Remedy for Buggy Sheets

Some of the living rooms we see have really no right to the name; they are so unattractive they ought, instead, to be called existing rooms. I like to thing of the word "living rooms" being short for the joy-of-living rooms. That is what they ought to be- full of life and happiness and beauty. 
~Lucy Abbot Throop

Lately it has been my endeavor to institute certain habits of cleanliness from theory to practice. Instead of huge cleaning splurges that leave me exhausted and never wanting to clean again, I am trying out doing a little every day.
But it is hard to stop once I get started. Then I go to work disheveled, instead of utterly pulled together, the way we know all librarians should look. So, I really have to make an effort to leave jobs half-finished, and trust that I will return to it the next day. Is this what balance is about?
The other night I changed my sheets, and pulled out some from the hall closet to put on my bed. I awoke with tiny bumps all over the backs of my knees. They itched incredibly.
I had my sister, trained in the medical profession, take a look at them with a flashlight. She proclaimed I had a rash, possibly from the summer heat. This comforted me. I did not want to believe I might have... well, something setting up a colony in my bed. Something like... bugs.

Look for bugs. I hate bugs.
~The Mummy

Sorry, just had to stick that quote in there.
This morning when I awoke with more itchy bumps, I had to face the worst. My sheets from the closet were infested.
After allowing myself to be completely grossed out for a few moments, I stripped my bed of its clothing. Then I remembered a story. A girl I work with told me about a time she had to sleep in a basement filled with spiders. She had no choice, and when she turned on the lights in the said basement, she could see the spiders scattering everywhere.
She knew what she had to do. She went to the health food store, and bought a bottle of Cedarwood Essential Oil. She sprinkled it all over the room. The spiders were banished!
I know, I know, it sounds like an Old Wives Tale. But it is effective. I happened to have a bottle of Cedarwood oil, so I sprinkled not just my bed, but my whole room with the stuff. Then I threw the sheets in the hot, hot washing machine.
Every day, my house teaches me something new. Today, it is to remember lessons learned and pass them on. And whatever you do, no matter what, never settle for less than buggy-free sheets.
Here is a link for one of my favorite sources for quality, affordable essential oils:

www.baldwins.co.uk/

Happy sprinkling!


A beautiful home is an education in itself, but it is not made in a day; it must slowly grow.
~Lucy Abbot Throop

Image courtesy of Google images