It can easily cost you many thousands of dollars to rid your home of bedbugs. Google is your friend.

OP here and thanks for talking me off the ledge. Of course I'm not going to quit and I understand the family probably needs my help right now. I was just wondering how likely it would be for the bedbugs to transfer to my home. The lice thing was just icing on the cake of my concerns. This is a new job and while the family is very nice they are not great communicators. I just have a bad feeling that they may not address the situation aggressively. I am educated enough to know that bedbugs and lice DO NOT mean the people are dirty or unkempt.

Anonymous wrote:It's really ignorant to step into a place with bedbugs. Do your homework on this, OP. Tell them your doctor recommended that you leave immediately.

Don’t be stupid. Bedbugs are NEVER something a doctor would tell you to avoid. They are not a medical emergency, they do not spread disease and they are not a sign of being dirty. They are a nuisance and nothing more. Wear separate clothes at their house, do not leave your purse or any type of bag at their house unless it’s in a sink or someplace like that and just exercise common sense. Personally I’m not allergic to bedbug bites so it took me a while to figure out I had brought them home from a trip, but most people are allergic and get a raised itchy bump. Do you or any of the family members have raised itchy bumps? If not, you’re probably just taking precautionary measures. This really isn’t a huge deal if you do a basic google search and find out the best way to manage the potential problem. Lice is a bigger deal IMO, because you have to deal with actually combing the hair, killing nits etc etc. With bedbugs you just throw everything in the dryer for 30 min and you’re done with the cleanup as long as an exterminator has sprayed.

Please don't say you're STILL there.

The lice is NBD. Happens all the time in elementary school kids. The bedbugs is another story. If you're really lucky, maybe it will turn out that what they thought was bedbugs was actually lice...?

If the kid exposed to lice is a boy, friends had good luck shaving their child's head. No fun but was fast and effective. Make sure the coats and hats aren't all hung up together. Lice is fortunately less contagious than people think it is, but it's still a PITA to get rid of once you have it.

Also vacuum everything well.

Kids area always exposed to lice at school. That is pretty normal. Take off and wash your clothing immediately and wear shoes like crocs or put your shoes in the dryer with heat.

It's really ignorant to step into a place with bedbugs. Do your homework on this, OP. Tell them your doctor recommended that you leave immediately.

Nobody had to work in filth!

QUIT. Pronto! Will they pay for the fumigation of your home? No.

OP here and I wish I could say I was joking but DB is home sick and MB just texted him that one of the kids has been exposed to lice. This is really not my day.

I would refuse. There are professional exterminators who specialize in bedbugs and they should be hiring one of these companies to do their dirty work. A nanny should never be expected to do this kind of work.

OP, I work as a nurse and unfortunately have been exposed to bed bugs multiple times. We wear suits with hoods when going into bed bug rooms! Keep a pair of clothes at work and change when you get there. Then change before you leave. Don't get into your car in clothes that you were wearing when you were dealing with the bed bugs.


Chances of bringing them home are small, but something you want to prevent by being overly cautious! I'd also bring it up with them about what happens if you do get it. We would certainly cover the cost for DS' nanny if she had to treat her apt for bed bugs she got from us!

Not likely unless you sleep in the kids beds or put your clothing down on their beds (like your jacket). Check your mattress to be on the safe side and change your clothes as soon as you get home without putting your dirty clothes on your bed or couch.

They've instructed me to wash all the children's linens and bag all stuffed sleeping toys. How likely is it that I might bring them to my home? A little freaked out about this. Should I be?