NYC Bedbugs

When we traveled to Mexico we were concerned about bed bugs---in my luggage I took sheets and pillow cases and checked the bed and underneath it--didnt find any---left a note with housekeeping to leave my sheets on the bed and just clean--a protective pillow case cover is good too---Have a great trip.

Examine the sheets and mattress, they're pretty easy to see. They look like tiny apple seeds. Bring some smelly BOUNCE with you if you can stand the smell, shove it under your sheets near the edges of the bed. I suppose you could also spray with Febreze. I've heard they don't like cayenne pepper but the hotel probably wouldn't appreciate any of that on their sheets!
They only bite once every few months, so even if a hotel has them your chances are slim of getting mauled. They are not known to spread any disease. They usually bite in three spots next to each other so that's one way to know you're a victim...they call it bedbug Breakfast lunch and dinner.

"mother in law is freaking out ..."

Leave mother in law at home.

Problem solved.

If she/you are really concerned you should check for them before you bring anything into the room (to avoid your belongings being contaminated). Check the bottom sheet and are areas around the seam of the mattress. If you see either a bug or their droppings (little black dots) leave the room and request another. If that is also contaminated change hotels.

But - don;t expect to find any. the reports were blown all out of proportion by an exterminatng company trying to drum up business.

(And a friend and her kids were attacked at a 4* hotel in Orlando and had to abandon their luggage and have all of their clothes cleaned. And move to another hotel. they are now suing to recover costs.)

double sided tape around the edge/seam of the bed should help to tell you if there are bedbugs. You can also check the bedbug registry and recent reviews of the hotel.

There is no spray - that is the problem with bedbugs. Bug repellant is ineffective, but I might suggest bringing some and offering it to MIL - it might help her relax. I can almost guarantee she will get bitten by a random mosquito or other flying insect during the weekend or break out in hives from anxiety and be certain it is bedbugs and blame it on you.

This is a website quoted in another recent thread on bedbugs. There's a lot of good information (towards the middle) on how to prevent a bedbug infestation. This article also has pictures to help you understand where to look for bedbugs and what they look like.

http://medent.usyd.edu.au/bedbug/

From the above article, here's a website which lists products to protect against bedbugs:

http://www.bedbugcentral.com/shop/

There is a spray listed.

On a recent trip, I experimented with enclosing my entire suitcase in a large garbage bag. I have the 55 gallon ones from Home Depot and these were so huge, they were able to enclose not only my 21" suitcase, but also my computer case and my backpack in one plastic bag. The bag comes with four "handles" to tie the bag, and the plastic bag was tied almost all the time. All my toiletries were in the bathroom, but I had them zipped up tight in large ziploc baggies. In other words, I left nothing out, not even a book.

There were no bedbugs in the several places we stayed in, but I found it easy to travel with these extra precautions. I also travel very light and all my clothes are of the type that can be rolled up and unrolled with few/no wrinkles, so there's no need to hang things up.

If there is a luggage rack, you'll also want to check that for BBs, especially around the seams and edges.

I try, if possible, to put my luggage on a noncloth surface -desktops, etc. work fine.

Good luck! There's nothing to get too excited over. It's just another occasion to exercise some caution, somewhat akin to having to take our shoes off nowadays at the airport.

Oh, and pull up the stoppers in the hotel vanity and tub. Unless there's a hole somewhere, this will prevent the cockroaches from invading your bathroom.

I always spray/sprinkle lavender on the beds. Keeps bedbugs away and helps you sleep too.

Unfortunately you can't really say for sure that "there were no bedbugs in the places that we stayed". Even if there were bugs, chances are good that they wouldn't be biting that night. And sheets are changed daily for the most part, beds are inspected by the housekeepers. You won't necessarily find "evidence" of bedbugs in your bed, but that doesn't mean they aren't hiding in nearby crevices or boxsprings. Or hitching a ride home in your belongings.
We open our suitcases back at home in the bathroom tub, put clothes in a plastic bag and take them immediately to the washing machine, let our other items "air out" in the bathroom for a day or two and NEVER bring anything into our bedrooms right away. Once the suitcase is empty we "blow dry" it with a warm hair dryer, hoping that if there are any bugs they will be smoked out and land in the bathtub. Haven't every found any but did smoke out a couple of ants once!

joesorce: you're correct in that one can never be certain, but I did check the bed beforehand as well as around the bed.

Fortunately, bedbugs aren't as pervasive as salmonella has become. I remember once not too long ago when we could handle our chicken without all the added precautions.

I like your idea of putting the luggage in the bathtub and then blowdrying it!

BTW, inside the suitcase, I also put clean clothes in a plastic bag (s) and dirty clothes in another plastic bag(s). Like you, on return, I just dump the dirty clothes in the laundry to wash.

only extreme heat and freon will kill bed bugs. Forget sprays, bedbugs have developed an immunity to them.
If you feel burning on your legs or shoulders, or you see drops of blood on pillow or crushed bugs, then... drum roll... there are bed bugs.
They are too tiny to be seen prior to sucking blood, so dont bother checking for them. Check web posts for bedbugs reports in the hotel.