Searching for the Best Bed Bugs Covers that will isolate bed bugs? You came to the right place!
Mattress covers for bed bugs are designed to be a barrier between Bed bugs and yourself when you are sleeping. They can be a precious help and relief during an infestation. We will help you in this buying guide to find the best mattress covers for bed bugs.
What is a Bed Bug Mattress Cover?
A Bed bug mattress cover encloses the mattress or fully surrounds both mattress and box spring with a tight fabric resistant to bed bugs bites. They cannot escape or bite through the cover and are either trapped or cannot crawl inside the mattress. Once trapped inside, they won’t be able to escape the cover to reach you when sleeping. Trapped, they will starve and will eventually die. We will help you in this buying guide to find the best mattress covers for bed bugs.
Benefits of a mattress cover for bed bugs
- Trap and starve present bugs, while preventing new bugs from invading your mattress
- It is more cost effective to buy a mattress cover for bed bugs than it is to throw out your infected mattress, to buy another one or to hire a bed bugs exterminator
- As a preventative measure by minimizing the risk of an infestation of your mattress
- For relieving you of dust mites, bacteria, and allergens
- To expand the lifetime of your mattress
- As the covers are usually waterproof, your mattress will be safe against liquid spills and other accidents
- Covers will save you time. No need to inspect or treat mattresses and box springs since they will be trapped within or bound to the outside of the cover where you can more easily handle them.
What to Look for in a Mattress Cover?
Size / Fit
You can either select a bed bug cover that covers the mattress or both the mattress and the box spring. In any case the cover should cover at least the entire mattress. The cover should not be too tights to fit the mattress nor should it be too large as it will fold and leave wrinkles where they could hide and will create noise and friction when you are sleeping.
Check the dimension of your mattress to ensure that the bed bug’s covers fit in width, length, and depth.
Fabric
Mattress covers for Bed bugs are usually manufactured with cotton, polyester or vinyl:
- Cotton is very breathable and comfortable. It also does not rustle with movement and is not noisy.
- Polyester is durable and soft as well as stretchy so less likely to tear
- Vinyl is a thick and waterproof material but is not so breathable and prone to ripping due to lack of stretch
Those fabrics are thick and resistant, with tight weaves, so that they do not let bed bugs pass through and bite through it. This is an essential criteria as the purpose of those covers is to trap bed bugs.
Cotton will disperse heat and wick away moisture due to its breathability and is less noisy whereas polyester is more durable and less prone to tearing. We do not advise that you pick a cover made of vinyl. We also looked for mattress covers that are easily launderable.
Hypoallergenic & Waterproof
Hypoallergenic Bed bug mattress covers help relieve people suffering from allergies. As they protect mattresses from allergens such as dust mites, pollen or pet dander due to their tight weave. Those weaves leave the allergens on the surface of the cover and can be washed off afterwards.
Bed bug covers can be waterproof by having liners or polyurethane membranes. This will protect your mattress from accidental liquid spills.
High quality and tight reinforced zippers
Most of the time they are not able to pass through Bed bugs covers as they are made of tight-knit fabric that they cannot bite or pass through. They can sometimes however find a way out through a broken zipper or if the zipper has large teeth with crevices between them. We took into consideration the quality of the zipper, the presence of reinforced seams, as well as the presence of a strip seal (also called zipper seal) that will ensure no gaping when sealed.
Certifications
Control experts test lab covers deliver certifications assuring that the material is resistant to bites and impenetrable by the bugs. Or ensure, as for instance the CertiPUR-US, that the covers do not contain harsh chemicals that are unhealthy, such as pollutants or heavy metals compounds. Best is to pick a cover that has received those certifications for efficiency and health reasons.
Other features to select the best mattress covers for bed bugs
Other features that we looked into are the price and the warranty of the covers. We also considered the noise created by the cover when switching sleeping positions
FAQ
How does a bed bug mattress cover work?
Bed bug cover will create an impermeable barrier between bed bugs and their host. As they will be deprived of food, they will die after a few months without being able to bite you.
Will a mattress cover stop bed bugs from biting me?
Anxiety and sleeping issues can arise from biting when you are sleeping. A Mattress protector will block them in your mattress from feeding on you and leaving bite marks. The bed bugs cover should however cover the entire mattress and you should fully close the zipper.
They could still nest and bite you in other places of the room (outside of the cover). This is why it is preferable to pick a cover that covers not only the mattress but also the box springs, so you can sleep without worrying about bites.
Do regular mattress covers do the job for bed bugs?
Regular mattress covers do not do the job against bed bugs. As the material used will allow them to bite and crawl through it. The zippers of regular mattress covers are also not suitable as bed bugs are able to pass through any small gaps or crevices due to their small size.
Should I also use bed bug cup interceptors?
Interceptor cups are made of a first cup to hold the bed legs and of an outlier moat to trap the bugs. They will not be able to climb your bed or other furniture with those pitfall traps. Cup interceptors used in combination with a mattress cover is a very efficient way to keep them away from your bed and mattress. Cup interceptors are a cost-effective solution that should be used in any strategy to eradicate bed bugs.
How long should you leave a bed bug cover?
Unless you spot any holes or rip in your cover you should leave it on for a long period. Indeed, according to different studies bed bugs can survive up to a year without food. So, you should keep your cover for a minimum of a year. We also advise you to keep the cover on your bed as a preventative measure even if there are no signs of infestation.
Should I throw away my former mattress if I have bed bugs?
You should not get rid of your current mattress during an infestation. First, because this is very unlikely that it will solve the problem as the bugs and their eggs can be found in many other places than the mattress such as the box springs or furniture close to the bed. Secondly, it is not cost-effective. You will indeed save money by purchasing a mattress cover compared to buying a whole new mattress.
Are there Covers for Couches?
Bed bugs can also hide in other furniture where there are humans such as couches or Sofas. This is why you should also encase couches or Sofia during an infestation.
We advise you to purchase from manufacturers specialized in couch or sofa covers for bed bugs such as Everest Supply or SofaSafe.
Reviews of the Best Mattress Covers for Bed bugs
Best budget: Utopia Bedding Waterproof Mattress Protector
The Utopia Bedding Waterproof Mattress cover is made of stretchable knitted polyester fabric. It will create a barrier between your mattress and them and encase them thanks to its tight weave fabric and a zipper without any gaps. The Utopia cover will also help prevent moisture damage and liquid spilling onto the mattress due to its waterproof backing.
This mattress cover will additionally protect your mattress for buildup of dust mites, pollen and other allergens on all six sides of your mattress. It is also easy to put on and off your mattress and is machine washable. However, the fabric is not the most breathable as it does not contain cotton, it could warm the bed and make you sweaty at night as its fabric could trap moisture. Solution for this is to cover the mattress protector with an additional cotton sheet. Unlike other polyester covers this one is noiseless when you are moving when sleeping. The Utopia Bedding Waterproof Mattress Protector is a good cost effective and reliable protection against bed bugs.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Protects your mattress against bed bugs, dust mites and other allergens
- Waterproof
- Machine washable
- Noiseless
Cons
- Not very breathable fabric
The Best mattress covers for bed bugs: SafeRest Premium Zippered Mattress Protector
The SafeRest cover is more than a simple protection for bed bugs; it combines waterproof and allergen cover with hypoallergenic cotton terry quality. Indeed, here you have a complete and reliable cover for bed bugs as the mattress covers all six sides. There is also a 360° Velcro flap zipper technology that will keep them inside. The premium cotton terry has a breathable membrane that is waterproof but also allows air flowing in and out. We found no noise during our test when switching positions at night. Best not to put it inside a dryer on high heat or iron as the waterproof layer could damage itself. SafeRest Premium Zippered Mattress Protector is free of vinyl, phthalates, or PVC and has a full replacement 10-year warranty and will last as it has a more than 200 machine wash durability rating.
Pro
- Reliable protection from bed bugs, dust mites and other allergens
- Hypoallergenic cotton containing no vinyl, phthalates, or PVC
- 10-year warranty on the cover
- 360° Velcro zipper will not let them through by preventing accidental openings
- Durable and machine-washable
Cons:
- Waterproof only on the mattress surface and not on the other side of the cover
- Iron and high heat drying can damage its waterproof properties
Best box spring cover: HOSPITOLOGY Zippered Box Spring Encasement
The HOSPITOLOGY Zippered Box Spring Encasement has been tested in a lab and proven to be 100% bed bug proof for both your mattress on all six sides and the box spring. The fact that both the box spring and the mattress will protect you from them crawling to you while you are asleep. Fabricated with soft polyester which is machine washable and waterproof. Sometimes polyester cover can lack breathability and trap heat, but that was not the case with the Hospitology cover during our test.
This mattress cover will prevent mold spores, bacterias, dust mites and other allergens from accumulating on your mattress.
Pros:
- Encase the box spring as well and not just the mattress
- Laboratory tested bed bug proof cover
- Machine washable and dryable
- 5-year manufacturer’s warranty
- The Fabric material is waterproof and breathable simultaneously
Cons:
- The waterproof layer of the cover can rustle a little when you are switching positions at night
- The Velcro that secures the zipper is not of the highest quality