Primary Care Physician Reveals Gross Reason Why You Shouldn’t Immediately Unpack Your Suitcase After a Trip

Unpacking luggage after a fun trip is one of the boring tasks people try to procrastinate. But some people try to do away with the task once they get home from the trip. A primary care doctor advises why one should never unpack their suitcase as soon as they get home. Dr. Jason Singh (@drjaysonisfresh) served up an eye-opening piece of advice in a TikTok video where he warned about a potential infestation of bed bugs. He revealed that unpacking your luggage right after or within a week of travel can result in the spread of bed bugs from the clothes. 

Doctor warns about bed bugs after travels

In his video, the Virginia-based doctor talked about the nuisance caused by bed bug infestations after a vacation. He explained that unpacking the suitcase right after traveling from a hotel would allow the insects, that might have been trapped or laid eggs in the clothes, to invade the new environment. “Bed bug eggs typically hatch within six to 10 days,” Dr. Singh said. Moreover, he pointed out in the viral video that the “nymphs” that hatch out of the eggs require a “blood meal” right after birth to continue their growth and development.

Therefore, not unpacking the suitcase will prevent the bugs from spreading and the nymphs will be restricted from their initial nourishment. Dr. Singh added, “Now if your suitcase remains closed and undisturbed for at least two weeks, any bed bug egg or nymph present will likely die due to starvation or desiccation.” He joked that people are allowed to be lazy henceforth, like himself, and be relaxed about unpacking their suitcases. Interestingly, he called the ones who unpack right away “psychos.” The video has since amassed over 761k views on TikTok. 

Fans react to doctor’s tip on unpacking suitcases

While the doctor made it clear that he is also too lazy to unpack his luggage right away, several users chipped in their takes on the advice in the comments. A user @pamelaessex complained, “I unpack & throw everything in the washer as soon as I get home. I need all the stuff I travel with!” Whereas another user @feralcatstudio joked about not unpacking since their 2019 vacation. A comment by @sophia.q stated, “I unpack literally within an hour of arriving back home,” adding that they need all their toiletries. Referring to Dr. Singh’s quirky joke about psychos, @ms_september4 admitted, “I am the psycho who unpacks once I get home.” 

On the other hand, Travel and Leisure recommends unpacking the luggage directly into the dryer first and then the washing machine. Turning up the heat in the dryer for 30 minutes could potentially kill all the eggs in the clothes because the warm water in the washers does not do the work. "You [can] wash them after you dry them, but the high heat will kill the life stages. The water isn't hot enough to kill them, so they could survive a washing,” board-certified entomologist, Eric Braun said. He also suggested inspecting the suitcase for any leftover eggs and clothes that cannot be washed, to get them dry-cleaned immediately. 

You can follow @drjaysonisfresh on TikTok for more medical tips and inspiration.