The Gross Reason You Shouldn’t Immediately Unpack Your Suitcase According To Doctors

You get off the plane, hop on a train, walk through the door and you’re finally home – phew! You reach for your suitcase, slam it on the bed, and start pulling out all your clothes in search of souvenirs. We get it! You want to reminisce! Love the energy, but hate the execution – and so do doctors.

If you’re wondering why your post-holiday ritual is any of those nosy doctors’ business, it all comes down to the stowaways we pick up on holiday and where they go when you unpack your suitcase . Desperate to get into your own bed? So are bedbugs.

What Are Bedbugs?

Bedbugs are one of the world’s major pests that love to dine on the blood of humans, among other animals. The most common culprits in our homes are Cimex lectularius and C. hemipterus , and once they get in, it can be incredibly difficult to kick them out.

Picking up bedbugs on holiday is a common occurrence because places like hostels and hotels are more at risk of picking them up – not because these places are dirty, but simply because of all the human traffic, as bed bugs' only preference for residence is that we humans live there too. As hotel guests come and go, each one could potentially introduce these pests that will happily hide in the room’s nooks and crevices, feeding each night on the next unlucky visitor.

Bed Bug Signs

If you wake up in the morning to find yourself pockmarked with the “ breakfast, lunch, and dinner sign ,” that’s a good indicator you’ve been nibbled by bedbugs. This sign is the result of the way bedbugs map the skin looking for the best feeding sites.

For this reason, it’s also recommended that when you go on holiday, you keep your luggage in the bathtub . Setting up camp in plug holes that are so frequently flooded wouldn’t be a recipe for survival for these bloodsucking parasites, so by placing your suitcase in the tub, you make it harder for them to become stowaways in your luggage.

Bedbugs aren’t the only things that have been known to travel the world in people’s suitcases. Everything from spiders to insects and reptiles have been found in people’s suitcases – and even *checks notes* their pants .

How To Avoid Bringing Bedbugs Home

So, what should you do if you think you’ve stayed somewhere with bedbugs but want to reclaim your luggage? Any bedbugs and nymphs will die if they stay stuck in your suitcase for two weeks. If you can’t wait that long, putting your clothes and dryer-safe belongings on a hot cycle can kill bedbugs and their eggs .

They may want to see the world, but you’ve got enough souvenirs already.

[H/T: T3 ]