Hotel housekeeping typically cleans a room’s floors, disinfects the bathrooms, and changes the sheets. However, a doctor warns in a video with over 202,000 views not to use hotel room dressers because they can be infested with bed bugs.
TikTok user Dr. Jason Singh (@drjaysonisfresh) is an Ashburn, Virginia-based doctor who often shares medical advice with his 95,000 followers. “So, how many of you completely unpack your clothes from your suitcases into a hotel dresser?” he asks his followers.
“Hotel dressers, especially those that are made of wood or have joints and crevices are a risk for bed bug infestation,” he continues.
Instead of using the hotel dressers, the doctor recommends store clothes in the closet. “I recommend to utilize hotel closets or hanging spaces to store your clothes or just pull your clothes straight out of your suitcase,” he says.
@drjaysonisfresh Do you completely unpack clothes into dressers?
♬ original sound – Dr. Jason Singh
Viewers in the comments section shared that they already don’t use the hotel dressers. They shared where they store their clothes while staying at a hotel.
“Clothes stay in the suitcase… which stays off the floor & away from furniture!” one viewer said.
“If I’m staying more than a week I do unpack but I also spray the entire room with rubbing alcohol and Clorox wipe everything,” another said.
“Leave suitcase in bathroom if there is room – not near any furniture,” a third shared.
Even a retired pest control operator weighed in. “Never used dressers. Keep your suitcase in the bathtub and get your clothes that you need from it. It’s not just bedbugs. It’s roaches as well,” they recommended.
Do hotel dressers have a risk of bed bugs?
According to Reader’s Digest, hotels don’t clean dressers, so the risk of bed bugs there is greater. Because hotel dressers are dark and get used, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is a chance they will be infected by bed bugs. Bed bugs can latch onto anything, such as “clothing, handbags, and luggage,” according to Terminix. However, if you want to use the dressers, disinfect and clean them before putting your belongings in them.
How to spot bed bugs in dressers
According to McDonald Pest Control, bed bug “droppings look like dark stains, about the size of a marker pen dot. Check for these spots around the furniture, including on the lower side. If you see the droppings, that’s a sign of bed bugs, though this isn’t definitive proof that they’re still on the items.”
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