A home is not only a huge expense but it’s also an endeavor of great time and effort. Not only will you sink a fortune into your home, but you’ll invest an ungodly amount of time caring for it as well. Every time you clean, vacuum, maintain, or simply make a phone call to schedule a repair, you are investing time. Why would you, after investing all this time and money, not want to do everything within your power to ensure that you are protecting your home with your best abilities? You might think that you are already doing so, but the truth of the matter is, if you are not a proud owner of a bed bug mattress cover, you are not doing everything within your power to provide adequate protection for your home.
Today’s Bed Bug Mattress Covers
Not having a bed bug mattress cover in your bedroom is pretty much like leaving your doors open during a rainstorm or leaving your door unlocked and opened in the middle of the night. You are just inviting the unintended and unwanted. A bed bug mattress cover is not only an excellent deterrent, but it can be used as a preventable means. And, this is because it prevents bed bugs from utilizing the mattress the way that they need to in order to survive.
Combine this with the fact that 90 percent of infestations will reside in the bedroom, and it only makes sense to invest in one of these products. The real question is, how do I know which bed bug mattress cover to invest in? That’s exactly where we come in!
What Is A Bed Bug Mattress Cover Exactly?
Bed bug encasement, bed bug mattress cover, or bed bug mattress topper, you’ll hear these products referred to by a variant of names. However, when it comes right down it, these individuals spouting these names are referring to the same product. Regardless of what name the product is referred to as you should think you should equate these products to a big Ziploc baggie. Albeit a more expensive and complex Ziploc bag, but nonetheless, a Ziploc bag. It is a bag that covers your mattress and seals around it, trapping anything out, out, and anything inside, inside.
If bed bugs are located in your mattress at the time of the installation they’ll be unable to escape and feed.
Choosing The Right Bed Bug Mattress Protector
Not only do these products come with a wide range of names, but they also come with a wide range of features. Designed and offered by a variety of manufacturers, you’ll discover that each topper has something different and unique to offer users. That being said, the quality of a topper really only comes down to a few select qualities. These qualities can make or break the product. Render it completely useless or make sure that it is effective. What are these qualities?
It Must Fully Encase
A Ziploc bag can’t keep your sandwich fresh if it doesn’t properly encase it. The same is applied to a bed bug mattress topper. If your mattress hangs halfway out of the encasement it’s virtually going to be useless.
It Must Fully Seal
Just because an encasement fully covers your mattress doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll still offer the results you are looking for. If you want to topper to be effective and works as designed it should properly seal as well. The ideal is to prevent bed bugs from escaping or entering. The product cannot do that if it doesn’t properly seal. The same would apply to the Ziploc bag and sandwich theory.
Must Be Tested
Plenty of things look good on paper, but when applied in real-world settings, they fall completely apart. This has happened to plenty of mattress toppers in the past and you’ll want to make sure that it doesn’t happen to the one you want to invest in. The best way to do this is by making sure the topper has been tested. Most of today’s quality toppers will go through extra or additional testing procedures just to ensure that they hold up in viable situations.
Must Be Free Of Toxins And Chemicals
Toxins and chemicals have long been a standard and norm with the bed bug community. In fact, hazardous chemicals and toxins were once the only way to eliminate these troublesome critters. While these chemicals and toxins were effective, they were also dangerous. This is part of the reason that they are no longer used today and being phased out.
Do Toppers Really Work?
If you hit the Internet right now or poll a variety of bed bug experts and ask them about the efficiency of bed bug toppers, you’ll get mixed reviews. Some will rave about the products and how effective they are, while others will run them in the dirt, saying they are completely useless. One of the reasons for this is because there are so many things that can go wrong with a topper. If it isn’t properly installed, if it has a small rip, or if it even isn’t the right size, these are all things that could cause a bed bug topper to be rendered ineffective.
This is why it is always best to work with bed bug professionals when dealing with toppers. The right extermination professional will not only help you find and purchase an effective topper, but they’ll install it for you while answering any questions that you might have along the way. It’s a win-win really.