Begbugs- Yuck!

As always, the newspaper is full of interesting articles! When I was in Salt Lake City a couple of weeks ago and reading USA Today, I am across an article about the return of bedbugs. In the last couple of years, you may have heard that they have made a comeback in hotel rooms. Well now they have worked their way into dorm rooms so if you are sending a kid off to college this fall, this is definitely something to keep on your radar. They are also showing up on public transit, on cruise ships and in all hospitality accommodations- we can't control the situation every where we go but we definitely take some preventative steps in our personal areas.

Bedbugs are blood suckers that don't discriminate and can live up to a year without a blood meal. When these apple seed sized bugs do bite you, they leave hard welts that turn red and are itchy.

Now let's talk about solutions! Most of the time, bedbugs are dealt with by using pesticides. I definitely don't want to be breathing in pesticides inside, especially while I'm sleeping at night. Here's a tip that I utilize when I change my sheets (mostly to keep the dust mites under control but now there is a dual purpose). You can strip everything down to the mattress if you are doing this for the first time. Spray Sol-U-Guard all over the mattress and/or the mattress pad, your pillows, sheets and comforter. Sol-U-Guard kills 99.9% of germs naturally with the power of thyme plus it has a great fresh smell. If you don't have Sol-U-Guard handy, substitute in Sol-U-Mel which contains melaleuca oil and is naturally antibacterial.

If you've already been bitten, the recommended protocol is to use a cortisone cream. DermaCort has hydrocortisone plus melaleuca oil- it is great for any pesky rash or skin allergy. You won't find anything else like it.