Reddit mentions of Utopia Bedding Zippered Mattress Encasement - Waterproof Mattress Protector (Twin)

Enzyme cleaner is the way to go with the mattress (I have a cat who has bladder control issues). Soak it down, let it dry, then cover it with this baby. Bonus points for being bed bug proof! I also cover this mattress cover with a cheap one from Sam's club, as it's easier to wash, similar to this one. The zippered mattress cover is my backup in case there's an accident while the other cover is in the wash

Several years ago I had a bed bug problem. Not nearly as bad as some others I've seen, but a regular problem. I got rid of it myself with about six months of work.

Because bed bugs are attracted to your breath while you sleep, most of your work will be in and around your bed.

First you have to wash your sheets every week. Strip the bed and put the sheets in a plastic garbage bag to prevent spreading the bugs or eggs around your house or apartment, then throw the bags away once you get the sheets in the wash.

While the bed is stripped, inspect the box spring and bed frame for bugs and eggs. I used strips of scotch tape to gently lift any bugs I found without crushing them and spilling their blood all over my walls.

Twice a week, move the bed out from wherever it sits and clean the area under it. If it's carpeted, use a handheld steam cleaner to slowly blast steam all over the carpet to kill any eggs that may be buried there, then vacuum the entire area. Then spray the carpet with a bed bug spray.

Examine the ceiling, walls, and baseboards around the bed. Bed bugs love to hide in any little crack in your paint, or dent in your wall, or crevice between your baseboard and the dry wall. Again, use the scotch tape to lift any visible bugs off and throw them away. Run a vacuum cleaner hose attachment over the baseboards and the point at which two walls meet, or the wall and ceiling meet. Spray the bed bug spray on these areas.

Carefully examine any electrical outlets near your bed. This is where I found quite a few bugs hiding. Unscrew the outlet cover and look on the back side of it for any bugs there, and look in the outlet wall cavity for bugs. Don't stick metal back there or try to spray liquid. Instead, I used a powder twice a week.

Buy a bed bug mattress cover and one for your box spring if you have one.

While you're doing all this it's important to not change where you sleep, even though you may be getting devoured at night by bed bugs. They're attracted to your breath so if you try sleeping in another area of your home they may just follow you there and infest other furniture.

These are the steps that worked for me. Again, I did them once or twice a week for a solid six months. I never called an exterminator. My landlord tried to use some "bug bombs" from Home Depot but I found they did not work.

After a bedbug scare, I decided not to screw around any more and went hard with these. They do crinkle a little bit, and they run a little big (so you can put a topper on, or for deep mattresses, which most foam are not) but they’re cheap, work great, don’t tear and once you suck the air out they don’t bubble up much. I’m very happy with them and use them on our beds at home too.


Utopia Bedding Zippered Mattress Encasement - Waterproof Mattress Protector (Twin) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SVHTFPU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9lhVDbVVSDNGX

i got one from this brand on amazon. it's still going strong