Originally Posted by GregWTravels
Just got back from Honduras where I was feasted on my a number of critters, including I think bed bugs. Here's what I did when I got back, and so far it seems to have worked.
I returned late at night, so I took off all my clothes and put on fresh clothes. All clothes went directly into the hamper. The next morning, I washed everything - including my fresh clothes from the night before and my sheets.
While things were washing, I sprayed my mattress, clothes hamper and luggage with ample amounts of Lysol disinfectant.
So far, so good. Of course, I'm not positive anything hitched a ride back with me. But they don't appear to have taken hold.
As a pest control professional, I can tell you the disenfectant will do absolutely nothing. After washing in hot water, make sure you dry the clothes etc in a hot dryer, preferably for 30 minutes AFTER the clothes are dry. This will insure that any eggs that were laid are killed as well. (140 for 30 minutes). It is basically the same treatment if your kid comes home with lice. In fact, they look a lot like them. Here is a link to see a picture of one:
http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/print/2001/bedbug.html
You can buy a portable steamer at Walmart for about $50.00. I would flip your mattress over and slowly steam the seams. Same for the luggage.
Hotel tips: There were some good ones listed above, but the best tip is this: Don't put your suitcase on the bed!!! I used to get rooms with two beds so I could do that! They can reside in cracks as thin as a business card. If you find one in your room, treat your room as the center square of the hollywood squares and make sure you are at least two rooms and floors away from the affected room.
The good news is that bedbugs are not a vector of diseases, which means they will bite you, suck your blood to feed their young and move on. You get a little welt and that is about it. They will make your skin crawl and make life difficult for a couple of days, but if you were in the 3rd world, you would have a one in 3 chance of living with them. So you have that going for you!!
Good luck!!!