After years of uncertainty, border closures and lockdowns, basically everyone you know is probably planning a holiday for 2023. So naturally everyone is looking to TikTok to find every travel hack they can possibly find. And this anti-bed bugs hack is a real doozy.
US TikToker Aly Henry (@alykima) has been posting through her bed bugs-related saga and gave her followers some very wise tips in a video that has now gone viral.
Henry explains that she stayed in a five-star hotel and brought the bed bugs home in her clothes.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she says in the TikTok. “‘That’s not going to happen to me, I’m staying at a nice place, I’m such a clean person.’”
“All of those things do not matter.”
@alykima The most important video you will watch today. Send this to your travel buddy and follow these 3 steps to keep yourself safe from bringing home bed bugs. This advice is straight from the pest control professfional. Stay safe❤️ #travelingtheworld #traveltiktok #travel2023 #travelsafety #travelhacks #traveltips #bedbugs
Henry goes on to share her three golden rules of travel, and they’re ridiculously simple but could save your mental health and your money.
Henry shared another vid saying coughed up almost $1000 for a professional to exterminate the bed bugs when the infestation in her apartment got out of control.
Her first tip: no clothes on soft surfaces. She reckons you should never toss your bag or suitcase or clothes on the hotel bed or couch (Henry believes she picked up her unwanted mates from the latter).
She recommends using the desk, coffee table or even the bathroom to put your bag.
Her second tip is the put your dirty clothes away from your other clothes, i.e. in the closet. Why? “This is kind of gross and upsetting but bed bugs are attracted to your smell and your carbon dioxide,” Henry says in the TikTok. By keeping those clothes separate from your other clothes, you can reduce the risk of the critters being attracted to the scent and infesting the entire bag.
Third pro tip: wash literally everything when you get home. Even if you haven’t worn it, wash it all “on high heat if possible”. This will hopefully kill off any lingering bed bugs and reduce the risk of introducing them to your home.
If it sounds dramatic, Henry called it a “nightmare” and plenty of commenters agree. “Bed bugs are so psychologically draining,” said one follower, with another saying: “I grew up with my apartment being taken over by bed bugs, they literally ruined my families mental health & we all have PTSD from them.”
Another said: “As a flight attendant, I’ve stayed in reputable hotels and let me tell you, ALWAYS assume they have bed bugs. Store your bags, ZIPPED in the bathroom.” I mean, she’s the expert right?
Aside from Henry’s viral TikTok, there are also plenty of tips online for checking your hotel room on arrival to see if bed bugs are about before you even put your bag down.
As Henry says, they can live literally anywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re at a hostel or a fancy-ass resort — so check your fkn mattress, people.
