Step 2: Thoroughly Inspect the Room Before Unpacking
With your luggage safely stored in the bathtub, you can now inspect the room methodically without worrying about your belongings. Pull back the bedding and carefully examine the mattress, focusing on the seams, corners, and folds. Check the box spring if accessible. Look behind the headboard. Run a flashlight along the joints of the bed frame. Check inside any drawers and along the back of the closet. Look at the luggage rack carefully — inspect the legs, which can harbor bugs in their hollow centers. You are looking for the bugs themselves (small, flat, reddish-brown), their shed skins, dark droppings that look like tiny ink spots, or small blood stains on light-colored surfaces.
Step 3: Decide Where to Keep Your Luggage for the Rest of Your Stay
If your inspection finds no signs of bed bugs, you have more options for where to keep your luggage during the rest of your stay. The bathtub remains the safest option throughout the entire trip. However, if the room appears clear, you can use the luggage rack — with the important caveat that you should choose racks with solid legs rather than hollow ones, and inspect it carefully first. What you should never do under any circumstances: place your open suitcase on the bed, leave it on the floor near upholstered furniture, or lay clothing directly on the bedding or mattress. Even after a clean inspection, keeping your bags away from fabric surfaces is simply good travel practice.
