If you’re planning a night out on a special date, or with friends or family, to the movie theater to see the latest blockbuster, you’re probably not thinking about whether you’ll bring a pest back home with you!
But unfortunately, these days this is exactly what can happen, which will not only ruin your night out, but can cause many sleepless nights in the near future.
Why? Because you have brought a bed bug home with you.
Can you get bed bugs from a movie theater? Well, the answer is yes, you can get bed bugs from a movie theater. In this article we’ll find out why and what you can do to stop this from happening to you.
Can You Get Bed Bugs From A Movie Theater?
Imagine having an enjoyable night out at the movie theater. And then imagine your night being ruined because bed bugs have hitched a ride on you, and you bring them home.
Scarier than The Thing even!
Unfortunately, this situation isn’t out of the ordinary.
Big cities all around the United States and Canada have seen a rise in bed bug infestations due to an increase in population size, as well as domestic and international travel. And because of this, these annoying pests have found their ways into hotels, apartment buildings, taxis and Ubers, houses, and even movie theaters.
Bed bugs love living in movie theaters, because they tend to thrive in areas where lots of people congregate. This is because of all the fabric upholstery and the CO2 that is exhaled, the food that’s discarded by visitors munching on snacks, and the fact that they can hide in the darkness.
Bed bugs love living in movie theaters, because they tend to thrive in areas where lots of people congregate. This is because of all the fabric upholstery and the CO2 that is exhaled, the food that’s discarded by visitors munching on snacks, and the fact that they can hide in the darkness.
If you search for news stories from around the country regarding bed bugs in movie theaters, you’ll find several, including this recent one on TikTok from the AMC Empire Times Square in New York, which seems to have had a history of problems with these pests, dating as far back as 2010!
Bed bugs have also been found in movie theaters across the country in big cities from Los Angeles and San Francisco, to Missouri, Indiana, Toronto, and Baltimore.
However, if you don’t live in a big city or your movie theater is in a rural area, then you’re probably safer. It is unlikely, although not impossible, that you’ll bring bed bugs home with you after watching a movie in a more rural area.
The plethora of potential hosts in a movie theater is a bed bug paradise, because of the time opportunity it offers to feed off of so many hosts while they’re in the dark.
When someone sits down to get comfortable for a movie showing, the carbon dioxide they exhale, and the body odor that they give off, bring any hiding bed bugs out to play.
Thankfully though, there are ways to make it less likely that you carry these annoying creatures back home with you.
Avoiding Bed Bugs At The Movies
The first thing you can do is to check out the movie theater’s online reviews, because fortunately other visitors will more than likely report that they unknowingly picked up a bed bug from just watching a movie.
You could also check out the Bed Bug Registry, which gives recent reports on hotel and apartment infestations (including Airbnbs) in the United States and Canada.
Although movie theaters aren’t mentioned, if there’s an infestation nearby, you’ll probably want to choose to watch the film elsewhere.
When you make your way into the actual room where you will watch the movie, get there before it starts when the lights are on, and definitely check your seat, especially if it’s upholstered with fabric.
Make sure that you look underneath the seat, as well as down the sides and the back of the seat. Look out for any crevices where bed bugs may be hiding.
Other precautions you can take include not taking any belongings into the movie room with you, such as pocketbooks and backpacks, and not putting anything on the floor, like sweaters, jackets or coats.
The floors are so gross to begin with, don’t put anythign else on them!
This is because bed bugs like hiding in places like these, making it easy to bring them back home with you. If you have to bring a bag into the movie theater with you, then leave it on your lap during the entire length of the show.
Finally, when you get home, you should wash your clothes in hot water above 140 degrees Fahrenheit immediately. If you have to wait to do the laundry, then put your clothes inside a sealable plastic bag and seal it up until you can wash them (this will not kill any bedbugs for a long time).
You should definitely not put your dirty clothes on a carpeted bedroom floor or on your bed. This will ensure that the bed bugs don’t escape from their hiding place and jump into your dirty clothes and bedding.
If you have to wait to do a laundry, then put your clothes inside a sealable plastic bag and seal it up until you can wash them. You should definitely not put your dirty clothes on a carpeted bedroom floor or on your bed. This will ensure that the bed bugs don’t escape from their hiding place and jump into your dirty clothes and bedding.
Luckily, bed bugs aren’t able to survive the hot cycle of a wash. To make doubly sure, use a tumble dryer to dry your clothes. This combination of hot water and heated air will definitely kill off any bed bug you may have brought back from the movie theater in your clothing.
Conclusion
Enjoying a night out at the movie theater with friends, family or a date is something that we should look forward to, without having to worry about being bitten by bed bugs — or even worse, letting one hitch a ride on your clothes or belongings to bring back home with you.
Can you get bed bugs from a movie theater? Yes, you can.
However, by following the simple guidelines we’ve shared here in this article, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself like you should.
