This Is What It Looks Like to Have Bedbugs (Warning: Dry-Heaves Ahead)
A couple videotaped an infestation at their New York City hotel, and it’s horrifying.(Photo: Shutterstock)
Those who’ve had bedbugs would probably rate the experience a 10 out of 10 for gross factor, and one poor couple is showing the uninitiated exactly why. The California residents were staying at the Astor on the Park Hotel in New York City over New Year’s weekend, and recorded a video of a vom-worthy bedbug infestation they discovered in their hotel room. Check out the horrifying clip below:
We hope you weren’t eating lunch.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bedbugs inject an anesthetic before they bite, so most people don’t know they have an infestation until they’ve already developed red bumps on their skin. In the video, Elgin Ozlen, the boyfriend, explains that they were moved to three different rooms during their stay (the first room had no heat, and the second room’s power outlets weren’t working). Elzin says his girlfriend woke up with a rash on her arms and stomach after sleeping in the third room, prompting them to check for bedbugs.
So what can you do to protect yourself while you’re on vacay? Always inspect the sheets, mattress, and box spring of your hotel bed upon settling in to the room. Look for bugs’ old skin (it resembles popcorn-kernel shells), black spots (yep, bedbug poop), or the actual bugs themselves (they’re teeny, flat, and a reddish-brown color).
If you notice an infestation like this unlucky couple did during their stay in NYC, ask to be moved to another room immediately, and safeguard your clothes by securing them in a trashbag, then putting them into a dryer at 120°F (the heat needed to kill the evil critters). You should also drop your suitcase into a trashbag along with pesticide strips, and store it somewhere for two weeks before bringing it back inside your house again.
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