The Best Mattress Encasements

Are you waking up with strange bites on your body that weren’t there when you went to bed? This could be a sign of bed bugs. If you’re finding strange bites, fecal stains around your mattress, or actually see a bed bug, you may want to invest in the best bed bug mattress encasement you can find. These are also great for relieving allergies from dust mites, not just for bed bugs, and will prolong the lifespan of your mattress. Read on to take a look at our top picks currently on the market, followed by a buyer’s guide discussing what you should look for when making your purchase, as well as the important benefits of mattress encasements.

Best Mattress Encasements

Buyers Guide

Benefits of a Mattress Encasement

The key benefits of purchasing a mattress encasement are to protect your mattress from bed bugs, all fluids such as incontinence, accidental spills if you’re eating or drinking while in bed, dust mites and bacteria that may flare up allergy symptoms and disrupt your sleep. You can purchase encasements that are designed to be placed over your mattress or box spring, giving you optimal protection and peace of mind that your sleeping surface will be as clean and hygienic as possible. Whether it’s a proactive or reactive purchase – if you’ve just discovered bed bugs, or have experienced them in the past and want to take extra precautions – you can’t go wrong with purchasing a mattress encasement.

Detecting Bed Bugs Before Buying An Encasement

The key to finding a good mattress encasement is knowing exactly what you’re looking for once you’ve determined that you may have bed bugs. How can you be sure that you have a bed bug infestation before you go and spend money on an encasement? Well, here’s what you can do:

Inspect Your Sleeping Areas And Upholstered Furniture

Look under fitted sheets, along mattress edges, inspect the box spring, pay close attention to the four corners under the guards, and look under the box spring where the dust cover is. If you don’t see any bugs, take this next precautionary measure.

Install An Interception Device or Active Monitor

If you don’t see bed bugs, the next thing to do would be to install devices under the beds and couches where the legs are. They will intercept the bed bugs as they move around their breeding grounds. The best way to use these is to keep them in place for 2-4 weeks and check them once every few days. An active monitor is a trap that uses CO2 and/or other chemicals to lure and detect the presence of bugs. These are more expensive than the inception devices.

Install Mattress And Box Spring Encasements

Ah, the encasements. These wonderful items wrap around your mattress and boxspring and detect the bugs. They also help to keep the bugs that are already there, in, and the bugs trying to get in, out.

Pest Control

Expensive, but effective. These professionals are qualified, know what they’re looking for and where to look. They can detect an infestation at its lowest level and take the necessary treatment measures.

Finding A Good Mattress Encasement

If you have bed bugs or would just prefer to be cautious, either way you need to know how to find an encasement that will work for you. First, it’s important to know the difference between an encasement and a cover/mattress protector.

– Mattress Encasement 

This completely surrounds your mattress and box spring and secures with a zipper so that bed bugs can’t get through. The bed bugs that are already inside can’t get out to eat, so they eventually won’t survive as they don’t have a food source.

– Mattress Cover/Protector

Chemically impregnated mattress covers aren’t repellent enough against blood-thirsty bed bugs. It’s unlikely that they can control bugs by killing them after coming in contact with the fabric. It can take hours or days for pesticides to kill bed bugs. Also, these covers don’t prevent them from infesting the inside of your mattress and box spring.

In order for an encasement to work properly, you need to ensure that it can keep the bugs out, or in, depending on whether you’re preparing for them or trying to get rid of them. The zipper is the crucial part of this equation. If the zipper has teeth that are spaced too far apart, bugs may still be able to weave through them. Your encasement needs to be able to keep the bugs out, which means that the teeth need to be tight and small. Also, you should find an encasement that has a zipper lock or seal. You can’t have any spaces between the end of the teeth and the zipper.

– Protection

The next thing that’s important to mention is that you should protect your protection. That’s right, you want to make sure your encasement is protected. Once installed, it should never be taken off. You should also use felt padding for the rough edges around your bed frame, as this will keep the encasement from rubbing and tearing. Another option is to invest in a mattress protector to place over the encasement, which will ensure your mattress is secure and create extra space between you and potential bugs.

What to Consider When Purchasing a Mattress Encasement

– Budget

It’s important to assess your budget before you start looking online and in stores – how much are you willing to spend to protect your mattress? Since encasements are fitted underneath your sheets, they don’t need to be washed as often as your other bedding products, meaning that they’ll have a longer lifespan. This will ideally be a purchase to last you many years, but you don’t have to break the bank to protect your bed from bugs, dust mites or allergens. Most of the recommendations on our list are well under $100, with some even under $50, which is very reasonable if you consider costly alternatives (e.g. having to hire an exterminator to rid your bedroom of pesky bugs).

– Noise

While manufacturers of many mattress encasements claim that they’re noiseless – there won’t be rustling beneath you as you toss and turn during the night – you should always read through customer reviews to find out what others with first-hand experience are saying. Alternatively, noise may not be an issue for you at all, but it’s definitely something to be aware of (particularly if you have multiple sleepers in the same room, like your little ones sharing bunk beds).

– Material/Waterproofing

You’ll want to make sure that the product you’re looking at specifies waterproof or water resistant qualities, so that your mattress is protected from unexpected spills. It’s key that your mattress encasement is thick enough to prevent any liquids penetrating through to your bed. Look out for durable materials such as polyester, and again read through customer reviews to make sure that waterproof claims are in fact accurate.

The Dangers Of Bed Bugs

Some people may think that a bed bug is no different than a flea. This couldn’t be more wrong! Bed bugs are pesky little parasites that can make you very ill if you don’t get rid of them, and they’re harder to kill than fleas. Bed bugs may not seem like a huge deal since you can’t see them, and you may be one of the few that don’t have a reaction to them. Let me explain to you what these little blood suckers can do:

– They Can Cause Insomnia

They may cause insomnia in some sleepers, skin problems from extreme itching, anxiety and even severe allergic reactions in rare cases.

– Allergic Symptoms

Allergic symptoms can include painful swelling, anaphylaxis and enlarged bite marks if you have a bed bug infestation and it’s left untreated.

How Did I Get Bed Bugs?

It really isn’t that hard to pick up these nasty bugs. They’re experts at playing hide and seek because of their slim bodies that can squeeze into virtually anywhere. Bed bugs are usually transported from place to place while traveling. They can get into your luggage, clothes, hair, bedding, furniture and more.

It’s also possible for these bugs to travel through walls and into apartments or houses that may be next to each other. They can get into any place in your home, which is why it’s pivotal to have something protecting your bed.

Conclusion

After comparing all of the reviews and looking at all of the ratings, the encasement that I’d want on my mattress is the Utopia Bedding Mattress Encasement. This is based on the fact that it has the best reviews, and only minimal complaints. Also, it’s been lab tested, proven to be completely bug proof, hypoallergenic and is very affordable. When it comes to bed bugs and allergens, you can never be too safe. That’s why this product from Utopia Bedding would be the ideal choice, but our other recommendations are also popular options that should keep your mattress protected for years to come.

Additional Resources

• How to Check For Bed Bugs
• How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Naturally