A doctor has revealed a horrible reason why you should never unpack your suitcase as soon as you get home from a trip.
While some travellers may applaud themselves for immediately sorting through their luggage upon returning from their trips, Virginia-based Dr Jason Singh has now detailed why putting off unpacking can actually be beneficial in the long run.
In a now-viral TikTok video, Jason warned that opening your suitcase right away could lead to an infestation of bed bugs, which can lay eggs on your clothes and belongings and ultimately invade your home after traveling back with you in your luggage.
According to Jason, “bed bug eggs typically hatch within six to ten days,” and the doctor added that the babies, known as nymphs, “require a blood meal after hatching to continue their development.”
However, if the bedbugs remain trapped in the suitcase, they will not be able to feed and will therefore “die from starvation or desiccation.”
A doctor has revealed a disgusting reason why you should never unpack your suitcase as soon as you get home from a trip
Dr. Jason Singh from Virginia shared in a TikTok video that putting off unpacking can be beneficial in the long run (file image)
There’s one problem, though: keeping your suitcase closed for a few hours or even days won’t prevent an infestation; Jason explains that travelers should leave their bags sealed for two weeks to prevent the spread of these nasty bugs.
“Here’s why you shouldn’t unpack right after you get home from vacation,” Jason began in the video, which has racked up more than 592,000 views since it was posted in June.
‘Okay, hear me out, especially if you stayed in a hotel and it’s because of bed bugs.’
He continued: ‘Bed bug eggs usually hatch within six to ten days, and nymphs need a blood meal shortly after hatching to continue their development.
‘Now, if your suitcase remains closed and untouched for at least two weeks, any bed bug eggs or nymphs present will likely die from starvation or desiccation.
‘So now you have a reason to be lazy, just like me, and leave your suitcase hanging there on the side.
“Let’s be honest, what kind of psychopath goes on a rampage right away? Let me know.”
Jason’s advice came as a welcome surprise to many “lazy” travelers, several of whom took to the comments section to rejoice in the news that their procrastination might actually be working in their favor.
Many followers transparently shared that it takes them a long time to unpack, just like Jason does personally.
One person wrote: “So my procrastination attitude is doctor-approved. Perfect.”
A second person commented: ‘My luggage sits in the garage or lobby for hundreds of hours!’
A third person added: “Thank God. It takes me a long time to get up the energy to get rid of my bags.”
A fourth person wrote: “I’m safe then because I’m lazy.”
A fifth person commented: “OMG yayyyyyy takes me months. I just take out the bag of dirty clothes and wash them and that’s my ‘unpacking.'”
One person added: “I’ve never been so happy to have ADHD, (because) my suitcase remains unpacked for years.”
Another person jokingly wrote: “I’m still not done getting rid of my 2019 summer vacation.”
Other followers admitted that they unpack their bags as soon as they get home from a trip.
One person wrote: “I unpack everything and put it in the washing machine as soon as I get home. I need all the stuff I travel with!”
A second person commented: ‘I’m the psychopath who unpacks when I get home.’
A third person added: “I unpack as soon as I get in. I wash everything and then wipe down the suitcase with Lysol.”
Other followers admitted that they unpack their bags as soon as they get home from a trip.
A fourth person wrote: “I always unpack straight away. I have to tidy up the house before I can relax and it bothers me to see an unpacked suitcase.”
A fifth person commented: “Who has two weeks of extra clothes they don’t need when they come back from vacation? Or am I just a country bumpkin and only have one or two weeks’ worth of clothes total?”
One person added: “I unpack literally an hour after I get home. Mainly because I need all my toiletries and I throw them all in the washing machine.”
Another person wrote: “If I don’t unpack immediately, I won’t be able to for a month.”
According Travel and leisureIt is recommended to take clothes directly out of the suitcase and put them in the dryer first, rather than in the washing machine.
Eric Braun, a certified entomologist, told the outlet: ‘You can wash them after drying, but high heat will kill the life stages.
‘The water isn’t hot enough to kill them, so they might survive a wash.’
She continued: ‘You’re going to take all the clothes out of the suitcase (and) all the clothes you’re currently wearing, and you’re going to put them in the dryer on high for about 30 minutes.
‘If you have items that cannot go in the dryer and need dry cleaning, you put them in bags and take them to the dry cleaners.
“You will then check your luggage and inspect it. If you suspect there are bed bugs in your luggage, you will have it treated professionally.”
