Just think about how much money, time, effort, and work you’ve put into your home. When you consider it all, it only makes sense to want the best for your home. Of course, all this is much easier said than done. This is especially true when it comes to choosing the best
bed bug mattress for your home. Maybe you’re not even currently using a mattress topper. Maybe you’ve never even heard of them. Whatever the situation, a home without bed bug mattress toppers is like a home without a working alarm system.
Understanding Bed Bug Mattress Covers
Have you and your family been sleeping without
bed bug mattress toppers? If this is the case, you might as well have left your front door wide open with a come-on in free stuff sign. That’s virtually what you are offering. No one in their right minds would allow invaders to come in and attack their family unwillingly. Why would you leave yourself and your home wide open for bed bug infestation? That’s what you are doing when not utilizing bed bug mattress toppers.
A bed bug mattress topper is a device that will prevent bed bugs from taking up residence in your mattress. It’s a well-known fact that the mattress is one of the bed bug’s favorite hiding spots. Right around 90 percent of bed bugs found in an infested home are found on the mattress and box springs. A bed bug mattress topper could be the very tool that you need.
What Is a Bed Bugs Mattress Protector?
Bed bug mattress topper, encasements, bed bug protectors, and bed bud covers, you’ll hear these products referred to by a variety of names, but when all said and done, they are virtually the same product. While there are many different manufacturers, models, and styles of bed bug toppers, they all operate under the same theory. They are virtually a large garbage bag or Ziploc bag that wraps around your mattress. The theory is, they entirely encase your mattress and locked everything inside while also preventing outside elements from getting at the mattress.
It’s the same theory as storing a sandwich in a Ziploc bag. The bed bug mattress cover encases your mattress preventing bed bugs from escaping. If bed bugs cannot get out of your mattress and to your body, they cannot feed. Without the ability to feed, these critters can die in as little as 2 weeks. A recent study conducted at the University of Minnesota showed that bed bugs can only go about 2 weeks without blood.
How To Pick The Best Mattress Covers For Bed Bugs
If you’ve paid close attention to the information above, you don’t need to be a pest management professional to see just how important bed bug covers are. All in all, these products not only help with current bed bug infestation by stopping the bugs from feeding on you and your family, but they could potentially prevent infestations. Pest prevention is the key to controlling pests in the home. That is well and all, but you still have the task of choosing the best mattress cover. If you go online or visit the market, you’ll find that there are hundreds to thousands of these products available. Here’s what you need to know:
Is It A Full Encasement?
No kind of encasement is going to do its job if it doesn’t entirely cover the mattress. Go back to the sandwich in a Ziploc bag theory. If the bag does fully encase the sandwich, it is going to allow outside threats in and out. This would defeat the entire purpose of the product.
Does It Properly Seal?
The mattress cover needs to completely seal your mattress inside. Just because it fully covers it, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s offering all the protection needed. It needs to also seal, preventing bugs from entering and escaping. If the mattress doesn’t properly seal, bugs will still be able to come out and feed on you and your loved ones during the night. Bed bugs are already flat and extremely small with the ability to slip through some of the smallest cracks and crevices. Any little opening in the mattress topper and bug will be able to escape. Not something you want!
Most bed bug mattress topper comes with some sort of zipper system that completely locks and seals the mattress inside. One with reinforced seams will even further contribute to the efficiency and durability of the product. There are many higher-quality brands that even contain strip seals that cover the zipper mechanism when it is sealed, ensuring that you get an even tighter seal
Was It Tested?
How many things have you looked at that looked great on paper but failed when put to the test? Probably plenty of things and, unfortunately, bed bug mattress covers are no different. There are plenty of them out there available, but only a select few have likely been tested. The best ones have been put to the test in the field and have passed with flying colors.
Are They Toxin-Free?
Pesticides and chemicals have been a go-to in the pest management field for many years. This is because they are so effective when it comes to eliminating pests. They have been tried and proven in the field year after year. A lot of plastic products like bed bug toppers are also designed and constructed with the utilization of chemicals and toxins. Whatever the situation, these toxins and chemicals can be extremely dangerous, especially when you are going to be exposed to them nightly. Make sure the topper you choose is designed with safety in mind. It might even be a good idea to set the mattress topper out for the night and let it air out outside or in the garage before installing and utilizing it on your mattress.
Do These Products Really Work?
If you’ve been researching bed bug mattress toppers, you’ve likely come across varying information covering the efficiency of these products. Some people probably say they work while some say they are total crap. The truth of the matter is, these products do work, but there are so many factors that can make them ineffective that you have to be careful. This is just one of the reasons that choosing the right topper is so crucial. It only takes one small rip or tear and the product becomes ineffective.
Not only this, but you can install the topper incorrectly and this will render it useless. This is why bed bug encasement products are better left to the pros. There are plenty of pest management firms that will help you buy toppers and even install them. Heck, there are many companies that sell these products themselves.
