Woman with magnifying glass detecting bed bugs in bedroom

Weekly bed bug inspections are on the to-do list of every well-run housekeeping staff, according to an article on the Hotel Business website. Doing it well is just important as doing it weekly.

A careful inspection is looking for bed bugs and/or signs of activity. Bed bugs like to nestle into small, tight spaces, so these areas should be inspected closely. The headboard and bed skirt are also key areas because neither of these are usually disturbed when the room gets a regular cleaning.
 
The following steps are recommended during a weekly inspection:

•    Exhale gently along the top corners and sides of the headboard. Bed bugs are drawn to carbon dioxide.

•    Look at the edges of the headboard with a flashlight

•    Slide a credit card between the headboard and the attached wall to see if you collect any eggs, fecal matter and shed outer skeletons

•    Pull back the bedding, one piece at a time, from each of the two corners at the head of the bed

•    Inspect the mattress edges at these two corners, focusing on the rolled edges, tufts, and any labels or handles. Lift the top corners of the mattress and inspect underneath.

•    While pulling back the mattress, examine the top of the box spring or platform

According to CleanLink, bed bugs, which were once nearly extinct, are creeping back into the United States, especially in metropolitan areas such as Chicago, according to several sources. The pests can survive for months void of their only food source—blood.