In the Middle Ages, travelers used to sleep with pigs in their beds to keep the bedbugs from biting. Nowadays, there are more reasonable precautions you can take.
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Ronda Kaysen: Here are a few tips to keep the bedbugs from nibbling on you while you slumber.
Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum
Probably the single most effective invention in pest control is the
vacuum cleaner. It's your friend; use it, and use it often.
Vacuum cleaners catch bugs and their eggs, as well as dust mites,
carpet beetles, and any other unwanted pest lurking on your carpet
or floor. Throw the vacuum bag out immediately after you use it,
wrapping it in a plastic bag.
Travel Safe
Forget about fleabags -- hotels these days are more like bedbug
inns. When you arrive at a hotel, check the seams of the mattress
and the headboard for signs of bedbugs. If you suspect bedbugs, ask
to be moved to a different room, preferably far away from the
suspect one. Never put your suitcase or bags on the floor. Use a
suitcase stand, if one is provided, and make sure you inspect it
for bedbugs first. Travel with your clothes and toiletries in
sealable plastic bags. Ziploc sells Big Bags, a line of supersized bags that are
great for storing clothes and other large items. When you come
home, don't leave
the suitcase unpacked in the guest room for a week.
Instead, immediately empty it, washing and drying clothes on high
heat before you put them back in the dresser. If you suspect
bedbugs, don't bring your suitcase into your house until
you've had a chance to inspect it thoroughly. Check your
toiletry bag carefully as you unpack it.
Clear the Clutter
Apartment-dwellers, brace yourselves. Don't store stuff under
your bed. You're just giving refuge to the little bloodsuckers.
Reduce clutter where you can. Bedbugs love dark crevices -- books,
papers, wood molding, and cardboard boxes. Keep the floors clear of
bins, piles of shoes, and other places where a homeless bug could
find shelter.
Cover Up
Invest in a high-quality, bedbug-proof mattress and box spring
cover. Protect-a-Bed sells mattress encasements for about
$130 for a queen-size mattress. Keep your mattress off the floor
and away from the wall. Make sure no blankets or bed skirts hang
onto the floor. If you're particularly anxious, you can also
rest the feet of your bedposts in jars of water to keep the bugs
from crawling up.
The Dryer Is Your New BFF
To keep your home safe, wash sheets and towels regularly on high
heat. Thirty minutes in a dryer on high heat will kill the bugs and
their eggs. Use extra detergent when you wash. The bugs don't
fare well in sudsy water.
Be Vigilant
Check your sheets regularly for telltale signs of the pesky
critters. Bites are only one sign. Watch for black flecks on your
sheets (fecal stains) or thin, reddish streaks (blood stains from
when they bite). Keep sticky tape beneath your bed to catch
wandering bugs. If you suspect bedbugs, check the seams and
crevices of
your mattress for black stains from the bugs. Lift the
box spring and look beneath it for any tears where bugs might have
entered. The sooner you catch the problem, the faster you can treat
it. If you notice any of the telltale signs, call an exterminator
to inspect.
Ronda Kaysen is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, BusinessWeek.com, Architectural Record, Huffington Post, New York Observer and AM New York. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.
Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/09/dont_let_the_bedbugs_bite.php#ixzz0Qq136rNk
