Experts offer tips to avoid bedbugs during spring break travel – WWMT-TV

Experts offer tips to avoid bedbugs during spring break travel

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - It's spring break for most West Michigan schools, which means many people will be traveling and staying in hotels.

It also means it's prime bedbugs season.

But experts say there are some things you can do to protect your family from them.

The sight of bed bugs is enough to put a damper on your vacation, and the bites can cause a variety of symptoms.

Travel experts say a few simple steps when you first check in to a hotel can save you a headache.

They recommend that you immediately check the sheets, mattress and box spring for any signs of bed bugs.

Look for dark, rust colored spots and exoskeletons--the casings the bugs leave behind.

Don't forget to look at the head of the bed and in, around and behind the headboard, too. And be sure to lift and check under the mattress.

It might sound extreme, but to be safe, they recommend putting your luggage in the bathroom as soon as you enter the hotel room.

"Bedbugs prefer anything dark and creviced that they can hide in, like bedding, seams of fabric, furniture, even inside walls, so the bathroom is usually the safe zone while you search the room for signs of critters," said Dan DiClerico, with Consumer Reports.

Even if your room is clear, Consumer Reports says it's a good idea to keep your luggage and clothes on off the floor and on a hard surface or luggage rack, clear of any potential bedbug zones.

And always bring any concerns to the hotel management.

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Experts offer tips to avoid bedbugs during spring break travel - WWMT-TV