By now you’ve heard about the bedbug outbreak that took over Paris. You’ve probably also heard people telling those who visited the City of Lights in recent weeks not to come back to the US, to not bring those little bugs with them. But a bunch of Americans stuck in Paris isn’t exactly a long-term solution.
Fortunately, we don’t have to abandon tourists, travel or the city of Paris in order to protect ourselves from bringing bed bugs into our homes. Enter the chichi protocol. In a recent thread X, host of NPRs It was a Min Brittany Luse shared her approach to travel—one that assumes that everywhere is a potential bedbug haven.
In the tweet above, Luse is right – while Paris may be in the headlines right now, bedbugs are too common for anyone’s comfort. There is also an annual ranking of the cities with the most bed bug infestations. The Bug Protocol isn’t just a 90s Hollywood thriller style name. Luse described the steps she takes every time she leaves the house to reduce the likelihood of bugs returning to your home.
Part of this includes making sure that what you wear in your home isn’t a carrier. According to Hawx Pest Control, bed bugs can live in your clothes for months at a time. Coats and outerwear are the main carriers. Luse’s protocol (and the advice of countless bed bug experts) requires you to make sure you shake out coats before entering the house and wash them or clean them before storing.
Luse also makes sure to check hotels for signs of bed bugs. A viral TikTok from earlier this year showed how to thoroughly check your hotel room for bedbugs immediately after first checking in.
Earlier this week, bed bug expert Martin Seeley, CEO and mattress expert at MattressNextDay, also told Thrillist to look for signs of a bed bug infestation. Luse’s advice mirrors some of the advice Seeley told Thrillist for people traveling from Paris—so it’s doubly advisable to follow it. Placing your belongings in plastic bags after wearing them will prevent the spread of bed bugs and can also suffocate them on the journey home, preventing them from reproducing.
Getting a good mattress protector can also ensure that if the bugs do get past your bed bug fortresses, at least you won’t have to throw out your mattress in case those bugs sneak into the house your
Thrillist has been on the bug battlefield for a long time. You can learn how to kill bed bugs, where bed bugs are most common, and which Las Vegas hotels were cited in 2023 for bed bug infestations.
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