There’s a really gross reason you should put your luggage in the bathtub when you check into a hotel. We asked the experts to explain.
What’s the first thing you do when you step into a hotel room? Flop onto the mattress? Scope out the minibar? Sniff the bath amenities? For most of us, before we do any of those things, our first move is to set our suitcase on the bed or maybe on a luggage rack. Then we settle in and start unpacking. But according to experts, that’s the wrong move. Instead, your suitcase belongs in your hotel room’s bathtub. Yes, you read that right: You should put your luggage in the bathtub.
The reason for this seemingly strange travel tip is actually kind of gross—as in, creepy-crawly gross. Since this topic involves both travel and bugs, we asked pros in both fields to turn back the cover on this wriggly subject. Here’s what they told us.
Why should you put your luggage in the bathtub?
We’ve got one word for you: bedbugs. Bedbugs are notorious for hitching a ride to your next destination (like your house!) on your clothes and even your bags. If you put your luggage in the bathtub of your hotel room instead of on the bed, you will ensure that those pesky pests stay far away from your personal belongings while you take the time to inspect your room.
Entomologist Katelyn Kesheimer, PhD, always stashes her luggage in the bathroom while she does a thorough bedbug check of the entire room for this reason. “Once I know it is clear, I bring my luggage out into the main room,” she says. “But I never put it on the bed, just in case.”
This is a smart idea whether you’re staying at a a five-star hotel or a budget motel. “When I worked in the hospitality industry, I learned that more hotels have bedbug problems than you might think,” says travel writer and consultant Marla Cimini. And while bedbugs aren’t limited to any one specific region, a 2024 study conducted by the pest-control company Orkin found that Chicago, New York and Philadelphia were the three most bedbug-infested cities in the United States.
Why is the bathroom a safe place for luggage?
“A bathroom is the least likely place that bedbugs will be found in a hotel room due to the short amount of time that humans (the bedbugs’ source of food) spend in the bathroom relative to the rest of the room,” says Kesheimer.
Bathrooms also do not offer great hiding places for bedbugs, compared with the rest of the hotel room. Plus, since towels and bathmats are removed and cleaned between guests, any potential hiding places are constantly in flux. And that’s not the only reason these insects don’t tend to congregate here: “Bedbugs also prefer more natural surfaces,” Kesheimer adds, “and tubs and tiles do not provide this.”
What should you do if there’s no tub in your hotel bathroom?
Setting your luggage in the shower stall is a perfectly suitable alternative to the bathtub. Just remember to take it out before you turn on the shower!
Are hotel closets and dressers safe from bedbugs?
Not necessarily. Your hotel room’s closets and dressers are safe to use only after you’ve thoroughly inspected the bedding and mattress and found no signs of a bedbug infestation. If a previous guest’s clothes were infested, those little buggers may have already made their way to those closets and drawers. That said, bedbugs do prefer—you guessed it—beds.
“Bedbugs hang out near beds or other areas where humans spend a lot of time,” says Kesheimer. “They prefer dark, flat hiding places until they’re ready to come out to feed, typically between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. In the meantime, they like to hide out behind a headboard, behind a picture on the wall, underneath the mattress and within the folds and creases of the mattress.” They may also lie in wait in couches and accent chairs. “These are the areas where we are sedentary for long periods of time that also provide a nearby hiding spot for the bedbugs,” Kesheimer adds.
Once you’ve established that the bed and surrounding area is free of bedbugs, you can put your clothes in the closet or dresser. To stay safe, Kesheimer says, don’t set suitcases on the couch or armchair, and avoid keeping clothes on the bed, couches or other upholstered surfaces altogether.
How to check for bedbugs on the bed
Once your luggage is safely stowed in the tub, it’s time to check for bedbugs. “It only takes a few minutes—and it’s always good for peace of mind,” says Cimini. You’re looking for live bugs (adults are medium to dark brown and about the size of an apple seed), bug casings or exoskeletons, reddish-brown stains (that’s bedbug poop), white bedbug eggs, and newly hatched bedbugs, which are a whitish-yellow color.
Here’s how to conduct a quick yet thorough search:
- Fold the top sheet all the way back, and inspect the top of the bottom sheet.
- Untuck the bottom sheet from the sides and corners, and look for evidence in the folds.
- Look in the seams of the mattress, along any zippers and in the tufts on the mattress top.
- Slide the mattress aside, and inspect the box spring.
- Check the headboard, especially if it’s tufted or made of fabric. Look behind the headboard and on the wall behind the bed.
How to check for bedbugs in other parts of your hotel room
After you’ve thoroughly inspected the bed and headboard, it’s time to move to other potential bedbug havens.
- Check between couch cushions and in the folds, seams and tufts of any upholstered furniture in the room.
- Inspect the nightstand and dresser drawers, as well as the corners of closets and wardrobes.
- If there are throw rugs, check the undersides for evidence of bedbugs.
- If the luggage rack is made with fabric straps, check the the undersides for bedbug clues.
How to check for bedbugs on your luggage
Despite you best preventive efforts, says Kesheimer, “bedbugs can easily hitchhike a ride in your suitcase on the inside of the zipper or underneath a tag without being noticed.” So before you pack up to leave the room, give your luggage a careful inspection. It’s also worth considering a hard-shell suitcase, which provides a less inviting ambience for bedbugs.
- Use the flashlight on your phone to inspect the dark crevices of your suitcase.
- Pay attention to creases and folds within the luggage, along the zipper, underneath any tags and in other flat, concealed areas.
- Travel with large garbage bags in the event that you do encounter bedbugs on your trip. “This will allow you to enclose any potentially infested luggage or items and avoid further spread until you get home and have a chance to eradicate them,” says Kesheimer.
How can you get rid of bedbugs on your items?
If you have to bring home a bedbug-infested suitcase, make sure the suitcase and its contents don’t make it into your house before being treated. “High heat kills bedbugs,” says Kesheimer, “so I always recommend throwing everything in the dryer for 45 minutes on high if you think your items may be infested.” Pest-control experts recommend taking things a step further: drying the items first in very high heat, then washing them in high heat and drying again.
To get rid of bedbugs on the luggage, you can do one of the following:
- Steam-clean a hard- or soft-sided suitcase.
- Vacuum every inch of it, using the tips we outline here.
- If you’ve got a big freezer in the garage, put the whole suitcase in it (make sure it’s set below 0 degrees Fahrenheit). Leave it there for several days, then vacuum it out.
And no, this is not overkill: Bedbugs are resilient little buggers that can live a very, very long time. “They can go months to over a year without a blood meal, so if left in a suitcase or on clothing, they can certainly survive and infest later on when there is access to food,” says Kesheimer. With that unnerving perspective in mind, putting your luggage in the bathtub sounds like a pretty smart idea.