Dont Sell A Mattress Infested With Bed Bugs
You could try and sell your mattress. However, it would be misleading to do so without telling people that its infested with bed bugs.
If you treat the mattress first, then perhaps you could sell it. However, theres a big drawback. Pesticides take weeks to get rid of every bed bug. It may still be infested when you sell it. This would put people off buying it, even if it were reasonably priced.
Furthermore, you would have to keep the mattress hanging around, perhaps for weeks. If it has even just a few bed bugs in it, they could infest your garage and the rest of your house. Its far better to throw the mattress away, if you want to get rid of it.
S To Prevent A Bed Bug Infestation
Bed bugs need warmth and blood to survive and can be found on any furniture or upholstery. No matter where they are found, they find their way to your mattress. They have easy access to food there and a warm environment. Follow a few steps to prevent bed bug infestation.
- De-clutter your bedroom, reducing hiding spots for bed bugs
- Seal cracks on the baseboards, walls, and electrical outlets where bed bugs may sneak in or hide
- Continue to use a bed bug proof encasement on your mattress
- Regularly vacuum your mattress, bed bases, bed frames, headboards, footboards, carpets, curtains, and other upholstered furniture, removing bed bugs if any
- Check for bed bugs in your hotel room to avoid bringing them back home with you
- Wash clothes in hot water immediately after returning from a trip
- Avoid keeping luggage on your bed bed bugs may travel by sticking to your bags
- Inspect second-hand furniture for bed bugs, before buying
Is There A Bed Bug
Millions of tiny blood-sucking creatures infesting your mattress and bedding. Sounds like the stuff of nightmares but its actually nothing more than your common bed bug . Visible to the naked eye, bed bugs are oval-shaped insects about the size of a lentil. They are often found living in the crevices around your bed and within the tufts of your mattresses. Besides obvious bite-marks on your body, tell-tale signs of a bed bug infestation are small black spots along the mattress seams, headboard and box spring.
Not everyone has an allergic reaction to bed bug bites. In fact, only 50 percent of people show signs, which can range from red itchy bumps to raised blotchy patches. Bed bugs are attracted to your body heat and feed at night on exposed skin. The neck, face, hands and arms are usually the first targets, which are left with a linear path of red dots.
Fortunately, bed bugs are not known to spread disease or pathogens, but if you suspect an infestation you need to act fast, as the creatures reproduce and spread quickly.
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Can Bed Bugs Eggs Live In Mattresses
Yes, bed bugs eggs can live in mattresses. Bed bugs love hiding their eggs in your mattress, as long as theres a hole through which they can get in and out.
Bed bugs love hiding their eggs in seams, edges, and harborages of your mattress. But, inside the mattress, their eggs can survive and produce more bed bugs over time. This is why its essential to kill the bugs both on the inside and on the outside of your mattress.
How To Clean A Mattress: Sweat Stains
Anyone who sleeps hot will also be prone to sweating more in the night, which, over time, could seep into the mattress and turn it yellow. However, if you can stay on top of regularly maintaining your mattress this staining can be avoided simply sprinkle baking soda onto any staining that you see appearing, give it a gentle rub and leave for half an hour, before vacuuming it up.
If the sweat stains are more stubborn, then try spraying on a solution made with equal parts water, liquid soap, and hydrogen peroxide. Spray lightly onto the stain, so as not to soak the mattress, and let it sit for 20 minutes.
Blot the solution with a paper towel. You can then sprinkle over some baking soda, leaving it on for several hours to dry thoroughly before vacuuming it up. Air the mattress near an open window, in direct sunlight if you can.
Using a mattress protector will provide an extra barrier to help prevent sweat reaching your mattress. If you sleep hot regularly, then try sleeping on a cooling mattress, or investing in a mattress topper that has a cooling surface to help keep your temperature regulated.
Its worth mentioning that mattresses can also become yellow naturally with age, and this discoloration cannot be removed. In most cases its usually a sign that you need to buy a new mattress, especially if you have had it for more than eight years.
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Use A Tightly Woven Quilted Fabric With A Zipper To Cover The Mattress
Suppose your mattress doesnt have an outer cover. In that case, it will become easier for the bugs to penetrate the mattress and breed in between the layers. This will not only cause damage to the product but also make it almost impossible for you to remove them. Hence, you can use a thick and quilted fabric cover to wrap the mattress completely without leaving any space. It will prevent the bugs from entering the mattress.
What Is Required In A Mattress Protector For Waterproofing
You cannot just go to a shop and ask him to give you the waterproof mattress protector. This is not how you shop. Before shopping for a mattress protector, you must do a little bit of research. There are so many things that you need to consider before buying yourself a mattress protector for your mattress.
First, you need to be conscious of several things that make a mattress protector waterproof. Different mattress protectors come in different sizes and shapes and are made of different kinds of materials. Some have more reliable waterproofing abilities than the others, while some are of no use in this regard at all. When buying a waterproof mattress protector or any other protector, the first thing that you must know is the material that is used in its making.
There are two types of waterproofing materials that are used in waterproof mattress protectors.
- Polyurethane
- Vinyl
Most companies use polyurethane for waterproofing purposes. It has been so far so good and has been quite effective in protecting the mattresses from unnecessary spills, sweats, and other sorts of watermarks. You must remember that polyurethane is safe to use for household or kids. If you have kids with you and you want to make sure that they get the best mattress protector that is safe to use, then go for the one that has polyurethane. Any mattress protector that has a polyurethane surface is a good-to-go option.
- Polyester
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Protect From Bed Bugs
Bed bugs have an eerie way of getting into the mattress. When they see that the mattress is exposed and any mattress protector does not protect it, then they get into the bed. Once they are in the mattress, later, they try to make a home for themselves in it. Over time they propagate, and bed bugs infest the whole bedding.
When you have a mattress protector with you, then it shields the mattress from bed bugs, and that is why it is the best choice.
How Do Bed Bugs Get On The Mattress
Well, bed bugs can’t fly or jump, they crawl to your bed. Bed bugs are drawn to carbon dioxide and that’s how they find you. When you sleep at night, you don’t move a lot, and the carbon dioxide that you breath out forms a cloud over your bed. Thus, the bed bugs know that there’s food there and crawl to your bed.
Learn more about where do bed bugs come from
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Throw The Mattress Away Before Treating The House
Even your best efforts will result in some bed bugs spreading. Bed bugs run away from sunlight. When you expose them by moving the mattress, they dont waste any time. They immediately start finding another place to hide.
Theres only so much you can do. Your best option is to throw the mattress away before having the entire house treated. This will ensure that the house is pest-free, and your mattress is entirely new and clean.
Of course, if you want to treat your house, you could treat the mattress too. The treatment would almost certainly work if done correctly. The only reason to bother buying a new mattress is if the idea of sleeping on your previously infested mattress disgusts you.
How Long Can Bed Bugs Live In A Mattress
Bed bugs can live in a mattress for several months. While they usually feed every 3 to 7 days, bed bugs can go without food for up to 6 months at a time. They lay dormant and use very little energy, waiting for a human or animal to return. If you were to add a protective covering to your mattress, any bed bugs you trapped inside may survive for up to 6 months. It is best that you wait a full year before removing the covering.
The average bed bug lives for about 6 months and produces up to 250 eggs. This means that infestations only get worse with time. The bed bug population will continue to increase and remain active for an indefinite period. Even if you were to go away for some time, the bugs will linger. They will continue to live in the mattress and surrounding furniture until you have had them removed.
Contact a local pest control company for help and cover your mattress to eliminate any possible survivors. Coverings do not prevent infestations, but they will protect your mattress and starve any lingering bugs the treatment may have missed.
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Tips Of Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs For Good
- Clear clutter and remove small items
- Launder soft toys, pillows, linens, and blankets
- Perform the treatment regularly over a few weeks, more than one treatments is always best
- Always treat the surrounding area too
- Monitor the affected areas closely
- Consider calling a professional if its a particularly large bed bug infestation
- Disinfect your mattress with this guide
Saferest Premium Zippered Mattress Encasement
You have no idea what fluid or urination can do with your mattress. The moisture eventually kills the mattress, and there is no reason why it should stay in the mattress. But how will you protect your bedding? You will protect it with a mattress protector and guess what the best mattress protector is in this regard?
SafeRest premium zippered mattress protector is the absolute knight in shining armor for your mattress. The way it protects the mattress is just praiseworthy. It protects it from all the microorganisms that can harm your mattress.
Besides, it prevents all sorts of liquids from seeping through it and leaving a deadly stain on your mattress. Even if there is a stain on the surface, it will stay there until you clean it. This mattress protector offers a barrier for your mattress, and that is why it is an absolute necessity. It protects your mattress by surrounding it from all 6 six sides.
Its premium cotton terry surface material with breathable, hypoallergenic membrane backing keeps the mattress fresh and comfortable enough to have a good nights sleep. Get this mattress protector if you are into comfort and quality because this one will serve you better.
The chances are that it is going to stay for a lifetime because it is highly durable. You deserve every bit of protection this mattress protector offers you.
Pros
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Bedbugs Aren’t Truly Nocturnal
Though these pests like to come out before dawn, don’t think you can wait up all night to outsmart them. “A bedbug is an opportunist, and while their peak feeding time is between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., if you work nights they will come out and feed on you during the day,” Furman says. And Jones explains that they’re attracted to a human’s body temperature and, even more so, the carbon dioxide we exhale.
Dont Allow Bed Bugs To Spread
When you decide to throw away your mattress, do it quickly. Most people will move it out of the bedroom and store it in the garage until you can throw it away. This is a big job, after all.
However, if you do this, the bed bugs will spread back through the house. They will be attracted to the scent of people and the heat of your home. They will spread from the garage into your downstairs rooms, and eventually get back to your bedroom anyway.
Instead, get it out of the room and take it straight to the dump. Doing so will ensure that the bed bugs dont have time to infest anything else.
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If I Have Bed Bugs Do I Have To Throw Away My Mattress
When people see that they have bed bugs in their mattresses, they immediately think about throwing it away. While this solution seems the most rational, there are some downsides to it. This is the discussion of its own, so well need to delve deeper and see why this solution is good and why it sometimes isnt.
You see, discarding your mattress and the box springs can barely solve your problem if bed bugs are scattered throughout your home. When you buy a new bed or mattress and bring it to your home, guess what will happen the bed bugs that now enjoy the comfort of your home will have a new place to live! Then, youll throw away this mattress and buy a new one. This becomes obnoxious, pointless, and cost-inducing vicious cycle that many people fall into.
This begs the question in your head is every mattress you buy so low-quality that bed bugs will infest it? The answer is negative. Its not about the mattress you buy. You can buy the most expensive mattress in the store and still get bed bugs. Its about your HOME. If youve read our article carefully, youve probably seen this coming. Well now discuss if discarding your mattress is an effective solution.
Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap
BEST MATTRESS CLEANING HACK
If you dont have a stain remover built for your mattress, you can always use dish soap. Simply mix this Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap with water until it foams. Then, apply only the foam to the stains on your mattress. Blot the foam into the mattress using a cleaning cloth. Then, once all the foam has disappeared, use another slightly damp cloth and continue to blot at the stain until it has disappeared. This works best on biological stains, like blood, vomit or urine.
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How To Get Rid Of Your Old Bed Bug Infested Mattress
January 8, 2016John Salzarulo
Dealing with bed bugs is a nightmare and one of the many steps to consider is what to do with the bed bug infested mattress.
Our first recommendation is to simply keep the mattress and have a pest control company do an inspection first and foremost. In most instances, a full bed bug treatment that includes treating the mattress itself is enough to eradicate a bed bug population if everything is done right. However, some people want to get rid of their mattress first and foremost before getting treatment or are too creeped out to hold onto a once bug infested bed. Fortunately, Los Angeles and the surrounding LA County offer many options for mattress disposal.
First and foremost simply throwing out an infected mattress and replacing it will NOT rid your home of the pest. It is a common misconception that bed bugs only live in your bed. Bed bugs feed on blood often while people are asleep, and bed bugs eggs are often laid and hatched in mattress, but bed bugs are not exclusive to mattresses. After feeding, mature bed bugs crawl into dark corners along floorboards, or dresser drawers to digest. Therefore if you replace a mattress, but fail to take any other precautions, bed bugs WILL return.
How Do I Know My Mattress Has Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are microscopic, reddish-brown insects roughly the size of an apple seed. They cant fly, but they love to burrow in dark, small spaces like headboards, closets, and inside mattress seams. Some people dont realize they have bed bugs until they notice small bite marks on their skin.
If your itchy bites form only after youve been in bed, the issue may be bed bugs. A few other signs that point to a bed bug infestation:
- A musty odor
- Tiny dark spots on the mattress
- Bed bug egg husks or shells
Once youve noticed these things, its time to strip your mattress and investigate further. Take off your sheets, protector, everything. If you use a box spring, peel back the dust cover fabric and look at the seams. Look at spaces around your bed, like your nightstand, for other signs of bed bugs.
Time to upgrade your entire bed set? Read our guide of finding the best mattress to compare your options.
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Should I Replace An Infested Mattress With A New Mattress
No, you dont necessarily have to replace a mattress if its infested with bed bugs. If the infestation hasnt gotten out of control, you can remove or kill the bed bugs in your mattress by vacuuming it. Then, put a bed bug proof encasement over it to keep it protected.
Buying a new mattress may not be the best solution if your room still has bed bugs. Bed bugs will come out of their hiding places at night to feed on your blood and infest your new mattress all over again. If all attempts at removing bed bugs fail, then youll need to buy a new mattress. But before buying, ensure your house is completely bed bug-free.
To prevent bed bugs from crawling out of your infested mattress, wrap it with heavy-duty plastic and seal with duct tape before disposing of it.
