Bed bugs can come out of nowhere, and can live in a “filthy” environment or thrive in a seemingly “clean” one.
Because bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide and feed off both human and animal blood, bed bugs will gravitate toward sleeping areas where it’s easier to feed throughout the night.
Bed bugs can multiply by 4,145 in just 9 months. That means in 9 months and single bed bug can become 37310 bed bugs. Gross, right?
Because of this, it is IMPERATIVE to stop a bed bug problem as soon as possible! The longer you wait, the worse it WILL get!
So we’ve written before on how to PREVENT bed bugs, but what happens DURING and AFTER your home is treated?
Well, for starters “throwing out” your mattress is not always feasible, and can be costly. Bed bugs can make their way everywhere… pet beds, window coverings, box springs etc. so sadly, throwing out your mattress will not get rid of the problem. We recommend an assortment of treatments based on the severity of the infestation, and then adding a few measures ON TOP OF treatments that will further protect you from having any more unwanted bed bug issues.
Since you cannot treat your mattress with insecticides, you need to contain it and cut off their feeding supply. This is done using a quality bed bug mattress cover!
By using a mattress cover you can ensure that bed bugs cannot crawl out to feed, and bed bugs cannot crawl in to multiply. To even further ensure that bed bugs will not thrive, you can encase the box spring and pillows in the cover as well, essentially cutting the bed bugs from their lifeline (blood). This will be a single portion of your treatment along with other treatments (thermal, safe insecticides, K9 Scent Detection, Cryonite etc.).
So, should you just go grab ANY mattress cover? No. There are many on the market that have far more advantages over others. A few tips on buying a good mattress cover would include:
- A fully encased and sealed zipper to prevent entry
- A zipper with smaller and “tight together” teeth.
- Seamless (No pockets, embroidery, or holes)
- Waterproof and flame retardant for safety measures
- Breathable
- Hypoallergenic
If you’re in the market for a mattress cover to either prevent or treat a bed bug issue, make sure to do your due diligence and read reviews! As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you have at all!