Module 4 of 7 · about 5 minutes
A quick, practical way to check for bed bugs on a visit or room check, protect yourself, and record what you find.
Reviewed by the ThermoPest technical team · Last reviewed October 2026
On a routine visit or room clean, a quick check of the bed and the furniture nearest to it is enough to spot most bed bug problems. With permission if someone lives there, use a torch to look along mattress seams, bed frame joints and the headboard, then photograph anything you find with something for scale. You're looking for signs, not carrying out a full inspection.
Housekeeping staff can do this check every time they strip a bed.
What to take
A phone torch works.
For wide and close-up photos.
A coin or pen next to the sign.
If your organisation provides them.
Take a wide photo showing where in the room it is, then a close-up with your scale object next to the sign. Note the room, the item and the date. Don’t photograph people, their faces or personal documents, and store photos as your organisation’s data protection policy says.
Photograph it in two shots
Shows where in the room it is.
Put a coin or pen next to the sign.
Note the room, the item and the date. Don’t photograph people, their faces or personal documents.
This is a summary. The full module, quiz and certificate are free for frontline staff in housing, care and hospitality. Register to unlock the full lesson, worked examples, downloads and your certificate.
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