Essential
Inspections
Over
Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I celebrated our one year anniversary. We
kicked the trip off by leaving work a little early Friday (always a good start
to any occasion), hopped in the car and ventured of to Lake Travis nestled in
the hill country near Austin in
central Texas. We had everything figured out. Since it was Memorial Day
weekend, we were able to take advantage of a three day weekend for our trip.
The car was packed the night before and we had a cooler ready to carry our
champagne and top piece of our wedding cake to commemorate our anniversary like
tradition has taught. We had the hotel picked out and reservations made to stay
lakeside for all three nights. In addition to hotel reservations, we had also
scheduled plans to rent a jet ski as well as take advantage of the amazing zip
lines located just a few miles from our hotel.
Despite
all odds, we managed to make it out of Houston on a Friday afternoon without
hitting a lick of traffic. For those of you not familiar with the Space City,
that never happens. So yes, our trip was off to a fantastic start, we were
doing everything right and it just seemed like it was going to be great. And
now that we are back home I can honestly tell you that apart from the much
needed rain the Austin area received on Saturday, we had a fantastic trip. There
would only be one thing I would change. After checking into the hotel, in usual
fashion, we lugged our luggage up to our room on the fifth floor. And that is
when we made one drastic mistake. We forgot to inspect the room for bed bugs!
Now I know some of you may not think that is a big deal. I mean we were staying
at a nice resort; surely a nice resort would not have bed bugs right? WRONG! Do
not make the mistake of thinking bed bugs are particular about which hotels
they stay, because they do not care! Bed Bug populations are on the rise. In
2011, 99%
of all pest control companies in the U.S. noted receiving at least one call
for bed bug infestations. These insects know no boundaries. They are spread
primarily through travelers and tourists but can also be transmitted through Laundromats
and used furniture as well.
So
the next time you go on a trip, no matter what rating the hotel/motel you are
staying at has received, you will want to expect your room before even opening
your suitcase. So how do you inspect
for Bed Bugs? The answer to that is simple. In a hotel room, the two best
things you can do are:
- Check all seams around the
mattress and all joints, cracks, and crevices on the box springs.
- Take drawers out of furniture
(dressers, nightstands, etc.) and check runners and joints.
Bed bugs are not so
small in size that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is often recommended
to take a flashlight when you go on trips to help you better examine. I can
promise you this; the burden of inspecting your room before you unpack is a
small price to pay versus dealing with bed bugs in your home.
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