As their name suggests, bed bugs love to hide on the bed. Of course, you can stop the infestation by spraying anti-bed bugs spray on your mattress and bed. Besides, daily cleaning and vacuuming also reduce the chances of bed bugs living on your bed. But can bed bugs live and thrive in your memory foam mattress?
We are here to find the answer to this question.
Can Bed Bugs Live In Memory Foam Mattress?
To answer in short, yes, bed bugs can also live on memory foam mattresses. However, in all probability, they will live and grow on the underside of the mattress and not inside it. Since these insects cannot dig holes, they won’t get inside your mattress; however, if there is an existing opening, they can get inside that.
There is nothing about memory foam to repel bed bugs. Thus they can very easily live on your memory foam bed like any standard mattress. They only find it challenging to walk through hair owing to their body shape. Besides, they are broad and lack claws to latch on to things.
But the surface of a memory foam mattress poses no such challenge; thus, they can easily survive. However, manufacturers often spray the memory foam beds with pesticides which reduce the chance of any bed bug infestation.
Can bed bugs grow on your memory foam bed?
Generally, bed bugs don’t live inside mattresses; they prefer staying on the surface. However, from time to time, they do get inside nooks.
Bed bugs are most commonly found in the following areas:
How to debug your memory foam mattress?
Now that you know the answer to “Can bed bugs live In memory foam mattress?”, it’s time to find out how to get rid of it.
While it’s challenging to spot bed bugs living inside an electrical outlet or behind a closet, identifying them on the mattress is pretty straightforward. If there are bed bugs on your memory foam mattress, you will see either one or a couple of these signs:
First Step: Identifying Bed Bugs
Bed bug dropping
Naturally, these are left after the bed bugs have digested their meal, i.e., blood. Bed bug feces are often black or dark brown in color and get soaked in the fabric. It often looks like a tiny ink stain.
Small bloodstains
These are left when the bed bugs go back to their hiding. The blood either drops from the insect’s mouth or your skin before it heals.
Old shells
Bed bugs have multiple life stages called instars. While progressing from one instar to another, they shed their shell. This is how they grow from a nymph to an adult bed bug. These shells have a unique characteristic; they dry but never rot.
Bite
Bed bug bite marks are similar to mosquito bite marks, tiny red dots that look like skin bumps. These marks are very itchy and surface in clusters. This is because multiple bed bugs feast at the same time on an exposed skin patch.
If you have bed bugs on your bed, you will likely see one or a few of these signs. However, people who are not allergic to bed bugs may not find any marks on their skin.
How to get rid of bed bugs from memory foam beds?
If you find the signs mentioned above in your mattress, it’s almost for sure you have bed bugs infesting your bed. Thankfully, there are a few ways to eliminate them.
Encase your mattress
A mattress encasement is one of the best ways to keep bed bugs at bay. There are big zip lock bags that fit perfectly on the exterior of the mattress. Most mattress encasements are made from rigid plastic or fabrics. These neither let bed bugs get in nor get out.
Though mattress encasements don’t kill bed bugs, they ensure that the insects cannot feed.
Thus, with a mattress encasement around, you can sleep soundly at night while the bed bugs starve. However, the process of elimination is time-consuming and takes approximately 2-3 months.
Spay treatment on your mattress
While you may not be able to spray pesticides inside your mattress, you can spray the sides, and while doing that, if you find any nest, make sure you spray those well.
Spaying kills bed bugs directly, and its after-effects also eliminate any surviving insects. Bed bug sprays are often effective and take 2-3 treatments to show results.
Though bed bug repellent sprays (if you use one) won’t kill bed bugs, they will stop them from coming out of the mattress at night to feed, thereby killing them of starvation eventually.
Wash your bed sheets well
It’s mandatory to regularly take off and wash your bed sheets in hot water. This will kill any bacteria or bed bugs that may have found their way to your bed. Even if you are hand washing, dry the sheets in high heat settings after cleaning.
Besides, it’s necessary to clean your mattress with a stiff brush, baking soda, and water. Plus, wash your bed frame and wipe the areas where you found traces of bed bugs. Finally, don’t forget to vacuum your bedroom, carpet, and mattress from time to time.
Sealing the bed
Some people find mattress encasements expensive, thankfully there is another inexpensive option they can try, which is sealing.
In this method, seal any opening the bed bugs are using to get in and out of your mattress. If you have an old mattress or if the zip is not done correctly or in case your mattress fabric has a tear, chances are bed bugs are using these as travel portals. It will only take a few minutes to seal these openings, and that is what you should do.
In the process, you will also be sealing some of the bugs inside, thus preventing them from biting you.
Using heat treatment
If things get out of hand, hiring a professional exterminator is advisable. Mostly bed bug exterminators use two methods, pesticides and heat treatment. While the first option is effective, the second option is effective and safe. In the heat treatment method, the house temperature is raised to 140 degrees or more.
This is the best option since the heat penetrates through the mattress and furniture or anything else that might have bugs growing on it.
Though this treatment is safe and effective, it requires special gear. Plus, the treatment takes 5-6 hours to do because it takes time to raise the core temperature of the mattress or furniture. Finally, heat treatment is also a bit more expensive than pesticide spraying.
You May Also Read: Do Dryer Sheets Repel Bed Bugs?
Why should you not get a new mattress?
Indeed a bed bug infestation is irritating, and if it lasts for over months, it might frustrate you to the core. But no matter what you do, it’s not a good idea to throw away the infested mattress and replace it with a new one.
Finally, buying a new mattress is expensive; instead, treating a bed bug infestation is cheaper and more effective.
Can bed bugs thrive on memory foam toppers?
Though bed bugs can live in your memory foam toppers, they prefer staying under the mattress. Since memory foam toppers are on the top, it’s dangerous for the bed bugs since they might be exposed. On the other hand, the underside of the bed is a more secure place.
Ideally, bed bugs want to live as close to the host as possible to feed easily. Having bed bugs living on your mattress is a menace; however, you can protect your memory foam mattress from its attack by following the tips shared in this piece.
I hope, I have been able to answer the question “Can Bed Bugs Live In Memory Foam Mattress?”, if you still have any confusion, please let me know in the comment box.