Protect Yourself from Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are disgusting. Not everyone has experienced the, and if you are one of those incredibly lucky people, you probably want to keep it that way.Sadly, I have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with bed bugs. There are a lot of misconceptions about bed bugs that I want to clear up before I get into avoiding them!1) You can only get bed bugs in nasty motels. This is wrong! You can get bed bugs anywhere! One of our trips to Spain, we were staying at a very nice hotel and they had to close off a wing of the complex because there were bed bugs in some of the rooms.2) Bed bugs are easy to get rid of. wrong again! It takes a lot of work to get rid of bed bugs, which is why is it so worth it to take the necessary steps to avoid them! They don't drown or freeze and can live as long as 18 months without eating.Okay, so now onto how to avoid getting bed bugs.1) Keep your clothes off hotel beds. Don't lay your clothes out on the bed, don't pack on the bed, nothing. I'm a little psychotic about this and anyone I have traveled with can attest to this but it's a really easy way to avoid getting bed bugs. Most hotels have suit case racks for you to place your suitcase on, use it. If the hotel you are staying at doesn't, use the desk!2) Treat your luggage and clothes when you get home. If for some reason you feel like you could ever possibly have bed bugs, you need to treat all of the things your traveled with when you arrive home. Don't bring anything inside until you have done this. This includes the clothes you are wearing. Place everything in trash bags and keep them outside of your home. If it is warmer where you live, place your clothes in trash bags and put them in your car for about 2 days. It needs to get to about 120 degrees in your car to kill the bed bugs. If it doesn't get warm enough where you live or its winter, place your clothes and other items in your washer and wash them at 120 degrees. Then put them in the dryer at the highest possible temperature.3)Do your research. Make sure you are staying somewhere that treats for and does not currently have bed bugs. If you are especially worried about your hotel you can always check the Bed Bug Registry.