temperature got properly up to bedbug killing -- maybe invest in a bunch of those if you go that route? Again, all fabric products can just go directly into a hot drier and will be safe.

[Anonymous]

They should definitely refund your entire hotel stay! And buy you new luggage.

[Anonymous]

OP, what hotel are you staying in? We were just at Disneyland and I'm wondering if it's the same place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure I would trust a car to heat consistently or hot enough to kill all the bugs -- if you can afford it, I would recommend the bugzapper box one of the previous posters linked. If that's out of your price range there are little sticker you can get that test if the temperature got properly up to bedbug killing -- maybe invest in a bunch of those if you go that route? Again, all fabric products can just go directly into a hot drier and will be safe.

'

The car trick will not work. Each item will need to heat to 120 degrees or greater for a sustained period of time (usually 20-30 minutes above the threshold). For example, the exterior of a shoe may reach the 120 degree threshold, but the inside of the shoe likely will not since it's not in direct light/heat. The air inside the shoes is cooler than than the air around the exterior. I've used the BugZapp many times and it comes with a digital temperature gauge; it's harder to hit 120 degrees than you realize. We use it all the time because we travel a lot for work.

You need ALL surface AND interior areas of EACH item to hit the 120 degree threshold. It's much harder than you realize and you need to be certain that you hit the temp. Bed bugs can live for many months in hibernation in the crevice of your suitcase before they need another meal.

This is why I posted the BugZapp. It's way cheaper than trying to fix a bed bug problem in your house or replacing all luggage/clothing.

[Anonymous]

Just throw everything out. Leave at hotel except for stuff you need for baby. Throw that stuff out once you land. Take off clothes in garage if you have one, tie up tight in plastic bag, go inside and change, and put plastic bag in garbage can by street immediately. Shake out clothes in hotel room before dressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Move rooms and have their laundry team hot wash and dry everything before you get on that plane. Have them seal clean laundry in plastic bags.

2. Order this and have it 1 day Prime delivered to your house. I have this thing, it works. There are multiple sizes, get one that fits your stroller or largest suitcase. Ask Disney to reimburse: ZappBug Heater https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F6EV306/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GFhjDbCPN653H

3. When checking bags, tell the airline. They will seal your luggage in plastic. This is to prevent spread of bed bugs to other airline passengers’ luggage. Please be thoughtful of other people.

4. Do not bring ANY luggage in the house. Setup BugZapp in the garage or patio, you’ll heat treat all your bags and belongings. No shoes into the house, you’ll heat zap those too. All belongings from the trip should be placed in plastic garbage bags outside as soon as you get home. You want to prevent any hitchhiking bug from escaping.

5. The clothing you wear on the plane? Strip down as soon as you get in the house. Hot wash then into the dryer. You and DH should physically check each other to ensure there are no bugs in your hair.

6. Heat zap everything. It will probably take a full day to do all your luggage, shoes, bags, etc. Give the machine the proper time to warm up every item to 120 degrees for at least 20 minutes.


You’ll be fine, OP. You are so lucky that you caught it now. If you are diligent and follow the steps, you’ll survive this.

In terms of compensation, I think Disney should refund you the full cost of your stay. They probably won’t give you anything for your flight. You may be able to make a travel insurance claim with your credit card company- read the fine print carefully.

Good luck.

OP here. Thank you so much! I’ll do all of these things. I’m so disgusted and upset at this whole situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure I would trust a car to heat consistently or hot enough to kill all the bugs -- if you can afford it, I would recommend the bugzapper box one of the previous posters linked. If that's out of your price range there are little sticker you can get that test if the temperature got properly up to bedbug killing -- maybe invest in a bunch of those if you go that route? Again, all fabric products can just go directly into a hot drier and will be safe.

'

The car trick will not work. Each item will need to heat to 120 degrees or greater for a sustained period of time (usually 20-30 minutes above the threshold). For example, the exterior of a shoe may reach the 120 degree threshold, but the inside of the shoe likely will not since it's not in direct light/heat. The air inside the shoes is cooler than than the air around the exterior. I've used the BugZapp many times and it comes with a digital temperature gauge; it's harder to hit 120 degrees than you realize. We use it all the time because we travel a lot for work.

You need ALL surface AND interior areas of EACH item to hit the 120 degree threshold. It's much harder than you realize and you need to be certain that you hit the temp. Bed bugs can live for many months in hibernation in the crevice of your suitcase before they need another meal.

This is why I posted the BugZapp. It's way cheaper than trying to fix a bed bug problem in your house or replacing all luggage/clothing.

People are confusing lice kills with bedbugs. Bedbugs are much harder to erabicate.

[Anonymous]

I am a bedbug expert having lived in bedbug infested places in my past. There is excellent advice on this thread. No need to throw things away. Put everything in ziplock and plastic trash bags and keep it several days in super hot car. Including diapers etc. Clothes are to be washed immediately and dried. Do not take stuff up in the rooms. Keep your suitcases wrapped in transparent plastic trash bags. Do not bring the suitcases and bags up in carpeted rooms. Use the garage or the kitchen floor etc. Anyplace where there is no fabric or soft furninshing around.

All other handbag, camera bag, diaper bags need to be carefully inspected at the seams, wiped and then put away.

If you have an infestation in the house, you need to spray in all nooks and crannies in the furniture, walls and closets with any regular ant-killer or wasp killer spray and do a flea bomb treatment. After that you can steam clean to remove the poison from the insecticide.

Here is another tip. Pack all your clothes in your suitcase in seperate 2 gallon ziplock bags when travelling. Apart from allowing you to be super organized, keep your clothes dry, be able to pack and unpack with efficiency, it does not give bedbugs a place to hide in your suitcase. Next, as soon as you go to a hotel room, strip the sheets and check in the seams of the mattress and the corner joints of the bed to see if there are bedbugs, their poop, brown spots of blood or a stinkbug/cilantro-celery smell. Check the seams of the pillows too. Bed bugs do not spread around willy-nilly. They are usually in the beds, sofas, cracks in the walls from where they can descend upon sleeping people and electric outlets.

[Anonymous]

please put a review on yelp and tripadvisor for the hotel AFTER they refund all your money so other travelers know to be on the lookout.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, if you can afford it, I would toss everything and ask the hotel for a 100% reimbursement (and if its Disney, reimburse unussed ticket days as well).

[Anonymous]

Wash everything when you get home, and dry on high heat. If you don't need suitcase right away, put in plastic (double or triple bag it), leave it for 2 months. Seriously.