According to this news story, one of the most bug-infested cities in the country is in Cincinnati, prompting residents and business leaders to campaign for more proactive awareness in the hopes of reducing and fighting off this…sucky problem. For instance, thrift stores have started refusing used mattresses or stuffed furniture and there is always a constant need to spray products for their own safety.

“I spray blankets, all coats, socks, I spray everything.”"While many people believe that if your furniture is really infested with bedbugs, the only choice is to throw it out, experts are now saying you may not have to go quite that far, there are some options.”

Dale Grigsby, Cincinnati Health Department: “Mattresses and furniture can be treated, thoroughly vacuumed and steam cleaned. There’s ways to do this, so arbitrarily throwing out your furniture is not a wise practice.”

But real precautions need to be used when you’re travelling.

“Personally what I do, I take the sheets off the bed, look at the seams around the mattress, the tufts around the mattress, see that there’s no bed bug evidence, look behind the headboard, that’s where they hide in cracks and crevices, behind pictures, you don’t want to put your luggage down on the floor, shoes on the floor, keep everything elevated up off the floor.”

Health department officials say some of Cincinnati’s most infested neighborhoods are on the west side of the city.

Via

Short for beverages, entertainment and dining, the B.E.D. restaurant located in Miami Florida is offbeat and unique for one thing — a superb dining experience, while the customer is lying or reclined on the bed. They give new meaning to the phrase, “breakfast in bed”, huh? Clients are asked to dress appropriately, though…no pajamas allowed despite the restaurant’s central theme.

What I wonder though is…what kind of mattresses do they have here and how bed bug free is it?

Source 

Sometimes, realizing that your mattress is infested with bed bugs come quite a bit late — that is, when you’ve already been bitten by it. And then the problems become much worse. That’s why it’s good to detect bed bug infestation earlier. But how do you know?

Bed bugs, in its early developing stages hide under the folds of your mattresses. Inspecting your mattress closely is the only way of detecting it. These bed bugs are very tiny critters, and as much as it may look ridiculous, having a magnifying glass will be of help to you. You may even find eggs and eggshells on the sides of your mattress.

Immediately call an exterminator when you find traces of bed bugs. Delaying it might not be a good idea because bed bugs later move to the crevices and woodwork of your bed and live in the darker spots. They can even move towards windows and wallpapers. And by then, you would really have a big problem.

Photo via MSN Image Search

Business leader Mattress Discounters recently gave fifteen new mattresses to the homeless institution, Focus House. The shelter has to contend with intermittent bed bug infestation that instead of helping the homeless find refuge and avoid sleeping in the streets, they end up getting bitten by the pests in the comforts of the shelter.

The shelter has been established to help the homeless become productive citizens. Normally, people don’t have a lot of sympathy for them but  hopefully, this gesture by the mattress company will inspire others to do the same.

If you would like to donate anything, you can go to Focal House’s parent organization www.fishcarson.org.

Those who love traveling frequently, thus sleeping on different kinds of hotel beds, may be more prone to bed bug attacks especially if you unfortunately have to stay in a hotel which has less than ideal sanitary practices (it happens!).

A company named Muse International may have the solution to this. Their Sleep-Safe Disposable Travel Bed Sheets and Pillow Cases is ideally recommended for travel bugs, to fight off bed bugs. One set of the disposable includes two shrink wrapped sheets and two pillow cases, which you can easily pack in the luggage. And for less than $15 per pack, it’s a good buy.

via Muse International