Bed Bugs
Mar 19th, 2006, 06:23 PM
#5
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I've done quite a bit of traveling and have never had a problem with bed bugs. If I go to a hotel and the room isn't what I think it should be (i.e. dirty, etc) I ask for another room. Honestly, the place I've had to do that the most is here in the states.
The bed bag sounds pretty good. At least you can feel better about it when you're sleeping, regardless if there are bed bugs.
The bed bag sounds pretty good. At least you can feel better about it when you're sleeping, regardless if there are bed bugs.
Mar 19th, 2006, 06:47 PM
#6
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Here's the link for the sleep sack if anyone wants it http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...=126&id=36
Mar 19th, 2006, 07:18 PM
#7
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The sleep sack seems to be a good alternative to sheets when you stay in a hostel..where they do not provide sheets or pillow cases. But I don't see where they stop bed bugs from getting on you.
It is merely a cotton bag, which is about the same amount of protection from bugs as a pair of pajamas..
So far, we have never had this bad luck, and I think that is mostly what it is, bad luck to stay somewhere that is infested with bed bugs.
My son used to stay in hostels all the time, never had a problem..so I don't think it even matters if it is a posh hotel or a hostel..Maybe some sort of bug repellant would work better?
It is merely a cotton bag, which is about the same amount of protection from bugs as a pair of pajamas..
So far, we have never had this bad luck, and I think that is mostly what it is, bad luck to stay somewhere that is infested with bed bugs.
My son used to stay in hostels all the time, never had a problem..so I don't think it even matters if it is a posh hotel or a hostel..Maybe some sort of bug repellant would work better?
Mar 19th, 2006, 08:23 PM
#8
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Bedbugs are rare in places like Paris (in fact, Paris is surprisingly free of creepy-crawly things—I'm not sure why). They are not associated with dirt or a lack of cleanliness, contrary to popular opinion. But if you do sleep in a bed that contains bedbugs, a cotton sack isn't going to help you. They know where dinner is, and you're it.
Note that the professional exterminators have been conducting campaigns about bedbugs lately, and this has resulted in a lot of media stories that probably exaggerate the real problem.
Note that the professional exterminators have been conducting campaigns about bedbugs lately, and this has resulted in a lot of media stories that probably exaggerate the real problem.
Mar 19th, 2006, 08:42 PM
#9
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No, the sleepsack doesn't protect, however, I don't think bedbugs can go THROUGH the fabric, and it closes up pretty high, so maybe it helps. For me, I jsut figured I'm staying at semi-low budget places, and from stories of stained sheets and stuff, I liked the idea of my own, clean, bag 
Mar 19th, 2006, 08:42 PM
#10
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When i went to Morocco this summer I carried a sheet with me in case I needed to camp out. As I was staying in 3 euro a night establishments, I ended up putting it down on the bed. I never got bitten once and on one occasion shared a room with two people who got completely devoured. I think the sheet was the key.
Mar 19th, 2006, 08:50 PM
#12
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Mar 19th, 2006, 09:55 PM
#13
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If you take that sheet with you, you could transmit the bugs from one hotel to the next, and finally to your home. I'd consider laundering it between hotels, and once stepping back in my house, I would immediately take it down to the washing machine, followed by a hot drying cycle (30 minutes past the usual drying time on high heat, or so I've read). I would have a plastic bag in my car so as not to get bedbugs in the upholstery, and I wouldn't let it touch a cloth surface of mine anywhere. (I've never had any bad experiences, but I'm just paranoid from all the stories I've read.) And I have read several accounts of bedbugs in Paris. You can see numerous bedbug accounts at hotels here:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=....com&meta=
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=....com&meta=
Mar 20th, 2006, 05:22 AM
#15
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I did a google on this and found the following:
They're about the size of a pinhead and one place where they live is in the corners of the mattress, where the seams are. Other places include almost any crack or crevice in furniture, torn wallpaper, floors, doorframes.....when squashed, the bedbugs release a distinctive odor....
Supposedly one conducts a visual inspection with a magnifying glass and if one finds something, asks for another room. (And if no room is available, or THAT room is infected?) Sigh.
Forget the sleep sack as a preventative measure. What I have seen is: leave your luggage as far as possible from the bed/bedroom area, to avoid unwanted hitchhikers tagging along on your bag and other clothes.
Upon arriving home, avoid taking the bag inside: leave it in the garage or other remote area until you've had a chance to inspect it. (and then what? Supposedly, you give a good vacuuming to the bags; you then remove the vacuum cleaner bag, seal it in a plastic bag and immediately toss it out. Although some sites mention treatment with pesticides (type not specified) others suggest you can still just launder everything else in hot water.... and then hope for the best?)
I told spouse all this and he said, can't we just burn the darn bags?
One hopes this is not as serious as has been made out to be.
Footnote: the good news: bedbugs and their eggs are sensitive to extremes in temperature and will not survive in environments above 36 degrees C or below 9 degrees C. This is why one treatment for infected mattresses is to wrap in black plastic and leave them in hot sun for several hours.
As the eggs can otherwise survive a long time, I suggest storing one's bags somewhere like an unheated/uncooled attic. Can't hurt.
They're about the size of a pinhead and one place where they live is in the corners of the mattress, where the seams are. Other places include almost any crack or crevice in furniture, torn wallpaper, floors, doorframes.....when squashed, the bedbugs release a distinctive odor....
Supposedly one conducts a visual inspection with a magnifying glass and if one finds something, asks for another room. (And if no room is available, or THAT room is infected?) Sigh.
Forget the sleep sack as a preventative measure. What I have seen is: leave your luggage as far as possible from the bed/bedroom area, to avoid unwanted hitchhikers tagging along on your bag and other clothes.
Upon arriving home, avoid taking the bag inside: leave it in the garage or other remote area until you've had a chance to inspect it. (and then what? Supposedly, you give a good vacuuming to the bags; you then remove the vacuum cleaner bag, seal it in a plastic bag and immediately toss it out. Although some sites mention treatment with pesticides (type not specified) others suggest you can still just launder everything else in hot water.... and then hope for the best?)
I told spouse all this and he said, can't we just burn the darn bags?
One hopes this is not as serious as has been made out to be.
Footnote: the good news: bedbugs and their eggs are sensitive to extremes in temperature and will not survive in environments above 36 degrees C or below 9 degrees C. This is why one treatment for infected mattresses is to wrap in black plastic and leave them in hot sun for several hours.
As the eggs can otherwise survive a long time, I suggest storing one's bags somewhere like an unheated/uncooled attic. Can't hurt.
Mar 20th, 2006, 05:38 AM
#16
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Thankfully I have never had this problem (but..will I ever pull back a sheet again and not think of it????) DD was covered in bites after taking an overnight train trip...proof sheets don't matter because she carried her own.....it was immediately tossed into the nearest trash can the next morning....
Mar 20th, 2006, 05:42 AM
#17
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This is so gross. But, I'm not going to be paranoid. I'll still use the sleep sack, mostly because I don't know how clean the blankets and sheets and stuff are. If there are bed bugs in the room, the sleep sack is no worse than the luggage which will be in the same vicinity. I haven't ready any reviews where people complained of odd bug bites
Mar 20th, 2006, 06:51 AM
#20
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PBH, I've stayed in hostels that used duvet covers. I was always given a freshly laundered duvet cover to put on the duvet myself. I can only hope that hotels would be up to the same standards as hostels, and launder the cover between guests.
