Let’s make one thing clear: bed bugs don’t discriminate. You can come across them in any destination, at any accommodation, including everything from roadside motels to five-star resorts. We don’t say this to scare you, but rather, to keep you vigilant so your vacation isn’t wrecked by one teeny, tiny creepy crawler. Luckily, there are a few easy ways to check for these bad boys and ensure they didn’t latch on to you or your luggage and hitch a ride home.

As Emma Grace Crumbley, an entomologist at Mosquito Squad Plus, recently shared with our friends at Real Simple, there’s an easy way to keep your house bed bug-free after a vacation—and that’s leaving your luggage outside the door before you get a chance to inspect every nook and cranny. 

“After returning from your trip, leave your bags outside or in the garage until you’ve had a chance to thoroughly inspect them,” Crumbley told Real Simple. She further noted to check over your luggage and all the items inside on a hard (concrete, hardwood, tile, basically anything but carpet) light colored surface to ensure you can see the bugs. Look at the inner and outer shell of the luggage as well as the zippers, seams, and pockets, where bed bugs love to live. 

“Next, run all washer-safe clothing on a hot water cycle,” Crumbley said. “For added protection, you can also toss clothes in the dryer on high heat for roughly 30 minutes before washing—this will help remove bedbugs in all life stages, including the eggs.”

Of course, there are plenty of tips out there for checking over your hotel room too, to mitigate your risk in the first place. As the pest control company Orkin previously shared with Travel + Leisure, travelers can try the “SLEEP” method the next time they check into and out of a hotel or home rental. 

Search: Check the room for bed bugs, which are “small, flat, oval-shaped insects that are brown and about the size of an apple seed,” according to Orkin. Other evidence of bed bugs includes bloody or inky stains on fabric and a sweet, musty smell in the room.
Lift: Look under sheets, curtains, and cushions for bed bugs or signs of them.
Elevate: Rather than putting your suitcase on furniture, use the luggage rack provided by the hotel.
Examine: When you unpack your suitcase when you get home, check the interior of your luggage and belongings for signs of bedbugs.
Place: Put all of your dryer-safe clothing into the dryer for 30 to 45 minutes at the top heat setting when you get home. This will zap any potential bed bugs or bed bug eggs before they get a chance to spread.

And, as Dr. Jason Singh previously shared on social media, you may want to forgo unpacking your clothing in a hotel room at all, as those drawers could be infested too. Instead, hang them in the closets or simply pull “them straight out of your suitcase.”

This way, the only thing you’ll come home with after vacation is great memories.