I tell my kids almost every night to sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.  It is a ridiculous saying, really.  How in the world can they prevent bed bugs from biting them at night?  But it makes them happy and laugh so I say it still.

But the reality is that there is nothing funny about bed bugs and certainly nothing funny about them biting my children!  In fact, when you read the stats, like the ones provided by Moxie Pest Control, your skin might actually crawl!

Bed Bug Infographic
Bed bug graphic by Moxie Pest Control 
I am not a bug person to begin with.  I am not scared of them and I will pick up a shoe and smash anything that moves, but, in general, I don’t want them around me.  I have been lucky out here on an acre not to encounter too many in the house.  The occasional spider or silverfish will make it’s way in but nothing major.  And if they do, I call my pest guys and they come and take care of it.

But Bed Bugs are hard to detect and even harder to get rid of.  So instead of buying new mattresses every few years, I use full coverage mattress protectors on all of my mattresses   You can get them at a home store for a reasonable price.  They actually zip around the mattress adding a barrier for not only leaks, but bugs as well.  In addition, I change the sheets on my bed and my kids bed at least every 3- 4 days.  Growing up we did it every Saturday!

So far, I have yet to see the signs of bed bugs as outlined above and I want to keep it that way.  So keeping sheets and bedding clean and such not only can lead to better sleep, but it can lead to no bed bugs biting at all.

**I wrote this post as a a member of Moms With Voices Media and Moxie Pest Control.  All writings and opinions are my own.  Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**