Gonna' Make You Itch: Bed Bugs {YAK}

With BlogHer '12 right around the corner, some bloggers are thinking back to the last time the blogging conference of the year was in NYC. They are reliving the good times: where they ate, who they met, what they did. And trying not to remember the bad parts...like the bed bugs. 

The last time BlogHer was in New York City the bed bug epidemic was OUT OF CONTROL. Tons of people got infected with the little creatures while in the City, and unfortunately, brought a few home with them. 

The slightest mention of things like scabies, head lice and bed bugs sends me into a itchy panic attack. Just writing that sentence has me skeeved out. 

If just a single pregnant bed bug is left in your untreated home, four months later you’ll have 9,600 of them.  At the five month mark you’ll have 31,500

Right about now you are thinking "Beth? Why are you even talking about this? I came here for shoe and/or wine advice!" Well, bet you didn't know that I'm also a proud #LloydMom of San Diego. Earlier this year, Lloyd Pest Control reached out to a handful of local San Diego bloggers to help them be a positive voice for pest control. See, no one really wants to talk about bugs, but we ALL have them. It doesn't mean you're dirty or can't keep a clean house, it's because you LIVE ON THE EARTH. Plain and simple. Pests like bedbugs are a fact of life and as moms we have questions about safety and how to keep those little buggers out of house and away from our families. 

Recently Lloyd's Pest Control did a post about bed bugs and as a #LloydMom I felt I should help share the information to all us traveling mamas travelling this summer. 

FIRST:

Thoroughly inspect the entire hotel room before unpacking and settling in, including behind the headboard and around the bottom of other furniture.

Pull back the hotel bed sheets and inspect the mattress seams, particularly the corners, for telltale spots or stains.

If any bed bugs are spotted, notify management and change rooms immediately. Be sure your new room is not adjacent to the possibly infested room.

While staying in a hotel, Lloyd's Pest Control recommends using a large plastic trash bag or a protective cover to store your luggage during your stay. So unpack completely, then protect your luggage. 

On the Home Front:

When you return home, inspect and vacuum your suitcases thoroughly before bringing them into the house. Consider using a garment hand steamer to steam your luggage, which will kill any bed bugs. Wash all your clothes – even the items not worn – in hot water or take immediately to the cleaners. 

And if you do bring them home - call for professional help. I learned that during the great Avant-Household Lice Epidemic of 2011. Some things you can do on your own, others you need a professional to do for you. 

So safe travels and here's to NO BED BUGS!

*disclosure: this post is part of my #LloydMoms ambassador program.