There is no greater adventure or reward than hitting the open road with the family. A mere business venture can be exciting in itself. Sure, you’ll be conducting business most of the time, but with enough time to squeeze in an event here or there, you can make the trip worthwhile. Even if it’s a stop at a little, local market, it could be the life-changing experience you’ve been seeking. All in all, traveling is great and provides a lot of opportunities. It also exposes one to an immense number of risks these days, like the
bed bug. Luckily, this is one such risk you can learn to safeguard yourself against by utilizing the SLEEP theory.
SURVEY
The first step of the process probably seems a bit self-explanatory, but you’d be surprised at how often it is overlooked. This is the start! While it is nothing more than a simple visual inspection, it’s a crucial starting point. This step represents visually inspecting the room that you will be calling home for the next couple of days. Just because you are spending a fortune on the room, never make the assumption you’ll have a pest-free stay.
LIFT And LOOK
The “L” of the SLEEP theory is taking the first step one step further. Instead of just performing a visual inspection of the room, you are going to get in there and physically root around for bed bugs. Check under the mattress, in the nightstands, behind the baseboards, and pull up a portion of the carpet if you feel it necessary. This step helps if you know all the potential hiding spots for bed bugs. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these hiding spots before heading out on your trip.
ELEVATION
There are two Es in the SLEEP theory, but the first one here gets the ball rolling in a different direction. It puts the process on more of an offensive track. What this part of the process entails is elevating your luggage on the hotel’s elevated racks while you search for bugs in the room. Most people don’t know it, but
bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers. They can easily latch onto shoes or clothing and ride them right back to the home. They’ll even latch onto your luggage. This is where placing your luggage in elevated locations comes in handy.
Bed bugs might be innate hitchhikers and they can easily scale a wall, but they always choose the path of least resistance, meaning they will always take the easiest route. In addition to this, they’ll go out of their way to avoid detection. Placing your luggage up high could make the endeavor too risky for the bug.
EXAMINATION
Another examination? When most people see this step, they think it is another continuation of the survey step. That’s not entirely the case here. This part of the process does mean performing an examination, but it’s an examination tied to the return trip. It means gathering up all your belonging and specifically checking them for
bed bugs before repacking them. This is a step that can be done when you arrive home, but if you do it this way, you’ll want to make sure you empty the luggage in a garage or basement. Somewhere far away from the bedroom.
PLACEMENT
You’ve made it to the last step of the process, and it is no doubt one of the most crucial. This step recommends, placing your belongings in the washer and wash them in hot water. After that, you’ll dry them on the highest heat settings possible. Even if you don’t find
bed bugs after the examination, you’ll still want to go through this step. Bed bugs cannot stand up to specific amounts of heat. It’s a scientific fact that when exposed to specific amounts of heat the
bed bug’s internal organs will shut down. They’ll essentially liquefy, ultimately leaving the pest lifeless.
Why Hire Us!
We are one of the few local land-based pest control companies that continues to offer free inspection and consultation. It is unfortunate when consumers are forced to pay out of pocket for a service that should be free. Well, do not fret because our pest inspection is available free of charge. All you need to do is
reach out to our local customer support team to schedule your free pest inspection, today.
