Does anyone have a recommendation for a good bedbug-resistant protective wrap/cover for a queen bed?
I recently bought a new all-latex bed from BB. I moved my old mattress/boxspring nearby and placed it directly on the floor (since the elevated frame is now being used with my new latex bed). I kept the old bed because I lie down on it during the evening hours while watching tv since my low back hurts too much to sit on the couch. Long story short, I spotted a bed bug crawling on a blanket on this old mattress earlier today. I know these critters are rarely alone. I’ve examined all the surfaces that I could on the mattress, box spring, and bedding and couldn’t find another one or any of the typical signs (excrement, blood, shells, etc.) Nonetheless, I don’t want to take any chances of a full-blown infestation or risk them infesting my new mattress.
So I’d like to purchase a bed bug cover for both queen beds. Does anyone have a recommendation or experiences with particular products?
Has anyone else had experiences with these critters? I’ve lived in this studio apartment for 10 years and haven’t had any problems over that time. This is my first encounter with one.
I hope that what you spotted wasn’t a bed bug :sick:
I don’t have any personal experience with bed bugs or mattress encasements to protect against them (I’ve never used one or had an infestation) but perhaps some of the members here may see your post and share their own personal experiences.
Post #2 here has more information about mattress encasements that would protect your mattress from bedbugs and some of the thin membrane type of mattress protectors listed in post #89 here also make full encasements that are bed bug proof.
Unfortunately it was a bedbug. And I spotted a second one today on the sheets. And I got a bite
I am wondering if the new BB mattress had anything to do with this? That is the only new furniture I have brought into my apartment in the past year. I bought the 10" total latex from BB 3 months ago, then a St Dormeir wool mattress protector to cover the top and sides. Do you think there is any possibility that the bugs could have arrived here in the new mattress?
I would hope/assume that BB manufacturers the beds new only one they are ordered, rather than send out “like new” ones that may have been returned for some reason. I was especially concerned about that with regard to the mattress toppers since they such a flexible exchange policy on those. Do you know what happens to the toppers when someone returns one … does it just get stored and sent out to the next person that orders one with the same softness?
If I have to get the bed professionally treated, do you know what treatment is specifically required for that type of bed? Thanks
All of our new products and material are kept in separate locations for this reason, to make sure no exchanged material is mixed with the new products. We also make sure any product being sent back does not come into our exchange department of our facility without being thoroughly inspected to avoid any sanitary issues.
If you live in an apartment building I would definitely recommend contacting the management. If you recently got new neighbors this could be the source. Unfortunately this problem can arise living in an apartment building and it would have nothing to do with your living situation but it obviously can affect you.
I can assure you we have not had any problems with bed bugs and I would also recommend contacting your apartment management to have this remedied in the entire building so this will not be a problem in the future. I would recommend you do this before purchasing a mattress protector so your are sure this has been remedied.
We also offer an Omni Guard Advance full protector which covers the entire mattress and zips shut at one end which would work very well to protect your mattress. This type of protector is always recommended to protect your mattress from any situation like this or simply from water damage.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions, I appreciate you shopping with us and I would be happy further assist you with any information I am able to.
Best Regards,
Mario Sevilla
Brooklyn Bedding
480-323-8831
I would echo Mario’s comments. If you have a bed bug issue the first thing to do is contact the management of the apartment building because they can go from apartment to apartment and they will need to check the other apartments in the building as well. They would likely have a professional pest control service that they would contact to exterminate them.
Bedbugs can be picked up from many places … but your new mattress wouldn’t be one of them.
[quote]Dwellings can become infested with bed bugs in a variety of ways, such as:
-Bugs and eggs inadvertently brought in from other infested dwellings on a visiting person’s clothing or luggage;
-Infested items (such as furniture, clothing, or backpacks) brought in;
-Nearby dwellings or infested items, if easy routes are available for travel (through duct work or false ceilings);
-Wild animals (such as bats or birds)[15][16] that may also harbour bed bugs or related species such as the bat bug;
-People visiting an infested area (e.g. dwelling, means of transport, entertainment venue, or hotel) and carrying the bugs to another -area on their clothing, luggage, or bodies.[/quote]
There is a lot of good information on the web about bedbugs (here and here are some examples).
Yikes. I am new to this forum, but have had bed bugs TWICE because of lousy neighbors and friends.
The infestations were never too bad. I noticed the first infestation when I was waking up with bites on my ankles. You need to make your landlord exterminate the entire building because they will travel. My landlord is a slumlord so people exterminated on their own and it was like playing musical chairs. I have been bed bug free (again) for a year but recently I’ve seen some stained mattresses being tossed and so I’m feeling pretty paranoid. I’m going to buy mattress protectors before I purchase my new bed.
I would say stay away from cheap plasticy bed bug protectors. They will rip before you get them on the bag, or the zipper will rip, or they’ll just rip at the seams.
I’ve looked further into the two popular bedbug-proof mattress encasements with membranes, specifically the Luna and Protect-A-Bed. I’m not particularly interested in the waterproof feature. I would also like to avoid the potential for “crinkliness” that could affect the feel of my mattress. I’m really only interested in bedbug-proof feature and maximizing compatibility/comfort with my latex mattress and St Dormeir cover.
I understand there are options for bedbug-proof encasements that do not have the membrane, but am having trouble finding. Could you provide me with the name of couple specific products that are highly popular and/or that you think would be a good fit for what I’m looking for? (as per above)
Also, I’m thinking of throwing out my older innerspring mattress (we live in a studio and currently have it sitting on the floor nearby the new latex bed … I kept it so that I can lie down on it in the evenings to watch tv for an hour or 2, since I have low back pain when standing or sitting) and replacing it with an airbed type of mattress so that it is easier to inspect, clean, and doesn’t really offer anywhere for bedbugs to hide.
Are there some posts and/or products you can refer me to about air mattresses? It would need to be queen size to accomodate both me and my spouse.
These are not the same as the old vinyl type of mattress protectors that were “crinkly” and the membrane is part of the reason that they would be bed bug proof (along with a zipper that doesn’t allow the nymphs to pass through if a few teeth are open). For most people they would have little effect on the feel of the mattress and the fact that they are waterproof is secondary. I don’t know of any other “non membrane type” that I would consider if I had bed bugs.
You can read my thoughts about airbeds in general here (as you can see I am not a fan). There is also a list of many of the airbed manufacturers in post #3 here and some of the things I would look for in an airbed for those that choose to go in this direction in post #2 here. I would also keep in mind that the type of mattress you use will have little to do with bedbugs because bedbugs don’t live in foam materials either (and will tend to be in the seams of the mattress cover or in any spaces they can find not inside the mattress material itself). Your mattress isn’t the the only place that a bedbug can hide as well (and a foundation can hide bedbugs better than a mattress) so which type of mattress you use would have little to do with keeping them at bay … especially if you use an encasement.
I live in AZ and unfortunately, it seems that the bed bug epidemic is in full-swing out here. We actually inherited some of the little blood-sucking, unwelcome, visitors from our neighbors downstairs and over from us in our complex almost two years ago. In AZ when the summer months come around and the temperatures are averaging above 100 the majority of people tend to frequent the movie theaters for a nice escape. These little critters actually can “hitch” a ride on clothing and when the reach a cool, dark, destination will branch out and explore. Unfortunately these little creepies can travel upwards of 100 yrds or more from their “host site.” which is why many people get them from their neighbors, seeing as they travel along electrical wires in homes for the heat. We had just moved in and had purchased two new beds, one for us and one for my mother in-law who was moving in with us. at the time of purchase we decided to get a very nice full-encasement mattress protector made by Fabri-Tech. We got it mainly for the breathable qualities seeing as I sweat like a Yeti to begin with and we didn’t want to eliminate the cooling qualities from our new latex bed with a standard protector with a plastic liner. We bought a traditional slip-on protector for the other bed, and about a month later we were awakened by the yells from my Mother-in-laws room, she had some uninvited house-guests of the bed-bug family. Long-story short, our bed was saved thanks to the FabriTech Protector being our saving grace! This protector is almost everything proof, has a warranty that even covers replacement for accidental punctures (we have a dog and cat that play rough). Apparently this way they can guarantee it’s sealed and will perform correctly. For once something actually did what it said it was going to do! I think it was $99 through RS Mattress, which is who we got our Brooklyn Bed through. I believe they have them available online. I would ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND this protector, seeing as I’ve had a first-hand experience that it performed correctly and still is. Hope everything works out, and remember those critters are evil and resourceful! Quick sidenote, these bugs can live and lay eggs in anything with upholstery and also can survive in furniture and behind electrical plates and picture frames. Get an experts advice on preventative measures.
