Flight attendant explains how to check for bed bugs in your hotel room

US flight attendant Hannah Hudson Kimmel revealed in a TikTok video how she keeps an eye out for bed bugs in hotels while travelling. Photos / @hankimmel, @cabincrew_han, file

A must-do once checked into your hotel or accommodation, these tips will help travellers avoid bed bugs.

A Southwest Airlines employee has taken to TikTok to reveal her tips on how to check your hotel room for signs of a bed bug infestation, with one particular hack going viral for its simplicity and effectiveness.

Hannah Hudson Kimmel is a flight attendant from Chicago who also works as a registered nurse. With over 50,000 followers on TikTok and 47,000 on Instagram, she posts videos that cover her travel experiences, nursing, lifestyle, and more.

On TikTok, Kimmel explained that travelling to different cities and countries for her job requires her to take extra precautions, and said checking her hotel bed for the little critters is the “first thing she does” when arriving somewhere.

In the now-viral video, Kimmel said the first step is to pull the sheets up from the bed and check the corners for the bugs, which can grow up to 4.5mm in size.

But even if you can’t spot the tiny insects, that doesn’t mean they’re not potentially hiding somewhere else in the bed. Luckily, Kimmel said there is another way to “draw them out” using an everyday item found in hotel bathrooms and at home.

Always check the mattress, furniture, and walls in your hotel room for bed bugs. Photo / 123rf

The flight attendant said to leave a block of soap on the hotel bed when you first enter the room, then find something else to do to fill the time. According to Kimmel, the bugs will gravitate towards the soap bar if they are present in the bed.

“First, you need to pull up all the sheets and check the corners to see if there are any bugs,” the Chicago resident said in the video.

“The other thing you can also do is put a bar of soap at the end of your bed and then leave to go do something.

“Whenever you come back, the bar of soap draws out the bed bugs.”

Kimmel also noted that bed bugs are “attracted to the carbon dioxide that you breathe out” and said they will “come out” at night while you sleep. She advised her followers to “flip up the corner and start breathing on the bed” to try and expose any bugs potentially lurking in the sheets.

“Bed bugs are no joke and when they bite you it’s painful, the bites are red and big and they cause swelling. So make sure you check for bed bugs,” Kimmel reveals.

@cabincrew_han

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♬ original sound - Hannah | Flight Attendant | RN

The Express previously spoke to UK-based homeware professional Nick Shacklock, who told the paper about other major signs guests should look out for to identify and get rid of potential bed bugs in their hotel room.

On top of a close inspection of the hotel bed and room, including the walls and furniture, Shacklock said a musty, lingering odour should sound the alarm that bed bugs are hiding nearby. The insects omit a damp, stale scent from their scent glands, so double-check the mattress and bed for any foul smells.

Other signs of a bed bug infestation include spotting tiny eggs on the bedding or furniture and waking up with red lumps and itchy skin around your body, Shacklock told the Express.