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Prevention is the best cure, so regular cleaning can help keep these critters away.

4 perfect conditions that allow bed bugs to thrive in your mattress

1.

Image shows a person in blue disposable gloves pointing to bed bugs on a mattress

The more you use your mattress, the more the bed becomes coated in your scent.

And this smell is, unfortunately, the aroma of a bed bug’s food source.

In fact, an unaired mattress is a prime attraction for bed bugs.

A man changes white bed sheets on his luxury mattress

Bed bugs multiply quickly a single bed bug can lay over 100 eggs in her lifetime.

And they can move fast.

And despite what the name suggests, these pests don’t exclusively occupy the bed.

Bed bugs

They’re happy to settle down in all kinds of furniture.

3 ways to bed bug-proof your mattress

1.

Invest in a mattress encasement

We recommend everybody uses amattress protectorto guard your mattress from spills and stains.

A hand holds a vacuum mattress cleaner on the surface of a mattress, vacuuming for bed bugs, dust mites, dirt and allergens

But if you’re worried about bed bugs, consider investing in the total protection of a mattress encasement.

While mattress protectors cover the top and sides of a mattress, a mattress encasement covers the entire bed.

You simply zip the encasement closed, trapping bed bugs on the other side.

Two women stand either side of a mattress in a bedroom, placing the covers on a duvet

We recommend stripping the bed once a week to clean the sheets and allow the mattress to air.

When you clean your mattress take a moment to investigate the seams and corners for anysigns of bed bugs.

Keep clutter away

Any piles of mess, particularly those that smell like you, can lure bed bugs.

A person wearing rubber gloves uses a spray bottle and a clean cloth to clean the surface of the Emma Elite mattress.

To prevent your bedroom from turning into a haven for creepy crawlies, keep clutter off the floor.

There’s one place clutter definitely doesn’t belong on your bed.

Bed bugs are typically bought into the house on clothes, furniture and luggage.

Vacuum cleaning a mattress

Avoid sitting on your bed in outdoor clothing, in case any bed bugs have hitched a ride.

And if you’re returning from a holiday, don’t put your suitcase on the bed.

Bed linens crumpled on a white mattress

An unmade bed with a white duvet bunched up and white pillows, mattress shows slight body impressions

Image shows a person wearing purple disposable gloves using a pink cloth to clean yellow stains from the top of a white mattress

Blue Jimmy BX7 Pro mattress vacuum on white mattress

A woman with brown hair lies on her stomach on a grey colour Japanese floor mattress

A mattress we tested is dressed with neutral colour bed linens and pillows

A woman�s hand holding a magnifying glass magnifying bed bugs on a mattress

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