Recently, I had reviewed one of the best bed bug encasements available on the market. Encasements are great when you are dealing with a massive infestation and are taking necessary steps for treating your home. However, folks would also like to avoid bed bugs in the first place. Naturally, the question foremost on everyone’s minds is whether there is such a thing as ‘furniture that bed bugs don’t like?’ This way, bed bugs will not be tempted to live in our homes as they won’t have a place to hide and lay eggs. The search for bed bug resistant bed frames and couches is also high. So I thought I would talk about bed bug resistant bedding and other furniture that bed bugs avoid, in today’s article. I hope this guide will help you make an informed choice, should you be considering investing in new furniture, thanks to bed bug infestation.
Is there such a thing as bed bug resistant furniture?
Portland based non-profit organization may have actually developed bed bug resistant beds. The organization was very tired of dealing with bed bugs in their affordable housing schemes for the homeless. The city had been dealing with a massive bed bug infestation for a while, and the bugs were spreading everywhere thanks to such infested dwellings. For a while now, the organization and all those involved wanted a simpler, safer and natural approach to dealing with bed bugs rather than using toxic bed bug sprays. With that in mind, the organization had special bed bug resistant metal bed frames developed with the help of a popular metal fabrication company. Such bed bug resistant bed frames are treated using a special slippery coating and angled in such a way that makes it difficult for the bugs to make their homes into. The beds and the bed bug resistant mattresses are being sold at a modest price of $500 which is more or less what you would pay for a regular, modest bed frame and mattress.
Do bed bugs get into metal frames?
According to expert R. Smith, author of the book Bed Bugs- Identify, Eradicate and Prevention, bed bugs seem to prefer fabric and wood over metal and plastics. Therefore, he advises the use of metal bed frames rather than wood.The author also advises checking upholstered furniture and wooden bed frames for bed bugs in hotels and motels to avoid spending a night in an infested room.
Where to find bed bug resistant bed frames?
I strongly recommend metal framed beds. If you wish to save money, you can try making your existent bed frame resistant to bugs by spraying bed bug spray with long residual action. Many sprays continue to kill bed bugs for nearly 16 weeks after initial application. You could also contact PeszBros-the company that seems to be the pioneer in the bed bug resistant furniture.
Can couches and sofas have bed bugs? Where do bed bugs hide in couches?
Bed bugs can hide anywhere and your sofas and couches are likely infested as well. The thing about couches is that if you have leather or synthetic ones, then it will likely be more difficult for bed bugs to make their home into. Wooden sofa frames with upholstery have more hiding places compared to couches having leather or synthetic covers. Bed bugs can easily get inside the cracks and crevices in upholstered furniture. In order to know if your furniture has bed bugs, you must do a thorough inspection. You might see tell-tale signs like rust colored stains and discarded exoskeleton of bugs as well as dried blood spots. This is a clear indication that your sofa or couch is infested as well. Adult bed bugs can easily survive without a blood meal in your sofa. However, most bed bugs will come out at night to feed on human or animal blood. So if you or a guest sleeps on the sofa/couch, then they will likely be bitten. To answer your question as to whether there is a thing like bed bug resistant couch, I strongly recommend going in for vinyl, leather, rexine or artificial leather couches. While these will not guarantee complete freedom from bed bugs, the chances of bugs infesting these materials will be much lesser compared to upholstered or fabric sofas.
How to treat couches and sofas for bed bugs?
I recommend vacuuming and cleaning. Thoroughly clean these furniture pieces. You may also want t steam clean these items. Steam gets deep inside cracks and crevices and kills the adults, larvae and eggs. Check to make sure that the steam does not damage the sofa/couch material. Remember: there is no such thing as a bed bug free sofa. You will have to be diligent when you have bed bugs in any room as they can easily travel to your living room furniture as well. Continue monitoring the furniture and take all necessary steps to eradicate these bugs completely. Use zippered couch covers (or plastic couch cover with zipper) to protect your sofas and couches while treating other areas.
Bed bug resistant mattress
There are many products that are advertised as bed bug resistant mattresses. However, when you read the details you might see something like: ‘Cover only! Mattress not included!’ So what these manufacturers are selling is nothing but mattress encasements. I have already reviewed mattress encasements and I believe strongly that they can be great tools in your bed bug fighting arsenal. They are especially great if you are already dealing with an infestation as they can help protect you from getting bit. Encasements basically work by trapping the bed bugs inside the mattress while you are taking other precautions to get rid of the bugs in your house. The advantage of using encasement covers is that you can also protect against bacterial and fungal microorganisms. These covers are also good for people having allergies to dust mites etc.
Conclusion
Bottom line is that there is no 100% guarantee that you will have bed bug resistant furniture or bedding. There are some materials that bed bugs seem not to like as much as others. Metal, leather and synthetic or vinyl materials are harder to live in for these pests. So if you are planning to upgrade your furniture, you may want to choose these materials over others.
