(Painting attributed to Valerian Ruppert)
"Sleep Tight! Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!"
was often the last thing my parents would say to me when they tucked me in bed. Back then, I had no idea what bed bugs looked like, and if I had, I might never have gone to sleep.
Recently, I watched an episode of Dr. Mehmet Oz's TV show, where he talked about the current bed bug epidemic and with an expert, showed how you can spot the evidence of bed bugs. The advice that stood out in my mind was when he said...."When you go into a hotel room, DON'T EVER put your luggage on the bed."
Did you just get a flashback of every time you went into a hotel room and put your luggage on the bed? I sure did, and it must number in the hundreds by now. If you do that, you run the risk of transferring bugs to your home when you return.
Dr. Oz showed that bed bugs don't just hang out in the mattress, box spring and bedding; they inhabit the wooden furniture close to the bed, and they can even be in the pictures and wall art over the bed. (all together now.......EW!!!)
Go here to read all about bed bugs and how to spot them, and here to find out how to get rid of them.
Another thought just hit me: did you see the TV reports several years ago about all the germs found in hotel rooms? Bedding, specifically the coverlets or spreads, are rife with germs and (insert another chorus of EW here) semen. That alone is a good reason not to place either your body or your luggage on the bed. We had all better hope that the hotels we frequent have luggage racks in their rooms, or desks/cabinetry large enough to hold suitcases, because the floors are surely dirtier than the beds and we all know how scuzzy the bathrooms can be - even when they look clean.
Maybe we were all better off not knowing this. Sometimes knowledge is a dangerous (and off-putting) thing! But forewarned is forearmed - so now you know what not to do.
Recently, I watched an episode of Dr. Mehmet Oz's TV show, where he talked about the current bed bug epidemic and with an expert, showed how you can spot the evidence of bed bugs. The advice that stood out in my mind was when he said...."When you go into a hotel room, DON'T EVER put your luggage on the bed."
Did you just get a flashback of every time you went into a hotel room and put your luggage on the bed? I sure did, and it must number in the hundreds by now. If you do that, you run the risk of transferring bugs to your home when you return.
Dr. Oz showed that bed bugs don't just hang out in the mattress, box spring and bedding; they inhabit the wooden furniture close to the bed, and they can even be in the pictures and wall art over the bed. (all together now.......EW!!!)
Go here to read all about bed bugs and how to spot them, and here to find out how to get rid of them.
Another thought just hit me: did you see the TV reports several years ago about all the germs found in hotel rooms? Bedding, specifically the coverlets or spreads, are rife with germs and (insert another chorus of EW here) semen. That alone is a good reason not to place either your body or your luggage on the bed. We had all better hope that the hotels we frequent have luggage racks in their rooms, or desks/cabinetry large enough to hold suitcases, because the floors are surely dirtier than the beds and we all know how scuzzy the bathrooms can be - even when they look clean.
Maybe we were all better off not knowing this. Sometimes knowledge is a dangerous (and off-putting) thing! But forewarned is forearmed - so now you know what not to do.
***
Thanks to everyone who left a comment about the seasonal decor on my blog yesterday. More will come in the next few weeks, and please don't feel that you have to comment each time unless you truly want to.
16 comments:
Actually *gulp* the first thing I normally put on the bed is my tired ass and now... EWWWWWWW!!!! WAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Ewwww, is right! Yikes! I've never liked hotel rooms...always felt yucky to me. Bed and Breakfast places are looking more and more attractive every day!
:-) Thanks for the warnings.
Susan
EW!!! LOL!
I always laugh at people who say they would never buy a used mattress but sleep soundly on a hotel bed. Yuck.
Hope this doesn't mean I have to camp out and sleep on the ground on my trip to Florida.
Bed bugs were a popular topic with students for informative speeches when I still taught. EWWWWW!
What's one to do? Take one of those special CSI lights to make hidden nasties show up better on every trip? Would a hotel even give a person their money back if you found the bed bugs?
That whole "breakfast, lunch, and dinner bites" part skeezes me out. They don't just bite you once. Nope, they go for three trips to the salad bar every time.
Severl of the Marriotts where I have stayed have white sheets on both the bed and on top of the bed. All of that gets washed and the blanket is in between. It is sterile looking and feeling.
I get a little 'ooged-out' in hotel/motel rooms. I know they're not very clean...especially the bathrooms. I do very little in them as possible...but then again, I don't travel and stay in these places very much. I worry more about my one daughter who travels ALL the 'friggin time....everywhere. And because of this...I think she has some of her own little precautions against some of this stuff.
There have been lots outbreaks of sicknesses on cruise ships of late and a cruise is the last thing I would want to do but apparently to run one's hand on the balustrades - a natural thing to do - can be lethal.
We are staying in a hotel on Wednesday but have been before so fingers crossed;)
I've been reading about the bedbug resurgence for a while now, and it is a pretty creepy phenomenon. I think of it every time I'm in a motel room, which thankfully is a rare occurrence. I do have a sense though that hotels and motels are taking it very seriously, and the bleached starched white sheets on the beds feel as sterile as possible-- which is a little bit creepy in itself!
is that why I'm scratching after spending a few days in a hotel last week... :)
I'm think hotel bedrooms are probably cleaner than the ones in our house. But at least it is own dirt. :D
I was told the same thing and like you, I had no idea what bed bugs were. My feelings excatly, I never would have gone to sleep if I had known :)
Thank you so much Judy! Now I'm scratching like crazy and probably will for the next couple of days. Yikes!
I'm itchy now, too! One more reason to get rid of clutter...
that is my illustration..valerian ruppert
Thanks for the visit, Valerian! A lovely drawing it is.
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