Preparing Guest Rooms for the Holidays? Pest Expert Reveals What’s Lurking in Spare Bedrooms

Photo by Castorly Stock 

Article courtesy of Jerry Wang DIYPestWarehouse,

Did you know that most American beds are quietly harboring allergens long before guests arrive? A surprising 58% of people never clean their mattresses, and another 31% do so less than once a month, allowing dust, dirt, and allergens to accumulate. Even more concerning, the American Lung Association reports that roughly 80% of U.S. homes have dust mite allergens in at least one bed, meaning that even a spotless guest room can trigger sniffles, itchy eyes, and restless nights.

To make matters worse, your guest bed could also be harboring pests. Pest control expert, Jerry Wang from DIYPestWarehouse, who has been working in the pest control/pesticide industry for over 15 years identifies six common culprits that may be hiding in your guest bedroom and shares simple steps to protect your visitors:

1. Dust Mites

   • Holiday Risk: Guests with allergies or asthma may experience congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, or difficulty breathing.

   • Expert Tip: Use allergen-proof covers and wash sheets weekly in hot water.

2. Fleas

   • Holiday Risk: Pets visiting with guests or sitting on beds can transfer fleas, leading to itchy bites.

   • Expert Tip: Treat both pets and sleeping areas with vet-approved flea control products.

According to Jerry, “Most people don’t realize there may be an insect problem until there are guests inside the room. For example, fleas may lie dormant until they sense movement in the area or when they detect body heat. Fleas are also popular if guests travel with pets that don’t have a flea collar. Not only do dogs have fleas, but cats also have fleas. I get calls from people who have fleas in their home but don’t have any pets. Then they realize that when they had guests a few weeks/months ago, a pet travelled with them, which ended up bringing the fleas inside.”

3. Carpet Beetles

   • Holiday Risk: Larvae can irritate skin or damage fabrics in guest rooms.

   • Expert Tip: Vacuum regularly and launder bedding and rugs frequently.

He adds, “Carpet beetles would be by far the most common, surprising encounter when I enter a rarely used bedroom. The reason is that those insects are extremely easy to spot because they shed and leave an empty brown looking shell on the surface. Sometimes you can even spot them on the wall as they will crawl all over the place and not just limited to the bed.”

4. Rodents

   • Holiday Risk: Mice or rats can contaminate food, leave droppings in guest rooms, and spread disease.

   • Expert Tip: Seal entry points and set traps away from sleeping areas.

5. Bed Bugs

   • Holiday Risk: Bed bugs often hitch a ride in guests’ suitcases without anyone noticing. Once the luggage is in the room, they may emerge, causing itchy bites and sleepless nights.

   • Expert Tip: Inspect mattresses and furniture before guests arrive; use encasements and steam-clean if needed.

On this, he adds “Bed bugs are another common seasonal and holiday-related pest annoyance that people will encounter. Oftentimes, bed bugs will hitch a ride in people’s suitcases, and the person will never even know. When the luggage is brought into the room, the bed bugs may come out. In other cases, if bed bugs are already in a guest room, dormant, they will detect CO2 and body heat. When people start being on the bed, it will attract them.”

6. German Cockroaches

   • Holiday Risk: Can contaminate food and surfaces, triggering allergies and spreading germs.

   • Expert Tip: Keep kitchens and guest areas clean, eliminate crumbs, and use bait or traps as needed.

Jerry further shares:

“A good wipe down all over the room will detect the most common insects. When we wipe the dust from surfaces, we can easily see what we are wiping up. If the cleaning towel we use to wipe up only has dust, then it’s fairly safe to assume there aren’t any insects. When changing bed sheets or putting bed sheets down, pay attention to the mattress. If the mattress looks clean without any insect exoskeleton / casing, then the chances of finding insects are very slim. Vacuum every square inch and clean every square inch of the room.”