Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Uncategorized
The myth of mattress encasements
(24 posts)-
parakeets
oldtimer
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 866
Posted 3 weeks ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 15:35:25
#
Login to Send PM
I have heard several people in various recent conversations this month say something like "I don't have to worry about bedbugs--I have mattress encasement." Where do all these people get the idea that you can't get bedbugs if you use a mattress encasement? It seems to be a prevalent myth, that all you have to do is put your mattress in a case and you're protected. It's practically an urban rumor by now. We have to stop it.
-
Thank you for this post, there were 7 or 8 different encasement companies at PestWorld this week and I can tell you where the myth has come from, many of them.
All a mattress encasement will do is:
- Stop your mattress getting stained if you do have bed bugs
- Possibly cover up for a poor PCO who does not know how to do this job properly
Mattress encasements were originally developed for allergies such as dust mites and have found an extended life home in bed bug treatments which as far as I am concern is the biggest scam going.
In fact I had some conversations at PestWorld about the use of mattress encasements with people and sadly they just did not want to hear why they are NOT needed. If you service revenue is tied to selling encasements shame on you.
I repeat my simple message again, if you come into contact with bed bugs while away from home they don't care if you are encased or not.
David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited -
cilecto
senior member
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 514
Posted 3 weeks ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 16:28:15
#
Login to Send PM
It's those subway ads.
If you see Dr Zizmor, you'll have clearer skin.
If you sign up with Zoni, you'll learn English.
If you drink Remy, you'll have youself a kinky threesome.
If you buy Protect A Bed, you're protected.
It makes total sense. -
Dam I am off to the liquor store tout suit although I do have tickets to the late performance of Zoomanity tonight.
David
-
nervousaboutbedbugs
junior member
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 69
Posted 3 weeks ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 21:36:27
#
Login to Send PM
We encased our mattresses which has had me wondering - where will they go now and will it be harder to find them if they're still here? Will you still see signs on the mattress if it has been encased, or will they now harbor farther away and somewhere harder to find?
-
Deathlyallergic
newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 38
Posted 3 weeks ago
Fri Oct 30 2009 22:40:38
#
Login to Send PM
I was told by one of the companies, that the encasements protect from them getting out or in, but it will not stop them from getting to the bed and climbing up the legs or frame of the bed, that is what the climbup from USbedbugs is for. to help you detect where the bugs are coming from, and catch them when they climb back down the bed.
-
You make a very interesting point, Nervous.
As new information about bed bugs surfaces and our knowledge increases, I believe much of what we know now will be revealed as false or misguided.
-
bedbuggery
junior member
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 49
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 0:49:17
#
Login to Send PM
When I was first battling the bugs, I used a cheap, thin, vinyle encasement and taped the zipper.
After about a week, I found actual trails in the encasement and it was ripped open. It looked like something big like a mouse had done it, except there were trails like termites make in wood. The only explanation I had was that BB's had actually chewed through it!! That was when it dawned on me what I was up against. Looking back on it now, I still find it hard to believe.. can bedbugs chew, or somehow tear open plastic?? And if this is the case, how is a garbage bag supposed to stop them?
I took a pic, I dunno if I still have it somewhere.
-
spideyjg
oldtimer
Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 1:19:08
#
Login to Send PM
BBs cannot chew out of anything.
-
buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 11:04:10
#
Login to Send PM
Spideyjg is correct. To chew out of something,bed bugs would need to have mouth parts that would let them chew. They don't. For laypeople like us, without using technical terms, it's probably best to think of a bed bug's mouth parts as being like a beak that they puncture our skin to drink blood with (now there's an apt posting for Halloween, no?).
They cannot chew through plastic because their mouths aren't built for it.
I do have an encasement on my mattress. It's not a top of the line one. It's the one I could get immediately (though it's the most expensive one Bed Bath and Beyond had) when I discovered my problem. Since I went with thermal treatment, I didn't really use it as part of treatment. I left it on partly because I'd always meant to get one since I do have allergies (have since had some allergy testing and it appears I don't react to dust mites, so may rethink that. . . ).
Since it's one color and my mattress isn't, and since I can wash it, I will probably leave it on the mattress because it's easier to inspect than my mattress is. I inspect once a month when I fully change my sheets and wash all my bedding, including the comforter and duvet cover. I wash the cover about once every three months when I do the big seasonal cleaning.
Part of the reason that I don't rely on them is that I have a cat. Now that I don't have an active bed bug infestation, I don't always clip her claws every five days. I don't trust SoftPaws not to come off, and I view declawing a cat as a cruel mutilation; I would never do it. My apartment is set up so that I really can't close her out of the bedroom without closing her out of the bathroom, which would mean either preventing her access to her litterbox or relocating her litterbox into my living room or kitchen (which doesn't sound like a good idea to me).
That's a very long way of saying that I wouldn't go so far as to say that mattress encasements are useless. If people do have allergies to dust mites, and if the encasements make it easier for people to inspect, I don't think they are useless.
On the other hand, they are not a silver bullet in treating or preventing bed bug infestations, which
I think a lot of people think of them as. -
hathead
junior member
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 46
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 12:40:19
#
Login to Send PM
here is what i think the encasements are useful for:
when we discovered we had bedbugs, but before we were successful in getting rid of them
(side note: we are now 90 percent optimistic at this point that they are gone)
we needed to get some sleep.
we have simple wooden frames and a simple futon or a fancy rubber latex mattress on each bed.
the frames were relatively easy to clear (see my several posts on dismantling each frame
and pouring boiling water over every area and crack)
the frames were relatively easy to isolate - first with small bowls of oil
and then eventually with climbups.the mattresses were not so easy to clear or isolate, so once the frames were
cleared and isolated, we put encasements on to prevent any bb in the mattress
from 1) coming out and biting us, and 2) reinfesting the frame and 3) further reproducingthis allowed us some mental peace in our beds
allowed us to get some sleep
allowed us to stop dealing with so many bites (my partner really suffered with them)although the beagle indicated live bugs in the mattress, that was no surprise
thermal apparently killed them in there, since the dog never alerted on the mattresses again after the first thermal treatment
we have left the encasements on there because the thought of taking them off gives us the creeps
and it won't hurt to leave them on for a few years anywayso no miracles expected from an encasement
just a useful toolmy two cents
-
bugfreebed
junior member
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 56
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 12:44:05
#
Login to Send PM
I think the myth stems from most ppl thinking that dust mites are bed bugs . Before I saw my first BB that's what I thought , now I know better but there's allot of ppl out there that still have think that .
-
bedbuggery
junior member
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 49
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 13:22:21
#
Login to Send PM
Ok, good to know about the chewing. Although I have also heard that bedbugs can penetrate some encasements and bite you through them (like mosquitoes through a T-shirt.
This is an interesting topic as I have been considering removing my encasement (I want to feel normal again) I live in a house now where there is little chance of re-infestation. My case was a "clean rest" from wall mart. It cost me $15. Although it says "for bed bugs" on the label the seems had big gaps and the zipper left a hole at the end. So I sealed everything with rubber cement, duck tape, and masking tape over that. I figured that would hold anything from getting out (in fact I discovered a bug that I could see through the cover and smashed him)
Since it's been about 13 months since I put the cover on.. would anyone else feel confident about removing it in my situ? thx
-
Louise
junior member
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 70
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 13:56:22
#
Login to Send PM
Mattress encasements make inspection MUCH easier.
I could not figure out WHY my back was so sore this summer...until one day, when arriving at the cabin, I proceeded to begin The Process of inspecting every bed. Ugh. It was such an involved process: examine the sheets, the comforters, the pillows, the pillowcases. Remove the sheets, examine the mattresses, top and bottom, sides, piping (DOUBLE UGH!!!) and corners. Lift mattress and examine boxspring top, sides, piping, corners. It would take me at least half an hour per bed. Multiply that by so many beds and it adds up to a lot of time.
We did, however, encase the mattresses and boxsprings in the boys' room very early on (since that was where we had found the batbugs), and even though that was the most important room to check, once those encasements were on, it took hardly any time at all to do so - when compared to the other rooms/beds. Honestly, the piping has got to be the WORST to inspect. Encasements get rid of that necessity.
That said, the point made above about them having to find other places to hide is a valid one. Since I have never found anything on the piping though (which means our bugs are *already* finding other places to hide!), and since I find the underside of boxsprings to be so difficult to inspect on a regular basis, I will still use encasements at the cabin and (husband willing) at home. After we had encased all of the mattresses at the cabin, my back recovered relatively quickly.
Louise
-
senior member
Joined: May '07
Posts: 436
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 13:59:58
#
Login to Send PM
In my opinion mattress encasements are good and necessary tools in the war against bed bugs.
Some of the reasons are they save one from having to discard a mattress if infested and heat or fumigation are not options. They allow you to encase box springs which otherwise should be discarded. They protect your new mattress investment. By encasing less mattresses are put out only to be reused by others who may take them in. They provide a sense of separation. By encasing you isolate a probable or possible harborage are till it is neutralized. It is part of an integrated program. -
thebedbugresource
member
Joined: Apr '07
Posts: 238
Posted 3 weeks ago
Sat Oct 31 2009 14:25:33
#
Login to Send PM
The encasement issue is often misunderstood. If a PCO is claiming that they will prevent bed bugs then they are out to lunch.
A box spring encasement is FAR more valuable to me than a mattress encasement and here is why:
- So many nooks and crannies in a box spring that can be difficult to get to. If a PCO takes the time needed to effectively treat a box spring then it will cost you FAR more than the box spring encasement would. My suggestion is always a treatment of the box spring followed by encasement.
If you do not have bed bugs then the box spring encasement protects against them harboring there, which can go unnoticed.
Mattress encasements protect the mattress from the staining that occurs from them feeding. This is particularly important in the hospitality industry as no guest wants to see blood stains on the mattress seams.
Mattress encasements certainly do function well to contain bed bugs that may have survived the treatment process (usually eggs that then hatch). This can happen, but PCOs using steam or cryonite are usually successful at killing the eggs.
Mattress encasements do prevent bed bugs from harboring along the seams etc. but do not prevent bed bugs from going to the bed.
To answer some of the questions above:
- Bed bugs do not chew.
- Bed bugs will not scatter to somewhere else in the room if you have encasements. There are still plenty of cracks and crevices on/around the bed that they will harbor.Sincerely,
Sean
Entomologist / Pest Professional
www.bedbugresource.com -
Bedbug encasements do not cure a bedbug problem, they will however prevent the mattress or boxspring from becoming infested. Bedbugs can still get between the mattress and boxspring or any other crack or crevice in the room. They also make it easier to detect bedbugs. They will protect you from a pesticide you may have treated the mattress with.
No, mattress encasements won't cure a bedbug problem , but they are certainly useful for your peace of mind and keeping bedbugs out of the boxspring or mattress itself. They also do wonders for making a bedbug blood stained mattress or boxspring appear cleaner and more like something you want to sleep on..
-
earthangel
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 28
Posted 2 weeks ago
Mon Nov 2 2009 0:23:21
#
Login to Send PM
Wouldn't it help protect an apartment and the building if new tenants encased their mattresses and box springs? Wouldn't that diminish to some degree the importing of bedbugs into the new place?
-
buggyinsocal
oldtimer
Joined: Jun '08
Posts: 1,130
Posted 2 weeks ago
Mon Nov 2 2009 1:18:35
#
Login to Send PM
Wouldn't that diminish to some degree the importing of bedbugs into the new place?
Not necessarily.
In some senses, the name bed bug is a misnomer. Bed bugs do most often attack people while we're sleeping, but they don't always live in beds. Mine, near as I can tell, never actually lived in the mattress or box spring. My infestation seemed to be on the sheets, on the curtains that hung near the bed, and on the fabric items (like spare sheets and clean clothes) that I had stacked on the side of the best I wasn't sleeping on.
Many people report bed bugs harboring in other furniture--desks, nightstands, etc.--besides beds.
Encasing mattresses would not prevent bed bugs from other pieces of furniture that were infested from coming into the building or from dropping off the furniture while being moved in and out.
In addition, many PCOs dislike encasements because bed bugs can live so long without feeding by slowing their metabolisms down. If a new tenant had bed bugs inside the encasement, and hadn't been bitten for, say 14 months, and the encasement ripped while being moved in, you'd be right back where you started.
-
okay i saw somewhere in this thread about Bbuggs having beaks And can piearce through cloth..
Hence ENCASEMENTS...
But what about clothing can they pierce through a shirt or pants or the sleeper the lil one is wearing...
I know it seem like a stupid question BUT I was just curious... -
Deathlyallergic
newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 38
Posted 6 days ago
Sun Nov 15 2009 1:11:13
#
Login to Send PM
buggyinsocal - 1 week ago »
Wouldn't that diminish to some degree the importing of bedbugs into the new place?
Not necessarily.
In some senses, the name bed bug is a misnomer. Bed bugs do most often attack people while we're sleeping, but they don't always live in beds. Mine, near as I can tell, never actually lived in the mattress or box spring. My infestation seemed to be on the sheets, on the curtains that hung near the bed, and on the fabric items (like spare sheets and clean clothes) that I had stacked on the side of the best I wasn't sleeping on.
Many people report bed bugs harboring in other furniture--desks, nightstands, etc.--besides beds.
Encasing mattresses would not prevent bed bugs from other pieces of furniture that were infested from coming into the building or from dropping off the furniture while being moved in and out.
In addition, many PCOs dislike encasements because bed bugs can live so long without feeding by slowing their metabolisms down. If a new tenant had bed bugs inside the encasement, and hadn't been bitten for, say 14 months, and the encasement ripped while being moved in, you'd be right back where you started.My PCO would fog in the encasements, on mattress and box springs. As well as we found the BBs across the room in a built in cabinet, and after research, they tend to find a place to nest, then they will travel to the attraction of carbon dioxide that is being emitted, feed, then climb back down again to go back to their nest to digest. That is why the climbups are good, my mattress was inspected 3 times, metal frame, and box springs and never never found them, until treatments revealed dead BB around the cabinet across the room.
I believe in the encasements, after research on those as well, cause the good ones are costly, they have to be scientifically proven with certificate before they guarantee against BB getting in or out.
So far "Clean Rest" (can get at Bed bath and beyond, not walmart, mine is a cali king $120)is the one I am entrusting with my life, literally, since Im deathly allergic to them.
and so far, knock on wood, so good! That in combo with the climb ups, pillow encasements, and one sheet over the encasement, and one blanket washing them every 4 days. -
Deathlyallergic
newbite
Joined: Oct '09
Posts: 38
Posted 6 days ago
Sun Nov 15 2009 1:17:43
#
Login to Send PM
watkinsnewan - 1 week ago »
okay i saw somewhere in this thread about Bbuggs having beaks And can piearce through cloth..
Hence ENCASEMENTS...
But what about clothing can they pierce through a shirt or pants or the sleeper the lil one is wearing...
I know it seem like a stupid question BUT I was just curious...Due to my deathly sensitivity to these awful things, I have done so much research and in my trials and errors, I have discovered that what I read about their habits are true, they don't feed where they can't find open skin, I was in my bed with a mild issue with them but was partially convinced they were gone, no bites in 2 weeks, I wore long sleeve shirts, long leggings, with long socks over, and gloves on my hands, then I put OFF skintastic on my face and neck, for 2 weeks nothing, then one nite my bf stayed the night, it was warm so I only wore a tank and shorts, due to a paranoid nightmare, I got up and put my suit of armor on, by morning, I had several bites on my arms, back, and legs, finding them crawling around, but not adults this time the micro and infant ones. Inspected the encasement it was fine but determined it was my very over the top thick mattress pad, I got rid of it, retreated over my encasements, put my bed legs on the Climbups, and left part of my right calf/shin exposed, and so far 2 weeks free of bites, hope I didn't just jenks myself, not convinced they are gone, but point is, where my skin was exposed that night is where I got the bites, not anywhere I was covered.
-
bedbuggery
junior member
Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 49
Posted 6 days ago
Sun Nov 15 2009 3:02:40
#
Login to Send PM
Do you mean to say, DA, that you were bit and it didn't send you to the hospital this time?
You are becoming desensitized!! this is exactly what happened to me!!!
You have to be more aggressive about fighting them then I was. If you go through months of being bitten it will f** up your immune system. This was my experience and is speculation, not medical advice.
-
I had/have bed bugs. Supposedly (I've read anyway) 90% of bed bugs live in the mattress/box spring.
I vacuumed as many bed bugs from the mattress and box spring as I could.
I used encasements on my mattress and box spring.
The next day I checked between the mattress and box spring and there were a few bed bugs there. There were maybe 4 or 5. I vacuumed them up and sprayed an all natural bed bug spray there.
I went to the $1 store and bought some plastic bowls. I put the bowls under the feet of the bed frame (to prevent them from getting back onto the bed). I sprayed the bed, bed frame, and bowls with an all natural bed bug killer/repellent.
It's been 1 or 2 weeks and there haven't been any new bed bugs on the bed at all. I've been checking every day. Currently there are only the mattress encasements. I have not put any sheets or anything on yet.
So far I seem to have success. If this works then it is much cheaper than hiring pest control.
The main point for me using the encasement was to trap 90% of the bugs in one place! If you use decent encasements properly then the bed bugs get trapped inside and can't get out. They'll eventually die in supposedly 14-18 months.
Poisonous sprays aren't good to use on a bed.
If throwing out mattress and box spring is an option, then carrying those items out might cause bugs to drop off the bed and spread elsewhere. It seems using an encasement will more likely trap more bed bugs in one place.
There may be some bed bugs still around somewhere. If they can't feed though then they can't reproduce and will eventually die. (At least from what I've read.)
It seems logical to me to use encasements! I used them because of what I've read online, and also I've heard of some people in my area that had success from them as well.
Also possibly a good idea to use them rather than throwing out a mattress. If you throw out a mattress but you are still infested somewhere, then the new mattress may get infested again soon anyway. With an encasement it will be easier to spot and get rid of any new bed bugs if they return. Also probably cheaper than throwing out a mattress, getting a new one, and having the new one infested again! It much easier to get bed bugs off of an encasement than out of a mattress or box spring. On a mattress there are many more little spaces where they can hide. With an encasement it's much easier to spot them. They don't have as many places to hide!
I also used this natural bed bug spray around the door frame of the room to hopefully prevent them from leaving the room and moving elsewhere in the house. It seems to work well too.
At least it seems that I can now sleep on my bed without getting bit, and without spending tons on pest control or getting a new mattress.
Reply
You must log in to post.
