Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Orkin Bed Bug Prevention Giveaway

Recently my daughter Miss E. (11) was waking up with what looked like huge bites on her face and arms.  Initially we thought it may be hives but one of the welts stayed for days.    Of course I was worried about bed bugs.  With global travel, many diseases and critters have made it from other countries to ours (and vice versa I am sure).  One of the more recent problems is the epidemic rise in bed bug infestations.  Unfortunately many people unknowingly bring Bed Bugs home from a hotel stay or simply from someone else's home.  I am constantly cleaning the house but I knew that it does not matter how clean you are...   Anyone is susceptible.

Back to Miss E.  - We of course were very concerned as she kept waking up with huge red bumps on her face and arms.  We kept checking her room for bugs but did not find anything.  The problem mainly seemed to happen in her room. After numerous occurrences we finally ditched her bed, deep cleaned her room and bought a new bed with a bed bug mattress protector.

Long story short is after all of that, Miss E. spent a night in her bed and woke up with more welts.  At this point I realized that we did NOT have a bed bug infestation and that she was breaking out in hives do to an allergic reaction to her sheets.  (One of the welts I believe was a spider bite but the rest were hives) As soon as we got rid of the sheets the problem was solved.  Yes, I wish we figured that out before spending a small fortune on a new bed and mattress pad but ultimately we were glad that she did not have to endure this any more.

Even though we did not have a bed bug problem, we very easily could have.  We both occasionally travel and I always check hotels for bed bugs but that is not foolproof.  We went through the same seemingly endless challenges that many who do.  It really opened my eyes to how devastating this can be to a household, especially when it involves your kids.





Anyone that travels is really at risk.  There are things you can do to minimize your chances of being a victim however:

- Before traveling check to see if the hotel has been reported for a bed bug problem and what (if any) efforts have been made to resolve.  There are different websites that you can go to to look this up.

- Wben you arrive at your hotel make sure that you check the bed.  Many websites will instruct you on how to do this.

- Be careful what you purchase from thrift stores or garage sales.

- If you DO unfortunately find yourself with a bed bug problem, early detection is key to resolving the problem quickly.  Yes it can be embarrassing because of the stigma attached to the issue but bed bugs reproduce quickly so the more time that passes, the more difficult the problem will be to treat. (the bugs may spread from one room to another, to couches, rugs, other beds, etc).  Call a professional as soon as possible to have your home inspected and see what your options are.   Your Orkin professional will inspect your home thoroughly and design a treatment that’s right for you. Visit Orkin.com or call 877-412-6806 for a free estimate.

Thanks to Orkin, I have two mattress safe Pillowcase protectors to share with one reader.  To enter toi win simply  take the “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite” QUIZ and post your result in the comments section for a giveaway entry.  Extra entries also available.

I certainly hope that none of my readers goes through what we went through (whether or not there is a bug problem or not) but if there is an issue, I hope that the information provided here is helpful.  

 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  Information was provided to me by Orkin.  I did not receive any compesation for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.

3 comments:

Maryann D. said...

I do not like to have bugs in my home! If I see a lot of the same type of bug, I first try some natural products or ways to get rid of them. If it does not work, I do call an exterminator.
twinkle at optonline dot net

Angela Saver said...

We spray outdoors for bugs twice a year to help keep the bugs down.

andysavi.mom@gmail.com

lmurley2000 said...

we use a exterminator for our bugs

lmurley2000@yahoo.com

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