Many people who stay in hotels and see the clean indoor environment often feel at home and relax their guard. However, doctors warn that there is one thing to think twice about before doing, and that is not to easily put clothes into the dresser in the hotel room.
In a popular video on social media, family doctor Jason Singh warned travelers to be cautious of the hidden risks in hotel room dressers. He emphasized a common but often overlooked risk – bedbugs.
“How many of you completely take out your clothes from your suitcase and put them in the dresser in the hotel room?” he asked. “Hotel dressers, especially those made of wood or with seams and gaps, are likely to breed bedbugs,” said Singh in the video.
“Therefore, bedbugs are not only in the bed. They could also be in the hotel dresser, making it difficult to clean,” he said.
According to a survey conducted by Sleep Doctor in February 2024, one in seven American travelers have encountered bedbugs invading their mattresses in the past year.
Hannah Kopelman, a dermatologist at Kopelman Aesthetic Surgery, agrees with Singh’s views. She told Newsweek that if furniture has cracks/holes, bedbugs could take advantage of that opportunity. If concerned about bedbugs, she usually advises people to pack their clothes in plastic bags or hang them in the closet, keeping them away from the floor or avoiding putting clothes in the dresser.
The prevalence of bedbugs in hotels is not a new phenomenon. Cleveland Clinic emphasizes the resilience of these pests, noting that they can survive for months without food and are adept at hiding in various types of furniture, including dressers. This ability makes it difficult to eradicate them once they infest a space.
Bedbugs are usually active at night and feed on human blood. Last year, bedbugs in Paris drew increasing attention, with videos on social media documenting the scale of the bedbug infestation in the French capital.
According to a survey by pest control company Orkin in 2023, the top three cities with the highest infestation rates of bedbugs in the United States are Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. This study ranked the city areas where Orkin dealt with the most bedbugs from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022, emphasizing the importance of being vigilant when staying in hotels, especially in cities with a developed tourism industry.
Kopelman also offered an unconventional but effective method for storing luggage.
“The bathroom is a good place to store luggage because in this environment, bedbugs have few hidden crevices,” she said.
Pest expert Anthony O’Neill, with over twenty years of experience, also told Best Life that the safest place to store luggage is in the hotel bathtub or shower. “Bedbugs cannot climb smooth surfaces, and once they appear in a light-colored bathtub, you are likely to notice them,” he explained.
Singh’s video sparked a lot of comments from netizens, with some saying they never use hotel dressers and others sharing tips on combating bedbugs.
“I always buy alcohol spray and completely spray the drawers on the first night and morning, then re-spray and wipe clean on the second night,” one netizen said.
Another tip can help travelers avoid accidentally bringing these pests back home. Kopelman suggests that once back home, take precautions to prevent bedbugs from spreading.
“Plastic bags are great; you can use them after washing clothes clean to keep them away from any potential bedbug infestations,” she said.
Kopelman also recommends that after returning from travel, clothes should be placed in the hallway, garage, or cold environment for about two weeks before using them. Do not bring luggage into the bedroom.