Bed bugs, once thought to have been eradicated throughout the urbanized world, are now a major health problem throughout the world. While there are many potential solutions to the problem, bed bug mattress cover is a simple, affordable solution for most people and business owners to reduce and prevent bed bugs.
Bed bugs are small, flat, oval, reddish-brown parasitic insects that feed on warm animal blood. Once they have bitten their host, the results are red, itchy bumps usually on the arms, face, neck, and hands. This can cause a variety of symptoms, anywhere from minor discomforts or irritations to major health problems. Skin rashes and, consequently, allergic reactions as well as many psychological symptoms associated with the emotional strain of living with bed bug infestation can occur as a result of having bed bugs.
Bed bugs can be found everywhere, particularly in places where people congregate, lodge, or live together. Hospitals, hotels, cruise ships, homeless shelters, apartments, military barracks, and dormitories are just a few of the common homes for bed bugs. They can also be found in all types of homes, usually hiding in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards. Bed bugs do not distinguish based on neighborhood or income. Any home can have bed bugs. They can come anywhere as well. They travel from place to place through boxes, luggage, in furniture and on people’s bodies.
In Australia, bedbug infestations have reached epidemic proportions and it is now a national health concern. It is likely that bed bug infestations will increase steadily over the next few years, becoming even more of a foremost health concern in the near future than it is today. International travel, elimination of DDT as a pesticide and the bed bugs developing a resistance to insecticides may have contributed to the problem.
The popularity of buying used furniture and just because home and business owners are unaware of the problem and how to prevent it may have also contributed to the rise in bed bug infestations. Whatever the cause, once bed bugs have taken root, they can be very difficult to control and remove. It takes a while for a homeowner or an establishment to find out that a problem exists.
Since mattresses provide a great living space for bed bugs, a bed bug mattress cover can be a simple solution to prevent and eliminate bed bug infestations. Like any other product, there is a range of covers that reflect different quality and effectiveness.
There are a variety of brands of bed bug mattress covers that can be found at retail stores throughout the country and online. The best covers are the ones that have been scientifically tested and rated. According to Pest Control Melbourne experts, there are 4 major factors to consider when choosing a bed bug mattress cover.
Bed Bug mattress cover
First, the cover should actually be bed bug bite proof. Not all products will guard against the bed bug bites.
Second, the cover should be water-proof. The water-proof materials are either vinyl or polyurethane. Vinyl is hot and noisy but is easy to clean. Although vinyl bed bug mattress covers are not breathable, they will prevent bed bugs from penetrating the mattress, preventing bites and the mattress from becoming a livable space for the bugs. There are several levels of thickness for vinyl mattress covers. Three gauge vinyl bed bug covers are good for most people and six gauge covers are best for institutional use.
Polyurethan is another material used for mattress covers. It allows the skin to breathe it dissipates body heat and, therefore, is a cooler and, maybe, the more comfortable material. It can be covered in fabric to provide more comfort.
Third, the mattress covers should have an appropriately sized zipper stop. A bed bug can crawl through the smallest of openings and, if the zipper stop has an opening large enough for the bed bugs to crawl through, the cover will not provide adequate protection and will not be bed bug proof.
Last, the zipper teeth need to be small enough so that the bed bug cannot crawl through the opening. This issue is the same as with the zipper stop. If the zipper teeth are too large, the tiny bed bugs can crawl through the openings, making the cover inadequate as a bed bug mattress protector.
Although a mattress cover can assist in the war against bed bugs, it may not totally eliminate the problem. Bed bugs can live almost anywhere they are only looking for warm bodies that are a source of nourishment and not a mattress.