Bed bug infestations cause a lot of discomfort and stress to homeowners across the country. One of the places they like to hide and procreate is on beds, and mattresses to be precise.
Are Air Mattress Favorable For Bed Bugs To Live In?
No, they cannot!
Air mattresses do not offer bed bugs a conducive environment to hide and breed. They are effective because they are constructed with PVC or vinyl. The stubborn pests prefer soft materials, wood, and fabric to hide. They like locations where they can hide under a lip or burrow inside. An air mattress does not provide such an environment. Since these types of mattresses do not offer a great ground to hide as well as set up a colony, bed bugs are exposed. Consequently, they avoid choosing such a mattress as their hiding spot.
Note: Although that is the case, bed bugs can still be found beneath a fitted sheet commonly placed over the air press. The good thing is that dealing with the pests in such a situation is a lot easier than cleaning off the entire bed. All you need to do is wash your sheets often, using extremely hot water that is effective at killing and eliminating their eggs. Since they are incredibly hard to see with your naked eyes, it is prudent to wash your bedsheets as often as possible.
The other important thing to note is that they can find an excellent place to hide in the furniture close to an air mattress. They can also hide in stacks of clothes that you may leave lying on the floor. Therefore, you have to neat.
While bed bugs cannot live on an air mattress, it does not mean that your mattress is completely full proof.
Prevention
While they typically feed on blood after every 5-10 days, these pests boast the resilience to survive several months in a year without feeding.
Here are some of the precautions you can set in place to prevent the infestation of bed bugs in your home (and mattress):
- Always use a protective cover that encases box springs and mattresses to get rid of hiding spots. Most encasements have a light color that makes it easier to see the tiny pests. When buying a mattress encasement, ensure you purchase a high-quality one that is resistant to tearing. Regularly check it for holes.
- Check any signs of infestation on second-hand items.
- To reduce hiding spots for bed bugs, lessen clutter in your home.
- Frequently vacuum your home to get rid of any successful hitchhikers
- When you are using shared laundry facilities, be extremely vigilant. For instance, you should transport all items you intend to wash in plastic bags. Directly remove from the dryer into your bag and fold at home.
- Buy a portable heating chamber to burn all items you consider to have bed bugs
- Isolate your unit by:
- Sealing crevices and cracks around light sockets, baseboards etc in order to discourage movement via wall voids.
- Install door sweeps to prevent movement into lobbies.
If bed bugs have already infested your home, use these strategies to eliminate them completely.
Wood vs. Metal Bed Frame
Bed bugs are likely to hide everywhere, including your bed frame. Chances are high that you are using a wooden bed frame, which is what they like the most. A metal bed frame is the best alternative because they do not provide a breeding ground for bed bugs.
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