apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

my first reaction... OMG!!! Has it become so damned commonplace for bedbugs to be in my home that i can get a bed condom at a mainstream retailer...uggh!!! before i moved to NY from California, i used to have no qualms buying furniture at a flea market, or adopting something on the curb. now, i wouldn't think of that unless it was a close friends gear, or something with just hardwood so the little nasties cant really find a place to hide. (at least in my mind) it's bad enough to see one of those damned jersey centipedes haul ass across my wall like some massive eye with too many eyelashes on it, much less bed bugs. gaah!!!!

Pointless. Once you have bedbugs your wallboards, books, TV, stereo, clothing...in short everything you OWN is infested. Why stress about the mattress? You'll be throwing it all out.

I wouldn't buy this product. I would buy Protect-A-Bed’s AllerZip, the only encasement that has been proved in independent studies to work.

As Bedbugger.com explains, zippers have a tendency to open slightly, and only one mattress (and pillow) encasement brand "kept bed bugs from escaping even if the zipper was not completely closed. This gives added protection, since even if the zipper is open by one to two teeth, bed bugs will be kept in." http://bedbugger.com/encasements/

Follow the link to buy online at a discount. And in case you're wondering, no, I don't have any affiliation with this company. I'm just a bed bug sufferer.

Bedbugger.com is the best bed bug information resource on the Internet. Pest control operators and longtime veterans of the scourge post there.

If you have or suspect you might have bed bugs, do not rely on random information you encounter on apartment decor sites and the like. Go to Bedbugger.com to find out what you need to do.

hmmm interesting prey... i mean yes, bedbugger has a wealth of info on the nastiness, but for you to close with "do not rely on random information you encounter on apartment decor sites and the like." just seems to be an excessive dig on AT. You might want to tone it down a bit in future, lest you come off as an angry lurker.

Riiiiight.

don't they live in wood joints and appliances and what not?

both of these products are useless. the bbs do not live just in the mattress. and what would you do, take a bedbuggy mattress, seal it up and continue sleeping on it? gross.

Didn't mean to offend. I won't be posting in the future, however, and can't be construed as an angry lurker, because I don't read Apartment Therapy.

I ended up at this post because a friend sent it to me, and I'm concerned that people might think these encasements are bed-bug-proof when, so far as I know, no independent test data is available. Bedbugger lists the results of tests on six different encasements; one of those is or was sold at Bed Bath and Beyond, and fared badly. It sucks to spend $90 on something to prevent bugs from escaping or entering your mattress only to find that the thing is not, in fact, much of a deterrent.

Again, I'm sorry that my tone seemed unduly combative. One other thing I've observed on the rare visits to this site is that people are enthusiastically encouraged to buy used furniture, and in this era, especially if you live in a major city, that's just not a good idea.

But again, I won't be posting in the future. Thanks.

i agree with you "prey"......you definitely run the risk with used furniture of bed bugs. i got them from a meditation retreat in california myself...as a consequence I practically had to burn my place down......

luckily they are not a health hazard just a nuisance and if you do buy used furniture check for any signs...does the seller have sores on their neck, ankles, and hands? are there any blood stains on the walls? or just straight out ask the seller...and remember just because they are wealthy doesn't mean they don't have them... bedbugs are not based no indication of a person's hygeine like lice...totally different...they are hosts that suck your blood.

ubertimmo, bedbugs can absolutely live in wood furniture.

once these nasty bugs are in, they'll get into your electrical outlets and hide within the walls too.

i haven't gone through this myself, but i have helped friends move out of bed bug infested apartments... i have heard their stories - how they had to throw out practically all of their stuff -- any tiny little hole in any kind of furniture can be hiding spot for one of these critters. and if they bite you - it's painfully itchy-- big welts and all...then medication is required. i guess if i had experienced this, my comment would appear unintentionally angry as well. i didn't take prey's comment as all that bad - just a warning from someone who's been there.
i've seen comments from other AT'ers that are ALOT more excessive and angry than prey's.

umm i forgot to add comments in other posts - not this one. lol sorry
:-P

I agree with LBhirise, once you have them you have them.
Though if you have a cover like this, you will be able to find bedbugs easier and not have to throw out your mattress if you do get them.

AND anyone who has had bedbugs and is online, as we have - has heard of Bedbugger.com and it's their bible.
Where all the facts & myths are laid out about bedbugs.

We didn't have them in our mattress but in our wood bedframe and our couch - as confirmed by Jada the bedbug sniffing dog.

It seems a temporary fix at best. Temporary as in a night or two. What's to keep the ones on the wall, frame, floor, sheets, etc from making a home on top the sheet?

I always thought bedbugs only functioned in the expression...until I moved to NYC. Even though I live by myself, I was so paranoid about getting an infestation from neighbors, or visits to my friend's apartment in the infamous McKibben Lofts. Ick, I'm itching just thinking about it...

No, I would not buy this product. I appreciate the concerns raised about avoiding used furniture. But is new furniture all that safe either? The off-gassing of glues and materials can cause headaches, etc. Plus, there's the environmental impact. And bed bugs can crawl out of suitcases or down the hall from your less-careful neighbors.

I try to take the middle way here: I purchased a new mattress and sofa. Our "used" furniture came from a trusted source, my sweetie's boss.

What is good about a mattress incasement is that if you do have a brand new mattress and somehow bedbugs find their way to your apt - you don't have to throw out your mattress.
$90 vs buying a whole new mattress is better to me.

A mattress has lots of seams and little holes the bugs can easily hide in. And yes they can hide everywhere - books, wall sockets, furniture, clothes etc. With the incasement I just like being able to rule out one area that they could possibly be in.

I bought one of these for my twin bed in my dorm room. Though i don't suspect any bed bugs are anywhere on campus, it's better safe than sorry. I understand everyone's comments, but I have highly sensitive skin, and would not be able to stand this. I don't even like bugs, so...na thank you. I was very pleased with it. Paid about $30 I think the 50-90 may be for larger sizes. I felt very safe sleeping on it (though once again I can't imagine anything surviving the summer with nothing to feed off of). If I were to move into an apartment, it would either be a new mattress, and I would spend the 50-90 to cover it. While everyone has their doubts I am very thankful for this as I was so afraid of bed bugs before I went shopping at BB&B. Just my opinion.

I actually just removed it from the dorm mattress and I noticed that even if you don't like it, in my opinion it has dual use. I ALWAYS use mattress covers, and this served as one (maybe not as thick, but who cares?), and keeping the bugs off of me and my nice sheets. So this was a nice $30 mattress cover. :D