Do you have bed bugs on your memory foam mattress, and don’t know how to remove them? Do you or other family members have red bites over your body? Are you worried about bed bugs in your mattress? Then, this article is for you.

Memory foam mattresses are widely used all around Canada. However, like other types of mattresses, they are also prone to bed bug infestation. As such, it is important to get rid of them as soon as you notice their presence.

Bed bugs are one of the most common pests in the world. Bed bug cases have been reported in virtually every region on Earth, including Toronto. Although their numbers fell into decline during the mid-20th century, a renaissance of bed bug infestations began in the 1980s and has largely continued till today.

Dealing with bed bugs on your memory foam mattress is not a complicated process. With a few simple steps, you can eliminate these pests. In this blog, we will discuss how to get rid of bed bugs in your memory foam mattress. More importantly, we will also discuss how to prevent future bed bug infestation.

The Harmful Effect Of Bed Bugs On Your Memory Foam

Bed bugs can live on any mattress, including memory foam. However, they’re more likely to live on the underside of the mattress rather than inside it. They also can’t burrow, so they can’t get inside a mattress unless there’s already an opening.

The fact that your mattress is memory foam will not protect you from an infestation. There’s nothing about this material that bed bugs don’t like. In a way, all mattresses are the same as far as bed bugs are concerned.

Although bed bug bites themselves aren’t harmful to humans, the effects of bed bug bites can lead to other health complications. Complications such as anemia, sleep deprivation and loss of blood are particular with these bites. Although the bites are intrinsically dangerous, they are itchy and will often require over-the-counter treatment for relief.

Another big problem with bed bugs, aside from the bugs themselves, is their eggs. The bugs themselves are time-consuming to eradicate, but at least they are visible. Their eggs are extremely hard to see. Therefore, they are very difficult to remove completely. Lastly, the presence of bed bugs on your memory foam mattress can make it produce unpleasant odours.

All of the effects described above will affect your comfort and sleeping routines. Most likely, their incessant bites will also make your sleep less enjoyable than it should be. They are a pesky nuisance that should be removed immediately.

Bed Bugs In Your Memory Foam Mattress: What To Do

Once you’ve realized your memory foam mattress has bed bugs, it is important to act speedily. Acting fast will help you curb the infestation. Below are a few things you can do to remove bed bugs from your memory foam mattress.

Wash your bed and beddings thoroughly

After stripping your bed, wash all your beddings in hot water. This will help kill any lingering bacteria or bugs on your bedding and toppers. Treating your bedding with insecticide is dangerous. As such, washing it in hot water is the next best thing. If you don’t have access to a washing machine, you can hand-wash it. Just be sure to use a dryer with high heat settings afterward.

Your memory foam mattress should not be left out of the equation. Clean your mattress using a stiff brush, water and baking soda or vinegar solution. Also, scrub your bed frame at the seams or in any places you’ve found evidence of bed bugs. Vacuum your entire bedroom; from the carpet and the mattress to baseboards around the bed. You can easily use the hose attachment on your vacuum to do this.

Sanitize your room

Any area in the room with corners or crevices is a good hiding spot for bed bugs. Therefore, it is important that you inspect everything carefully. Your dresser drawers shouldn’t be excluded as they are a potential hideout for bed bugs. Inspect all of these areas and clean them where necessary. Dirty corners and crevices are a good breeding ground for bed bugs.

Hire an exterminator for heat treatment

Bed bug exterminators usually use one of two methods. There’s the use of pesticides, which can be highly effective. Also, they can use heat treatment, where the temperature of your house/apartment is raised to 140 degrees or higher.

Heat treatment is the best because it penetrates through mattresses, furniture, and anything else in your home that might contain bed bugs. This means that if there are actually any bed bugs inside your mattress, then the heat will be able to kill them. The same can’t be said for pesticides.

The only problem is that heat treatment requires specialist equipment. It also requires at least four to six hours of work. While the air temperature rises quickly, the core temperature of mattresses and furniture rises slowly. Therefore, this increases the time spent heating up the room. These two points mean that heat treatment is often more expensive than pesticides.

Treat infested areas

This can be a solution if you don’t have the time or the money to hire an external exterminator. After you’ve cleaned and vacuumed and scrubbed, it’s time to spray your room with chemicals that will deter bed bugs. Spray EPA-approved liquid insecticides on any affected areas, taking care not to excessively spray your mattress. Also, follow the directions on the packaging for the best results.

Take care to only use insecticides specified for mattresses. Treating your memory foam mattress with insecticide should be a last resort when you really don’t want to get rid of your bed. Most insecticides kill bed bugs on contact, but once the solution dries, it won’t have any effect on bed bugs that come across it.

This means that if the bed bug infestation is from somewhere else in your room, you may have to keep introducing chemicals into your sleeping space. Doing this is highly unrecommended. Therefore, it is better you use insecticides as a quick fix before you have time to clean, vacuum and exterminate your room.

How To Protect Your Memory Foam Mattress Against Future Attack

Generally, prevention is the best way to keep bed bugs away from your memory foam mattress. There are a few things you can do to prevent bed bugs from growing in your memory foam mattress. Although these steps are actions you need to take regularly, they are highly effective in the prevention of bed bugs.

Always use clean bedsheets

The first thing you need to focus on is to keep your pillow covers as well as your bedsheets clean and dry. Don’t let the bed bugs grow in your memory foam mattress. Keeping your bedsheets dry and clean makes it difficult for bed bugs to reproduce. As a result, you will be able to protect yourself from an infestation.

Keep your surroundings clean

Bed bugs thrive in dirty environments. If the corners and crevices of furniture and other fixtures in your room are dirty, you are leaving your mattress open to the possibility of an attack. This is why it is very important to always keep your bedroom and underneath your mattress clean.

Debunk or isolate your mattress

Move it away from the wall and put bed bug interceptor cups beneath each of your bed stands. These cups contain insecticide which will trap and kill any bed bugs that may try to climb up the legs of the bed. Ensure that nothing on your bed touches the floor. Also, avoid using a bed skirt, wide blankets, or any other bedding that touches the ground.

Seal all openings

If you can find out how bed bugs are getting into your room, then it is vital that you seal the entrance points. Sometimes, the bugs may be coming from your window. Other times, it may be from your clothes. Therefore, seal all unnecessary openings and discard infested clothes.

Conclusion

Your memory foam mattress can be a hiding place for bed bugs if you allow it. You can make your mattress less appealing by spraying it with pesticides. If you suspect you have bed bugs, take steps immediately to eradicate them, as infestations can spread fast to other areas. Bed bugs can be found in even the cleanest of homes. In fact, it takes only one contaminated furniture to start an infestation. Therefore, be very careful when bringing back items into your home.

Finally, to remove bed bugs completely from your memory foam mattress, you can hire a professional exterminator for heat treatment. With the above-listed protection measures, you will be able to keep your house and mattress free of bed bugs. Do you have more questions about maintaining memory foam beds? Perhaps you are looking for an online store to buy a memory foam mattress. Check out our store today. Alternatively, you can speak to any of our representatives today!

Sleep Masters Toronto

How To Remove Bed Bugs In Your Memory Foam Mattress