If you are like most homeowners, you do not need anyone reminding you just how much money you’ve spent on your home over the years. Mortgage, repairs, and normal upkeep, it’s enough to put even some of the most financially secure individuals in a hole. Of course, this is just something that comes along with owning a home, and doing these things will actually save you money on repairs and future potential damage. This is why it only makes sense to pull no punches on defense either. This is especially true when it comes to critter defense.
Bed Bug Mattress Covers
If you aren’t currently protecting your mattress with a mattress cover, you might as well be sleeping with your front door open. This is pretty much the equivocal. It is well-known that bed bugs invade your mattress and bed when taking up residence in your home. Given that the mattress cover protects your mattress while also potentially deterring future intruders, it only makes sense to take advantage. Just as it would make sense to close and lock your doors at night unless you are looking to get robbed and collect on insurance.
Aside from this, bed bugs always go for the bedroom when taking up residence in a home. They want to be near their host where they can feed quickly and easily with little to no detection. Given their wits, small size, and ability to creep around stealthy, it only makes sense for them to make themselves at home in your bedroom. This is exactly why 90 percent of bed bugs in an infested home take up residence near the mattress and box springs
What Exactly Is A Bed Bug Mattress Cover/ Protector?
When you think of a bed bug mattress cover/ protector, you should think of a Ziploc bag. Although much more sophisticated and complex, the same simple theory and concept apply. A Ziploc bag is designed to keep food fresh while also keeping water, germs, and other intruders out. That’s exactly what a mattress cover does. It covers your mattress, seals or encases it, and traps anything inside in there for good, while also preventing anything else from entering.
Once locked inside, bed bugs will have no way to escape, which means they won’t be able to come and go as freely as they would like. In fact, they won’t be able to come and go at all, preventing them from feeding or reproducing. Bugs trapped inside these devices can die within a mere two weeks.
Choosing The Right Mattress Cover
While a mattress cover is a godsend and has proven effective over the years, there are things to consider when shopping. Not choosing the right cover will not only end up costing you money, but it’ll prevent you from properly protecting and securing your home. Here’s what needs to be considered when choosing the right cover.
Is It A Full Cover?
If a bed bug mattress cover is like a Ziploc bag, it certainly isn’t going to offer much protection if it doesn’t fully engross your mattress. Think of your sandwich hanging halfway out of a Ziploc baggie. How would your food stay fresh being exposed to the elements like this? It wouldn’t!
Does It Seal The Mattress Properly?
Along with fully engrossing your entire mattress, the mattress cover must also properly secure. Just because your sandwich fits inside the Ziploc baggie properly doesn’t mean that it’ll be fully protected if it doesn’t seal properly. If this is the case with a bed bug mattress cover then the bug would be able to come and go as needed. Bed bugs can squeeze their bodies through some of the smallest openings in the world so the mattress cover must offer no air gaps or holes at all. A lot of higher-quality covers will even come with what is known as strip seals just to add an extra layer of protection. Tears and holes in your mattress from years of use or malfunctions will also pose problems.
Was It Tested In The Field?
Most solutions look good on paper, but if they haven’t passed the true field test they aren’t any good. The best beg bug covers will not only undergo testing, but they’ll undergo additional quality testing just to ensure that they offer that extra layer of protection needed to keep you, your home, and your family bed bug-free.
What About Hazardous Chemicals?
There are a lot of hazardous chemicals out there. This is especially true in the pesticides and critter world. A lot of cover designers will add additional chemicals to their products as a means to try to enhance the protection offered. While this might seem good on paper, it could only potentially pose problems. This would be especially true if someone in the home or near the cover happened to be allergic or sensitive to these chemicals.
Do These Products Really Work And Work Well?
It will only take a little bit of research to discover that mattress covers have received mixed reviews over the years. Some people say they work while some say they are useless. There are also those individuals that will give you mixed results. Regardless of the situation, this is because there is so much that can go wrong with these covers. Not properly sealing, not choosing the right model, not installing it right, and getting rips and tears in the cover can render it virtually useless.
This is why it is always best to just deal with professionals when it comes to bed bugs. These professionals will not only properly install the right mattress covers for you, but they’ll employ multiple solutions as a means to attack your infestation.