Bedbugs on Mattress: How to Identify, Remove, and Prevent Infestations

Introduction

Waking up with mysterious bites or seeing small bugs crawling on your mattress can be alarming. Unfortunately, bedbugs are a growing problem worldwide, infesting homes, hotels, schools, and other places where humans sleep. While these parasitic insects do not spread disease, they can cause significant itchiness, anxiety, and sleeplessness. Learning to identify, treat, and prevent bedbug infestations is crucial for getting rid of them quickly and limiting their spread.

Bedbugs often congregate on mattresses and bedding, hiding in crevices and seams during the day then emerging at night to feed on human blood. An infestation can go unnoticed for some time, as the bugs are sneaky hitchhikers that spread by latching onto clothing, luggage, furniture and more. Being able to recognize the signs of bedbugs on mattress is the first step in controlling an infestation before it gets out of hand. Thorough, repeated treatment will be needed to fully eliminate the pests.

Identifying Bed bugs on Mattresses

Knowing how to spot bedbugs and their traces allows you to address an infestation in its early stages. Here are the key signs that point to the presence of bedbugs on mattresses:

1. Appearance of Bedbugs

• Adult bedbugs are oval-shaped, wingless, and flattened from top to bottom. They are small insects, measuring only about 1/4 to 3/8 inches long when fully grown.
  
• Bedbugs are reddish-brown in color, similar to an apple seed. Their bodies swell and darken after feeding.
  
• Newly hatched bedbugs are nearly colorless, allowing them to be almost invisible. As they molt and mature, they become browner.
  

1. Evidence of Bedbugs on Mattresses

• Dark stains on your mattress from bedbug droppings and blood smears. These will be concentrated along seams, edges and tufts.
  
• Shed skins from molting bedbugs. The translucent, light brown skins are left behind as nymphs mature.
  
• Living bedbugs of any life stage - eggs, nymphs or adults. The bugs may scatter when disturbed.
  
• A musty, sweet, stale odor from secretions bedbugs produce. The scent is noticeable in heavy infestations.
  
• Itchy bite marks on your body in the morning, often in zig-zag lines or clusters. Bites can take days to appear for some people.
  

1. Where Bedbugs Hide on Mattresses

• Deep inside seams, folds, and tufts on mattresses and box springs. Bedbugs love to wedge themselves into these cracks.
  
• Under mattress tags and labels. These provide cover for the pests.
  
• Inside box springs if fabric covering on bottom is ripped or missing. This creates access to the interior.
  
• Headboards attached to beds also provide good hiding spots for bedbugs.
  

1. Other Common Bedbug Hideouts

While mattresses are a bedbug magnet, they also lurk in many other areas of bedrooms:

• Crevices and joints in bed frames and headboards
  
• Under loose edges of wallpaper, flooring, and tile
  
• Inside picture frames, furniture, electrical outlets and clocks
  
• Among clutter piles of books, papers, stuffed animals and more
  
• Inside cracks in plaster, baseboards, door frames and window casings
  

Identifying bedbugs promptly can help contain infestations before they spread throughout a home. Mattress To Door, with locations across Canada, has affordable mattresses to replace infested ones, starting at just $249 with free shipping. Reach out for guidance battling bedbugs!

Removing Bed bugs from Mattresses

Once you suspect bedbugs have infested your mattress, taking quick action is key. While some cases may warrant complete mattress replacement, there are several steps you can try to kill bedbugs and eggs on mattresses:

1. Isolate and Discard Infested Mattresses

• Heavy infestations may make mattresses unsalvageable. Wrap them in plastic sheeting and seal tightly before removing to prevent bug migration.
  
• Destroy highly infested mattresses to eliminate all bedbugs. Cutting or tearing fabric provides removal access.
  
• Alternatively, have mattresses professionally treated by heated, fumigated or frozen to kill bedbugs inside.
  

1. Vacuum the Mattress Thoroughly

• Use a brush attachment to agitate and dislodge bedbugs from seams and tufts.
  
• Run crevice tool along every seam and fold. Insert into tufts to suck out bugs and eggs.
  
• Vacuum all sides - top, bottom and sides. Pay close attention to tags and labels.
  
• Empty the vacuum contents in a sealed bag immediately afterwards.
  

1. Apply Steam Treatments

• Steam penetration kills live bedbugs and eggs on contact. Move nozzle slowly along seams.
  
• Pay special attention to tufts, folds, edges and corners where bedbugs congregate.
  
• Follow up with repeat vacuuming to remove bedbug remains and debris.
  

1. Use Residual Pesticides

• Always carefully read and follow pesticide label application instructions. Never overapply.
  
• Lightly spray or dust registered products into mattress seams, tufts, edges and interior box spring.
  
• Encase mattresses after treatment to limit human contact with residues.
  

1. Enclose Mattresses in Bedbug-Proof Covers

• Mattress and box spring encasements trap bedbugs inside and prevent their escape.
  
• Ensure encasements are high quality with tight, zippered closures. Avoid tears, holes or poor seams.
  
• Continually monitor sealed mattresses for at least 1 year of bedbug starvation.
  

Preventing Bed bugs on Mattresses

While eradicating bedbugs requires effort, preventing infestations in the first place is more straightforward:

1. Carefully Inspect Secondhand Mattresses

• Thoroughly check any used or secondhand mattresses for signs of bedbugs before bringing home.
  
• Look in seams, tufts, labels, edges and box spring interior for live/dead bugs and dark stains.
  
• Avoid inheriting someone else's bedbug problem by mistake.
  

1. Isolate and Treat Infested Items Immediately

• Quickly contain mattresses, bedding or furniture with bedbugs before bugs spread.
  
• Professional treatment or replacement is best for heavy infestations to avoid recurrence.
  

1. Install Mattress Encasements

• Zippered, bedbug-proof mattress and box spring encasements prevent pest access.
  
• High-quality cases with no tears or gaps cut off hiding spots and contain outbreaks.
  

1. Reduce Clutter Around and Under Beds

• Eliminate bedbug hiding spots by removing clutter and belongings from floors.
  
• Without hoards of items to hide in, monitoring for bedbugs is easier.
  

1. Vacuum and Sanitize Mattresses Regularly

• Frequent, thorough vacuuming destroys bedbugs and removes eggs before they hatch.
  
• Steam cleaning kills bugs on contact and provides residual protection.
  
• Follow up with mattress encasements to limit future infestations.
  

1. Conduct Annual Bedbug Inspections

• Have a pest management professional inspect for bedbugs once a year.
  
• Routine inspections detect early infestations before major spread occurs.
  

Vigilance and proactive measures go a long way in keeping bedbugs out of mattresses. But if an infestation does occur, Mattress To Door has affordable mattress replacements starting at just $249 with free shipping. Don't live with bedbugs - we can help!

Getting Rid of Bed bugs on Mattresses

For serious infestations, ridding mattresses and bedding of bedbugs often requires professional pest control treatment. Additional options include mattress disposal and replacement.

1. Seek Professional Pest Control Help for Severe Infestations

• Extensive bedbug infestations usually warrant professional pest management.
  
• Experienced exterminators have specialized equipment, insecticides and techniques to eliminate bedbug hideouts.
  
• Heat treatments, chemical fumigation and freezing services can eradicate bedbugs where they lurk.
  

1. Discard and Replace Infested Mattress Sets

• Disposing of heavily infested mattresses and box springs is the only way to destroy all bedbugs.
  
• This option avoids using pesticides and provides complete elimination.
  
• Be sure to destroy the infested items so they are not reused and spread bedbugs further.
  
• Always encase new mattress sets to protect from future infestations.
  

1. Purchase New Mattresses from Mattress To Door

• If bedbugs have ruined your mattress, Mattress To Door provides affordable replacement mattresses starting at just $249 with free shipping.
  
• As a Canadian company with locations across the country, we offer quick delivery of quality mattresses straight to your door.
  
• Our supportive foam and hybrid mattresses come encased in bedbug-proof covers to prevent any future infestations.
  
• Enjoy a 10-year warranty and 90-night sleep trial on any mattress you purchase from Mattress To Door.
  
  

Location	Hours	Phone
Mississauga	Mon-Fri: 10AM-8:30PM Sat-Sun: 11AM-7:30PM	(647) 530-9100
Brampton	Mon-Fri: 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM Sat-Sun: 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM	(437) 237-1145
London	11:00 AM to 7:30 PM All days open except Monday	(226) 926-6301
Hamilton	10:30 AM to 7:00 PM All days open except Monday	(289) 244-3578
Scarborough	10:30 AM to 7:00 PM All days open	(905) 667 7049

 

Conclusion

Dealing with bedbugs is frustrating, stressful, and disruptive to sleep. But identifying signs of infestations early, isolating areas affected, and taking thorough elimination measures can get rid of the pests for good. Provide bedbugs no refuge by sealing mattress seams and reducing clutter around beds. Seek professional treatment if DIY efforts fail to destroy the infestation entirely. And for affordable mattress replacements, remember Mattress To Door's $249 mattresses with $0 shipping. Don't let bedbugs make you lose sleep - take back control!