I’m a flight attendant — here’s how to check for bed bugs at your hotel
Bed bugs are back in the hot seat.
The dreaded creepy crawlies have been infesting the headlines with their tenacious takeover of Paris, sullying the City of Light’s traditional glamour just in time for fashion week.
Flight attendant and frequent traveler Cari Curri, known as @cici.inthesky on TikTok, is used to being careful in airports and on public transit and in hotels, places where the disgusting little creatures thrive.
In a popular video posted in response to the Parisian outbreak, Curri revealed all the steps you need to take to ensure these pesky bugs won’t get in your way while on the road:
1. Don’t put your luggage on a carpeted surface
The first tip Curri offered in the video was to keep your luggage away from any carpeted surfaces in the hotel room.
“My bags never go past the hardwood floor on to the carpet, and definitely never go on to the bed,” she explained in the video clip, showing a hotel room which featured tile in the entryway and then carpet.
According to Hawx Pest Control, bed bugs can live in carpeting, and live around six to eight feet from where they get their meals.
2. Check the bedding in the dark
When checking the bed for bed bugs, Curri turns off the lights and uses her phone’s flash light to see if there’s any in the bed.
Bed bugs are most active at night, according to Forbes Home.
Curri pulls up all of the sheets on the bed and looks closely, instructing to watch out for red or rust colored dark spots or groups of tiny dark spots in the sheets.
Not only does she check the sheets, but she pulls back the mattress cover to inspect the mattress and its creases.
Curri also noted that it’s important to check the crevices in the headboards for bed bugs, especially if they’re made from fabric.
3. Look in creases in fabric chairs and sofas
If your hotel room has a sofa or chair covered in fabric, you’re going to want to make sure there’s no bed bugs crawling in those crevices, either.
“More and more of the seating is changing to hard surfaces like leather, instead of fabric, but this one is fabric, I just don’t go near it,” Curri warned, showing off a fabric seat in one of the hotels she’s stayed at before.
4. Look out for luggage racks
Another important spot to scan in the hotel room is the luggage racks, Curri said.
“If you’re using the luggage rack, I just look in these little crevices to see if I spot anything,” she explained.
And, bed bugs can also be hiding in the hollow legs of luggage racks, according to Apartment Therapy — so it’s important to keep your eyes peeled everywhere.
5. Using certain oils can help keep the bed bugs at bay
At the end of the clip, Curri also revealed that bed bugs are similar to lice, and don’t like tea tree oil.
Making a special spray can help to keep them at away.
“They also don’t like peppermint oils, and they don’t like lavender,” she explained. “So, you can make a spray and spray it on the outside of your bag and that could be acting as a repellent.
“Another thing you can use is lemon grass oil, that is also another repellent.”
What to do if you find bed bugs in your hotel room
In her viral video, Curri also instructed what to do if you do find any bed bugs while searching around your hotel room.
“Go ahead and call down to the front desk, and tell them what you think you have found,” the flight attendant said.
“I suggest you get another room, and then do your checks again,” she continued. “A lot of times, they will send housekeeping up and they will take a look at the room to see if they see the evidence.”
The Post reached out to Curri for comment.
