A must read before sending your college kids back to the dorms.

A great article from CleanLink.com

Tips To Keeping Colleges Bed Bug Free

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With bed bug populations on the rise, protecting your dorm or apartment from bed bugs has become a growing concern among college students and university officials. Bed bug sightings have increased dramatically in recent years in public places frequented by students including libraries, movie theaters, and malls. As students are settling in for another school year, there’s one routine they should add to their daily repertoire – checking their school items for bed bugs.

Suggested tips for checking for bed bugs:
• Store backpacks and other big items in Tupperware containers.
• Use resealable plastic bags for smaller school items.
• Dissolvable Laundry Bags are great for college students worried about bringing bed bugs into their dwelling or home to their parents for a weekend or break - these help to isolate clothing until they are able to be laundered.
• Interception devices are one of the most cost effective ways to keep an eye out for bed bugs.
• Bed encasements is another way to further protect your home and provide you with the ability to detect infestations early on.
• Portable heating devices, which heat treat items that can’t be laundered can be an advanced form of protection against bed bugs.

“With bed bug reports in public setting on the rise, students should be aware that, although unlikely, bed bugs can be found in schools and there is little a college or university can do to prevent this from happening,” says Jeff White, Technical Director at BedBug Central & host of BedBugTV, an online podcast. “Therefore knowing what bed bugs look like and what you can do to reduce the chances bed bugs are brought home with you is an important step in the bed bug prevention process.”

White just finished filming a new BedBug TV episode bed bugs in schools – college, where he discusses a few easy steps college students can take to reduce their chances of bringing bed bugs into their dorm or apartment.

One popular myth is that bed bugs prefer unsanitary, urban conditions. The reality is, bed bugs are nondiscriminatory and can be found anywhere from prestigious private schools, state universities to inner city schools.  With more and more schools reporting bed bug outbreaks each year, it’s important for college students to be aware and know it’s extremely simple for these pests to hitchhike a ride home with you.

http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Tips-To-Keeping-Colleges-Bed-Bug-Free--15948

Getting ready for back to school

When I was a kid, back to school time was actually pretty exciting and, for most kids this is true. Its exciting because we get to go shopping for new clothes and new school supplies, we get to meet our new teachers and classmates and meet up with old friends. But this can also be a time of stress and anxiety, not only for kids, but for their parent's as well.

Here are some tips for making a smooth transition from summer to school for you and your kids.

1. Begin having your kids go to bed at their 'school-time' bed time and have them begin to get up at the time they would need to in order to get ready for school. This teaches your kid to prepare, ahead of time, for expected changes in life. Don't let your kids stay up late right up to the day before they start school. This will set them up for getting to school late and lead them to believe waiting till the last minute to do things is OK. 
2. Create an area of the home where your kids will do their homework and agree on a time of day that they will need to do their homework once school starts. Don't leave it up to your kids to get their homework done. Create an office for them so they can feel important. Finding them a place of their own to do their homework will give them a sense of pride and will make doing their homework more enjoyable.
3. Discuss what they can expect from this year's school and take them there. Entering a new grade and especially entering a new school can be a major sense of anxiety for your kids. How many nightmares did you have (or still do have) about not being able to find your classes or remember your locker combination? Take your kid to the school and walk them through it. Show them their classroom, locker and even meet the teacher if possible. This will ease their anxiety for that first day. 
4. Discuss what your kids can expect on how they will be getting to and from school. Perhaps this will be the first year that they will be riding the bus or walking themselves to school. Practice where they will meet the bus or the route they are to take to school. Also make sure they have your address and phone number memorized and know the rules on talking to strangers.

Make this school year easier for you and your kids by planning ahead.