Can Bed Bugs Arrive in Luggage?

Give the Case Somewhere To Go

People put a case wherever there is space, and in a spare bedroom that usually means the floor or the bed. Providing an obvious alternative does more than any amount of asking.

• A folding luggage rack is inexpensive and it is the single most effective thing you can put in a guest room
• Position it away from the bed and away from the wall the headboard is on
• A hard surface — a chest, a bench, a table — is a reasonable substitute
• Not the bed, not the floor, and not an upholstered chair
• Clear the surface so it is obviously available. A rack with cushions on it is not an option anybody takes

After They Leave

1. Strip the bed and check the piping while it is bare. Two minutes, at the one moment the mattress is already exposed
2. Check the luggage rack — webbing, hinge, joints, feet
3. Hot wash and full hot tumble dry the bedding
4. Look at the chair if coats or clothes were on it
5. Do not move the mattress or headboard to another room

That routine takes five minutes and it is the entire defence. It does not need doing after every visit if that feels excessive — but it should be done after anybody who has been travelling.

Raising It Without Being Rude

There is no version of this conversation that is entirely comfortable, and there are versions that are fine.

• Do not ask anybody whether they have bed bugs. It is an accusation however it is phrased
• Do say what the rack is for if it comes up: "put your case on there, it saves the carpet" is true and sufficient
• If somebody has been travelling, offering to put a load of washing on is hospitality rather than an inspection
• If you have had a problem yourself, telling a recent guest is the decent thing and it is a short conversation. Most people are relieved to be told

If a Guest Mentions Bites

Treat it as information, not as a complaint about the house. It will have been difficult for them to say — most people do not — and it deserves a proper look at the room rather than a change of sheets.

1. Thank them and say you will look properly
2. Do the full room check, not just the bed
3. Write down the date, the room and what you found
4. Tell them what you found, either way
5. If you found something, mention it to anybody else who has stayed recently

Ascot: Second-Hand Furniture Is the Other Half

The two routes into a house are luggage and second-hand furniture, and the second is the one that brings a whole population rather than one insect.

A bed, headboard, chair or sofa bought used, taken from a house clearance or passed on by family goes into a guest room more often than into a main bedroom — which is exactly why guest room problems can predate any guest.