Bed Bug Mattress Cover Only is Not Enough

Some people simply throw away their mattress and box spring when they discover they have bed bugs. This does not solve your bed bug problem. The infestation is still there. When you bring in your new bed, chances are it will soon get infested. The problem is not solved and you’ve wasted good money for nothing. Bed bug elimination requires vigilance and determination on your part.

Bed Bug Encasements

Bed bug encasements are a useful tool when dealing with a bed bug infestation. It prevents the bed bugs from spreading to other places and keeps them sealed in, eventually they may be killed. It also prevents additional bed bugs from infesting your mattress. It is important to note that bed bugs can live up to a year without feeding, so you will need to encase your mattress for at least 18 months.

Difference Between Mattress Covers and Bed Bug Encasements

It is important to know that plain mattress covers and bed bug encasements are not the same thing. You need an encasement that‘s specifically designed to provide bed bug protection. It is strongly suggested that you use bed bug encasements that have strong scientific data backing the claims for use with bed bugs. Using an unproven encasement will be worse than not using an encasement at all as it will provide a false sense of security and give additional opportunity for bed bugs to spread. For the encasement to be effective, it must be both bite proof and escape proof. Some quality products out in the market are SafeRest Mattress Encasement and BugLock^® encasements.

Take a Step Further

Encasing the mattress is not enough. The box spring and the pillows also need to be encased. All bed linen should be laundered and dried on high heat to kill any bed bugs. Keep in mind that these are only the preliminary steps, though equally important, in bed bug elimination. You still have a challenging task ahead of you.

Look Out for Telltale Signs

If your bed has a wooden frame, you will need to take it apart completely. Carefully vacuum all corners and crevices. Watch out for any telltale signs of bed bugs. Once you’re done with the cleaning, apply rubbing alcohol on your bed frame. A better option will be to spray it with Murphy’s Oil Soap and then wipe it. It will kill bed bugs if directly sprayed on them. Make sure to spray heavily as light spraying will not be very effective.

Long Term Bed Bug Solution

An upholstered head frame will be extremely difficult to treat. One option is to take it down, vacuum it carefully, treat it with an upholstery safe insecticide, and seal it in a plastic wrap and store it for 18 months. Another option is to steam it with a high quality steamer. These measures may still prove to be ineffective as upholstery is extremely difficult to treat.

Bed bug infestation is not limited to your mattress and box spring. It is critical to recognize that they may be infesting other parts of your room.

Cause of Annoyance

Bed bugs are a serious discomfort. What cause them to spread are infested public places, public transportation, hotels, and similar places. People can bring in bed bugs on their clothes, luggage or even on their pets. It’s difficult to kill bed bugs on your own.

Where They Hide

Bed bugs are small, nocturnal creatures and extremely difficult to detect. They like to hide in dark corners, cracks, crevices, under the mattresses or in couches. They also reproduce at an alarming rate which makes getting rid of them even more difficult. However, there are some methods which may help you in getting rid of bed bugs. Some treatments are chemical while the others natural.

What To Do

The first thing you need to do is to do a thorough inspection of your house or apartment. Remove any unnecessary clutter from the house to make the inspection process easier and limit areas where bugs can hide. Any personal item that can be removed such as stuffed animals, pillows, cushions or blankets must be laundered and sealed in Ziploc bags.

Where to Look

You will need to take apart the bed frame to expose any possible bed bug hiding places and inspect areas behind peeling wallpaper and drapes. Thoroughly inspect your mattress. Use a flash light to look bed bugs or their droppings in the seams, folds, tufts and labels of your mattress and box spring. Take out drawers from desk and night stands and if possible inspect furniture from underneath.

Steps to Take After Bed Bug Detection

Seal any holes in the walls and floor to eliminate bed bug harborage sites. Repair and seal any cracks and crevices between baseboards, bed frames and furniture. To kill bed bugs, you should also remove and wash bed linen and garments in hot water and have them dry in hot dryer for at least 20 minutes.

Steam Cleaners

Use heat or steam cleaners that are used by most professional exterminators to help control infestation and kill bugs naturally. After vacuuming the affected areas, seal the vacuum bag in a plastic bag and dispose it of in an outdoor dustbin. If you use a canister vacuum cleaner, wash it with hot water immediately.

Seal all Items

Seal all your mattress and pillows in bed bug covers and encasements. This will keep bed bugs out of the mattress and kill any bug trapped within. Treating the house with special formulated bed bug sprays, insecticides and powders is also crucial to eliminate bed bugs permanently.

Be Watchful of Which Sprays You Use

Only use sprays and powders clearly labeled for bed bug extermination. Never use any normal household pesticide that does not list bed bugs on its label. Rubbing alcohol may also kill bed bugs if directly sprayed on them.

Residential pesticides containing pyrethroid can also be used for on the spot treatment. Many readily available aerosol sprays will cause bed bugs to scatter, making eradication more difficult.