How do you treat hard shell suitcases for bed bugs?

Vacuum your luggage Once you've washed your clothes and cleaned out your suitcases, Wong says the next step is to vacuum. “Vacuum your suitcases thoroughly to remove any bedbugs you might have killed with the rubbing alcohol (or hand steamer) before storing it away,” he says.

If you suspect bed bugs, launder washable items in hot water and dry on the highest setting for at least 20 minutes. Dry cleaning and steam cleaning will kill bed bugs in fabrics (including soft luggage) that can't be washed and dried at high settings.

Myth: Bed bugs can't get into hardshell suitcases! Not true – bed bugs will find their way into the zippers and seams of any bag or suitcase. Sleeping bag liners prevent bed bug infestations!

Protect your luggage from bed bugs by treating the outside seams with Ortho® Home Defense Max® Bed Bug Killer before you leave. When you arrive at you hotel, place your luggage in the bathtub or bathroom of your hotel room. Bed bugs are less effective at traveling up slippery surfaces like tile.

“Consequently, soiled clothing left in an open suitcase, or left on the floor, of an infested room is likely to attract bedbugs. When packed into the suitcase, they will accompany their host back home.”

To avoid bringing home an infestation, the first thing you need to do is protect your luggage. Once bed bugs burrow themselves into the crevices and seams of your suitcase, they can stay alive without a feeding for up to four months.

The Inside

This part of the suitcase is the hardest to keep clean and germ-free. For aesthetics, you can vacuum out any crumbs or dust, and then wipe the inside with soap and water to get any marks off. To disinfect, you can spray the inside with a disinfectant spray such as Lysol To Go.

Inspecting Bed Bugs in Luggage

Just as they work their way into bed crannies and nooks, these pests can easily crawl into pockets, zippers, and hidden sections in the bag. Having light-colored luggage makes your work relatively easier.

ThermalStrike Heated Luggage is the world's only luggage that kills bed bugs. The technology is built-in. Simply connect the luggage to the cable, plug it in, and set the timer to begin automatically treating your belongings. All heating and safety components TSA and FAA compliant.

Insect repellents or insecticides designed to be sprayed in the air or at the insect are not permitted in either carry on or checked baggage. Permitted aerosol release devices (button/nozzle) must be protected with a cap or other means to protect against accidental release.

Pack a pillow and blanket: If you're planning to sleep on the plane, don't rely on the airline's bedding, which may be carrying bed bugs, the Huffington Post advised. Instead, bring along your own travel pillow and blanket. You'll be much more comfortable anyway.

At 25% concentration, DEET-treated fabric surface remained highly repellent to bed bugs for a 14-d period. However, DEET has a strong smell and dissolves certain plastic materials. Therefore, we evaluated several odorless, noncorrosive, and potentially effective repellents.

The best thing you can do is tackle the problem before you get home. If you have yet to enter your house with the exposed belongings, Michigan State University suggests putting all of your belongings, including your luggage, into sealed plastic bags to keep the bedbugs from dropping out where you don't want them.

Most times, clothing, bedding and furniture from a home with a bed bug problem can be treated and do not need to be thrown away. If you decide to dispose of items, they should be carefully sealed in a plastic bag or container first so the bed bugs don't spread.

Throughout your stay, keep your luggage off of the floor—“bedbugs like to crawl around on the floor and walls,” Clark says. And keep your dirty clothes separate from your clean ones by putting them in a plastic bag. (Don't toss them on a fabric armchair, either—bedbugs love those.)

You may have them for a while, but may not notice them until weeks, or even months later. Bed bug eggs take anywhere from six to 12 days to hatch, and the adult life span can be anywhere from six months to a year. That's why it's important to know these early signs of an infestation.

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Cleaning Soft-Sided Luggage

Here are Parnell's best practices to clean a soft-sided suitcase: Soak a towel in soap and water and wring out the towel. Wipe down the case with the dampened cloth. For oil-based stains, sprinkle with baking soda and vacuum off after letting it sit for 15 minutes.

For deep stains, spray the exterior of your soft shell luggage with a fabric upholstery cleaning spray, testing the product on a small spot first. Spray the upholstery cleaner on the stained spots, rubbing the foam into the spots with a soft brush. After five minutes, wipe away the the foam with a wet cloth.

Wardrobes containing outerwear, like clothes, jackets, scarves, and hats, are also susceptible to beg bugs. They often travel to new locations jumping onto your clothing while you visit an infested area. You'll know there are bed bugs in your closet if you see reddish-brown spots or start smelling a stale, foul odor.

Check out our below list for our top bed bug spray recommendations.

With their tiny size, bed bugs don't need much air to breathe and just enough air can be in a sealed bag to keep them kicking for months. While lack of air certainly is a good start to eliminating bed bugs, trapped inside they will starve to death before suffocating.

How can you prevent bedbug bites?

Heat is one of the best ways to kill bed bugs. Pest experts use professional heating elements to kill bedbugs. You can also use a steam cleaner with a diffuser to kill bed bugs hiding in fabrics and baseboards.

Bugs hate the smells associated with repellency, such as lavender, citronella, vinegar, peppermint, and geranium. These oils are considered a natural way of driving away bugs from your home without harming you, your family, and other animals.