Lots of people take irons with them when they’re travelling.
After all, our clothes easily crease when packed away in a suitcase, and nobody feels confident in wrinkled outfits. But an expert has warned people to avoid following a new viral trend.
A trend on TikTok is encouraging travellers to kill bedbugs with hotel irons, but this hack isn’t only ineffective, but also poses a serious risk of danger. The idea behind the hack is that the iron’s heat can kill bedbugs on surfaces like clothing and bed sheets.
However, bedbugs often hide in crevices, small spaces and cracks meaning an iron can’t effectively fit there. What’s more, even if the iron’s heat does make contact, it’s unlikely that it will be able to reach deep enough and kill all bugs and their eggs.
Bedbugs are incredibly resilient and require high levels of heat around 49C for several minutes in order to be successfully exterminated.
Adam Juson, co-founder of commercial pest control company, Merlin Environmental, said: “Using an iron in this manner also presents serious safety risks. Irons should not be used on non-clothing items like upholstery or mattresses.
“Individuals could burn the fabric, themselves and even start a fire if the iron isn’t used in the correct way or is left unattended. Damage to hotel property could even result in large fines.
”Instead, travellers should spend five minutes checking their hotel room when arriving and look for signs of bedbugs. This includes checking seams, crevices, mattresses, headboards and furniture for small dark spots and live bugs.
“If you do spot any signs, you should report them to hotel management and request a room change.”
The expert also noted travellers should avoid storing luggage on the bed and floor where bedbugs are more likely to be. Instead, a luggage rack away from furniture and walls should be used to prevent any bedbugs from being transported back home.
Clothing and items can also be stored in sealable plastic bags for an extra layer of protection. If you do suspect that your items have been exposed to bedbugs, then heat treatment is effective for eliminating them.
Adam added: “It’s important to wash clothing in hot water and dry on a high heat for at least 30 minutes instead of using the TikTok iron hack.”