This is why you have to store your luggage in the hotel bathroom - I had no idea!

Exploring a new hotel room is always exciting, but before you settle into your temporary home, put your suitcase in the bathroom.

While it may seem strange, industry experts say the safest place for your personal belongings is the bathroom, as it reduces the risk of taking home more than just memories.

What’s the first thing you do when you enter a hotel room?

Maybe you check how springy the mattress is, peek into the minibar, or scan the bathroom to smell the toiletries?

Before you do any of this, you’ve probably placed your suitcase on the bed or on the luggage rack.

According to travel and hygiene experts, this common habit may be one of the worst mistakes travelers make.

Instead of putting your suitcase on the bed or the floor, there’s a surprising place to put it - the cold, hard, and (hopefully) clean surface of the bathroom, which is the safest place for your suitcase.

So why is the bathroom the safest place for your suitcase? The answer is simple: bed bugs.

A breeding ground for pests

Hotel rooms, whether luxurious and well-maintained or more basic, can be a breeding ground for bed bugs - tiny pests looking for a free ride to a new home.

“Bed bugs are extremely efficient hitchhikers. They can move quickly around a room and climb onto luggage or any object placed on the bed or floor in just one night”, says the website of pest control company Orkin. “Hotels are an ideal place for bed bugs because of the high turnover of guests. Additionally, they are very difficult to control in hotels due to the large number of rooms”.

And these creepy little creatures are skilled predators, hiding “in close proximity to humans where they feed”, warns Orkin.

Bedbug-Free Zone

Since the pests thrive in soft, warm areas like mattresses, carpets, and even upholstered furniture, placing your suitcase in these places only makes it easier for them to survive and spread.

The bathroom, on the other hand, is a bedbug-free area. The bugs have a hard time climbing on smooth surfaces, and hotel bathrooms are usually cleaned more thoroughly than bedrooms, making them a safer place for your suitcase.

Hematologist Caitlin Keishheimer, PhD, told Reader’s Digest that she always puts her suitcase in the bathroom while she thoroughly checks the room for bedbugs.

“Once I’m sure there are no bedbugs, I take the suitcase out into the main room. But I never put it on the bed, just to be on the safe side”, Keishheimer said. “The bathroom is the least likely place in a hotel room to have bedbugs because people (whom the bedbugs feed on) spend less time there than in the rest of the room”.

S.L.E.E.P – The Way to Avoid Bed Bugs

To prevent bed bugs from entering your home, Orkin experts recommend using the acronym S.L.E.E.P. when staying at a hotel:

• Survey – Scan the room for signs of bed bug infestation. Look for dark, ink-like spots on the sheets, in the corners of mattresses and on box springs. Make sure you identify bed bugs in all stages of their life – eggs, larvae and adults.
• Lift & Look – Lift and look at bed bug hiding places, such as the mattress, box springs, bed skirt and other furniture, as well as behind baseboards, pictures and torn wallpaper.
• Elevate – Lift your suitcase away from the bed and walls. The safest place for your suitcase is in the bathroom.
• Examine – Check your suitcase thoroughly while packing, and also after you return home.
• Place all clothes that can be dried in the dryer for at least 20 minutes at the highest temperature after returning home.

The Champions of Hiding

Even if you don’t find any signs of bed bugs, Orkin recommends taking extra precautions to prevent your belongings from becoming infested.

Here are some simple tips to protect your belongings:

• Suitcase: Keep your suitcase in the bathroom throughout your stay to prevent bed bugs from finding their way in.
• Clothing: If you don’t want the sneaky creatures to get a hold of your clothes, use zip-lock bags to store your clothes and shoes. Additionally, clothes can become infested with bed bugs if they’re moved into closets or drawers, so it’s best to avoid unpacking and living out of your suitcase during your hotel stay.
• Personal belongings: In addition to being great “hitchhikers,” bed bugs are also champions of hiding. They’re known to hide inside books, fabric toiletry bags, and other non-metal personal items. Therefore, it is important to make sure that all of your personal belongings are properly stored and protected throughout your trip.

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No food? No problem

It may seem like a lot of work, but it’s important to remember that bed bugs are incredibly hardy creatures that can survive long periods without food. “They can survive months or even more than a year without a blood meal, so if they get stuck in a suitcase or on clothing, they can definitely survive and reproduce later when they have access to food”, says Katelyn Cashmere.

So, while it may sound strange, putting your suitcase in the bathroom can significantly reduce the risk of bringing unwanted guests home with you from your trip.

The next time you check into a hotel room, skip the bed, forget the luggage rack, and let your suitcase rest in the bathroom.

Do you have any tips to help other travelers avoid bed bugs? Share your thoughts with us and don’t forget to pass this important information on to your friends!