Bed Bug Mattresses are a major problem in today’s home. These pests have the ability to multiply quickly and travel from place to place. They seek dark places and prefer to live behind baseboards, inside cracks and crevices around beds, and within the box springs of your upholstered mattress. Bed bug infestation in mattresses is a growing concern in the marketplace. The reason for this is that these nocturnal creatures are drawn to warmth and CO2, the same characteristics that lure humans to quality sleep at night. In order to combat these buggers, it needs to be known that they can live between 20 and 30 days without feeding and their eggs can lie dormant for up to 2 years before hatching. Bed bug infestations can happen anywhere. They are not limited to low income housing. Bed bugs can be found in five star hotels and luxury apartments alike. Some of my clients live in their dream homes and want nothing more than to rid themselves of the bed bugs that entered silently through tiny cracks from outside. And I will give them what they want!

Bed Bug Mattress Infestation

Use a mattress cover.

• Check for bed bugs. If you think your mattress may be infested, check it with the help of a neighborhood professional.
• Use a mattress cover. Bed bug covers are fabric sleeves that fit over mattresses and boxsprings to prevent bed bugs from getting inside the mattress and boxspring. They also keep their favorite meals (you) from getting out!
• What kind of mattress cover should I buy? You can buy a regular zipper-style plastic or vinyl encasement for your mattress online or at many retail stores like Macy’s, Target, Walmart, etc., but there are also specialty bed bug covers available if you prefer them to typical encasements because they’re more breathable or washable than standard ones made from plastic/vinyl materials only (which tend not to breathe as well). Note: A good rule of thumb is always get two because once one gets dirty it needs replacing ASAP before any other beds become infected by what could potentially be crawling around inside there! These covers usually come with zippers so they’re easy enough for anyone who knows how use one without breaking anything else while doing so 🙂

Check your mattress often.

• Check your mattress often.
• Look for signs of bed bugs, such as shed skins, blood spots and excrement.
• Check the entire surface of your mattress and bedding (pillows, sheets, blankets).
• Check furniture in the room, including nightstands and dressers.
• Check luggage that you bring into a hotel room or when traveling.

Use a hand-held mirror to inspect seams, crevices and tufts.

You can inspect the seams, crevices and tufts of your mattress with a handheld mirror. Look for blood stains or black spots on the bedding, which are signs that bed bugs may be present. If you find evidence of live bed bugs (like live ones), this is an indication that there’s a problem in the mattress itself—not just in your room. Inspecting for these signs isn’t foolproof, but it’s one way to rule out an infestation outside of your bedroom walls.

If you’re inspecting for shed exoskeletons, look for any tiny white specs that look like tiny eggshells or flakes of dandruff on sheets or pillows near where someone slept during their most recent infestation period. This is another sign of active infestations because when immature nymphs molt they leave behind their old skin shells behind while they grow into adults; if those skins aren’t cleaned up quickly enough they’ll start to pile up in areas where people often rest their heads.”

You should also inspect mattresses and box springs by looking under them using a flashlight or hand mirror to check all areas including seams)

Check when traveling.

Check for bed bugs when you travel, too. Travelers often bring bed bugs home with them and, as a result, hotel rooms have become more common breeding grounds for the little critters. The best way to keep these pests at bay is by checking your room before you even get settled in.

Check the mattress first: Lift up the sheets on one side of the bed and examine around it—along both sides of where it meets the headboard, especially—for any signs of tiny brownish-red stains (pointers may include small dark specks or dots). Also check under all four corners of your mattress; if there’s a gap between it and where it meets any other furniture like a box spring or frame (rather than being flush against them), this could be an indication that there are some unwanted visitors hiding out underneath!

Next up? Check surrounding area: When checking around things like nightstands or dressers/closets at hotels, make sure not only inside surfaces but also their tops and sides—you’ll want to look for black specs which may indicate live eggs or larvae present within cracks/crevices between compartments or drawers containing linens such as towels kept there after use.”

Avoid picking up second-hand mattresses and furniture.

If you are buying a second-hand mattress, box spring or piece of used furniture, make sure to examine it carefully before bringing it into your home. Mattresses and box springs can harbor bed bugs after only a few days. If you find signs of an infestation (discussed below), do not purchase the item and consider having a professional fumigate and inspect the product before taking it home.

If you already have a mattress or box spring that has been infested with bed bugs, be sure to cover both items with tightly fitting encasements—this will keep any live bedbugs inside while they feed on the fabric of their new hosts.

If buying new furniture is unavoidable—for example when moving into an apartment where all existing furnishings have already been infested—then make sure to thoroughly inspect every piece before bringing it into your home. Even if there’s no visible sign of bed bugs, they can hide in joints between wooden slats as well as cracks within upholstery seams; these hiding spots should be inspected using insect repellent spray or a strong stream from a garden hose (be careful not to damage any finish).

Cleaning, heat and chemicals will not eliminate an infestation.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Great! All I have to do is clean my house and the bedbugs will go away!” We hate to break it to you, but cleaning isn’t going to help.

Bedbugs aren’t like other pests that can be killed by heat or chemicals—heat doesn’t harm them and they aren’t affected by most pesticides. The only way to get rid of an infestation is through an expensive professional treatment process (more on that below).

The best way to prevent a bed bug problem is to check for bedbugs regularly and use mattress covers.

If you think that your home may have bedbugs, the best way to prevent an infestation is to check regularly for signs of them. A few times a month, check behind headboards, along the sides of mattresses, and in seams and tufts of your mattress. If you notice any dark or rust colored spots or fecal matter (looks like spots with small black specks), this could be a sign that bedbugs are present.

If you do find evidence of bedbugs in your home, it’s important to get professional help because simply putting mattress covers over your mattress won’t solve the problem on its own—it will only keep them from getting into your bedroom where they feed at night when we’re sleeping!