Ridding Your Home of Bed Bugs

Before 1995, Americans rarely heard of bed bugs in the United States. Though they had been quite common in years before 1995, they had, for the most part, been erradicated from our country. Since 1995, the population of bed bugs has steadily increased in the U.S. Why? The exact reason(s) is not known. Various possiblities Include:

1. A great increase in foreign travel

2. More travel in the U.S.

3. More furniture being moved from one house to another house

Every time that boxes and suitcases are taken from one location to another, there is a chance that bed bugs will be moved from a location infested with these nasty blood suckers to the next. Whenever college students move from colleges or apartments back home for the summer, they may be taking more than their clothes and toaster home with them. After summer break is over and the students leave their homes en route back to college, they may transport bugs that were living in their home to college or to their apartments.

Every time we stay in a hotel/motel, irregardless of how clean and expensive it may be, we are opening ourselves up to bed bugs. As innocent as a child spending the night with a friend is, we are taking a chance of bed bugs moving from one home to the next.

People who wash their laundry in public laundromats are definitely at risk for bringing more than "clean" laundry back home. I have heard that some people who depend on laundromats, are now choosing to wash all of their laundry in hot water and drying them with the hottest heat possible so that if there are bugs or their eggs in the machines, the laundering and drying might kill them. However, most of us have laundry that should not be washed or dried in such hot temperatures.

In that case, some of these people are now taking their clothes to homes that belong to family and friends. Others are choosing to purchase their own machines. Yes, washing machines and dryers are oftimes too expensive for some people. In that case, most of us now have access to rent-to-buy stores. Of course, if you choose to rent your appliances, you will end up with interest that you must pay. I have done some research on this. Many of these stores will give you a 3-month grace period. That means that if you can completely pay off your purchase in 3 months, you will pay no interest fees. Always check with the store employees first to make sure that this is a possibility for their customers!

In the next few posts, you will find information on bed bugs. Some of it may be information that you already know. Other information may be something that you did not know.

I compiled my information at www.MedicineNet.com . It was published on Sunday, June 5th, 2011, so you know that the information there is up-to-date. The medicine author is Melissa Conrad Stoppler, MD. William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR, is the medicine editor.

VLE-B