Just reading a post from brokenangel where she relayed her bed bug success story, and one thing that jumped out at me in her posting was that she mentioned having put her coat on a friend's bed while visiting her.
My husband's extended family has always done that "coats on the bed" thing when hosting parties, but I always thought it was a disgusting custom, so I never put visitors' coats on our bed (even before I ever knew and feared bed bugs - I was just grossed out by the thought of other people's dirty, smelly, smoky jackets where I sleep). But I will say that, when visiting my in-laws, I thought nothing of putting my own coat, and my kids' coats, on the bed of the hosting person, if instructed to do so. I sure as hell won't ever do that again!
However, is there a tactful way to tell my in-laws (and anyone else who does the "coats on bed" thing) why this is an incredibly bad idea?
I'm thinking that this should be part of the "how to avoid getting bed bugs" PSA, right after "don't bring home mattresses you find in a dumpster."