When you head home from a vacation, you probably want to bring home souvenirs, photos and memories. You might have brought home something else that you really didn't want to bring home, though: bed bugs. Because of the many people who spend the night in hotels, it's easy for bed bugs to find their way into the mattresses and carpet in a hotel room. Then, they can latch onto clothing and luggage of guests that stay there. This can cause you to bring a bed bug infestation home without even meaning to. If this has happened to you, you shouldn't panic. Instead, you should follow these tips.

1. Let the Hotel Know

First of all, make sure that you contact the hotel and let them know about the bed bug problem. Provide any proof that you might have of the infestation, such as pictures of bed bugs or bed bug eggs from the hotel room or your luggage. The hotel should then clean the room to get rid of bed bugs so that other guests will not have to worry about the same problem. Management from the hotel might offer to comp part of your stay or offer you some other type of compensation for the issue, although you may need to hire an attorney to fight for compensation if the hotel doesn't offer it.

2. Clean Everything Thoroughly

As soon as you are aware of the bed bug problem, make sure that you clean everything that was in the hotel room thoroughly. Put clothing and luggage in large garbage bags, and leave them outside until you can heat treat them. Items can also be washed and dried at high heat to get rid of bed bugs and bed bug eggs.

3. Hire a Bed Bug Exterminator

The sooner that you hire a bed bug exterminator, the more of a chance there is that you can get rid of the bed bugs before they become a big problem. A bed bug exterminator should be able to treat your home to get rid of the bed bugs that you brought home from the hotel and to help prevent them from being a problem in the future. An exterminator can also help with getting rid of other household pests or preventing other household pests, if that is something you are concerned about.

If you think you have brought bed bugs home with you from a hotel, follow the tips above so that you can hopefully get the situation under control.