Top 5 Bed Bug Prevention Tips

The latest cold snap might not show it, but spring is upon us! That means it’s time to gear up for the summer camp season just around the corner. And we’ve got to ask—have you thought about bugs?

Bed bugs, specifically?

Even if you made it through last summer without an infestation, it’s always a good idea to be prepared! Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of, can cause itchiness and allergic reactions in campers, and they’re on the rise around the world. The last thing your camp needs is a bed bug invasion that may cost you thousands of dollars to exterminate—per bed!—before you’re ready to house campers.

Every year, the American Camp Association Camp Crisis Hotline receives calls from camps about bed bugs. Don’t be one of them. Our experts at MedMattress suggest a few simple, cost-effective ways to help prevent bed bugs before camp starts:

1. Birds & Bats = Bad News! Eliminate any neighboring bird and bat habitats that may serve as a safe-haven for bed bugs.
2. Campers can bring bugs, too. Some campers and staff could bring bed bugs to your camp without their knowledge. To reduce the chances of an accidental infestation, have camp residents store their stuff up off the floor. And if you provide hanging space for clothes, put any clothes racks as far away from sleeping areas as possible.
3. NEVER buy a secondhand mattress! If someone tries to pitch secondhand mattresses to you, run for the hills! It may seem like a good deal, but according to bed bug treatment experts, one of the single most common ways to get bed bugs in your home is through buying used furniture. (It would actually be illegal for us to sell used mattresses, in part for this reason.) At DiaMedical USA, we only sell new mattresses.
4. Cover your mattress! Put a zippered cover over your mattress to help keep bed bugs out before they get in, as well as improve the life of your sleep surface overall.
5. Choose a mattress cover or pre-covered mattress with inverted seams. When replacing a mattress, choose a mattress with a sewed-on cover with [simple_tooltip style=’color:#78be20;’ content=’What is an inverted seam, you ask?

   An inverted seam looks like two pieces of fabric “pinched” together with clearly defined borders.

   

   This continuous, sharp, clean line makes it nearly impossible for a bedbug to burrow into the core!’] inverted seams[/simple_tooltip].

If you’re looking for bed bug prevention covers or new mattresses this camp season, MedMattress has you covered (literally AND metaphorically speaking, this time!). Medmattress offers vinyl covers, vinyl covered mattresses, nylon covers, and nylon covered mattresses—all with inverted seams! Our mattresses come in innerspring, foam, and economy fiber versions, and all of them are fluid-resistant, anti-static, anti-bacterial, non-allergenic, and fire retardant. Order yours today, and invest in your camp’s future!