9/21/10

One way to see if your bed or hotel bed has a bed bug infestation before crawling in is to use the hair dryer. Choose a section of the bed and blow the hair dryer on it for 30 seconds. If there are bed bugs, they'll surface and you'll know the bed has an infestation.

9/20/10

Bed bugs seem to be on everyone's mind these days, and one of the tips extolled has been to avoid buying items from antique or thrift stores. If that makes your flea market-loving heart sink, no need to worry. One way to be absolutely sure that an item you buy is free of bed bugs is to simply expose them to extreme temperature. Wash the item in hot water and tumble dry it on high heat, or place it in a plastic bag and freeze it for 3 days to absolutely, positively kill the tiny critters.

9/19/10

If you forget your reusable bags at the store and have to use a disposable plastic bag, be sure to tell the sales clerk that it's OK to overload the shopping bag. Many retail sales associates are trained to minimally bag items and give customers multiple bags, even though plastic bags today are designed to hold a significant amount of stuff. Giving the sales person permission will empower them to cut back on plastic bag waste.