Question from Patricia
Hi Debra,
I currently find myself living across a wall from a guy who found a bedbug.
His girlfriend who is there most of the time has a roommate who recently brought bedbugs back with her from NY. Their apartment has a full blown bedbug infestation.
I have a pretty pricey mattress that was a gift from my sister this last Christmas.
I have been unable to find a a safe mattress encasement anywhere. Where can I find one? Help!!!!!
Debra’s Answer
Patricia wrote back to me and said she found one at The Clean Bedroom and it’s on sale now for 20% off.
I just wanted to mention that I did some research on this before she called back, and I was erroneously told by one seller that a bed bug is smaller than a dust mite and so encasings made to keep dust mites out don’t work for bedbugs. That’s totally wrong. Dustmites are so small they are invisible, and you can see bed bugs, so any mattress encasing that completely encloses the mattress and is made to keep out dust mites would work for bed bugs.
Here’s a bit of info about dust mites and bed bugs.
I read on a website that compares dust mite and bed bug encasements that the bed bugs can bite someone right through a dust mite cover which is why bed bug covers are different from dust mite covers. However, I imagine if you had a mattress pad over the dust mite cover, that might limit the reach of the bite and keep you safe from bites.
Janice’s (http://janices.com/) has barrier cloth mattress covers with zippers to encase the mattress. It is supposed to keep organisms as small as dust mites from penetrating through it.
National Allergy has 100% cotton and also organic cotton dust mite/ bed bug mattress and pillow covers in many sizes. I have been ordering their products for years and have always been happy with their service and products. They are made in the USA which I like.
I also use their extra large pillow covers for storing out of season clothes in.