Keep Your Luggage Bedbug-Free With This Game-Changing Tip

Nothing is more torturous than discovering bedbugs while you're on vacation. It doesn't matter where you found them or picked them up: maybe it was on your flight, the commuter train, or perhaps you found them in the sheets of your hotel room. No matter the location, they are primed to ruin your relaxing time abroad with their little red bites of doom and their ability to burrow into basically everything.

A real worry emerges if they find their way into your luggage because of their ability to sneakily stow away into the smallest of crevices, cracks, and pockets and to survive without feeding for over a year. If you don't exterminate every last sucker, you could find yourself transporting bedbugs back to your own home at the end of your holiday. If that sounds like a Stephen King movie, your fellow travelers have some game-changing tips to ensure none of those little critters stow away in your suitcase.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), one user shared that she "[threw her] suitcases in the bathroom" when she returned from her trip. Another individual posted that she brought her clothes into the bathroom upon finding hotel bedbugs. Even experts like CVA Exterminators stated on the platform that you should always place your things in the bathroom because it's "an unlikely place for bed bugs to hide."

Putting your luggage in the bathroom might be the anti-bedbug hack you've sought for many reasons. Bedbugs are blood-suckers that require human hosts to feed; however, they are incredibly sensitive to heat. They will die quickly if the temp goes above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. So when you take scalding hot showers or wash your clothes in super hot temps, those little blood-sucking demons die lick-itty-split. 

The critters are more likely to nest in places where humans are lounging, like your bed or sofa, rather than the bathroom, where your hot shower will kill them nigh instantly. It is technically possible to find them in the bathroom; it's just super unlikely. Moreover, bedbugs cannot climb up porcelain, which many bathroom components are made of. Unlike your mattress or suitcase, where they can easily stow away, they'll have a harder time getting anywhere in the john.

Consider following one X user's example by running a hot flatiron over your clothes in your hotel bathroom to help ensure the bedbugs don't come home with you. If those creepy-crawlies have made it to your domicile via your luggage, The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (pdf) has a handy doc advising heading to the loo, shaking your clothing into the bathtub or shower, and washing everything at super high temps. Looking for more ways to avoid bedbugs while traveling? You may want to skip using the luggage rack in your hotel room.