Bed bugs are in bedrooms, hotel rooms, dormitory rooms - but they may also be lurking in mattresses you buy at the store. If you choose to b...
After decades in obscurity, bed bugs have returned to the United Kingdom to take up residence in a place where they can live long-term, rent-free and have all the food they need – in mattresses all over the country.
We hadn't even seen a live bed bug until 1999. But since then, treating them has become almost a full time job. These small, blood-sucking pests sneak out during the night, feed, and then retreat. Sometimes the only evidence they leave behind are hideous welts running up arms and legs.
The first time we came face to face with a bed bug was in 1996, when we investigated the mattress business – specifically, reconditioned mattresses that are supposed to be stripped and sterilised, re-covered and sold for less than what you'd pay for a new one.
Back then, we bought nine mattresses and opened them up. What we found was shocking.
Beneath new covers, filthy old materials were contaminated with urine, fecal matter and dangerous fungi, all of which can seep out through the cover over time. We also found a dead bed bug with its eggs.
With cases of bed bugs being reported across most counties within the UK, we decided to take another look at reconditioned mattresses to see if the companies that produce and sell them are doing a better job than they were 11 years ago.
Right away we found that some things have changed for the better.
There are now strict regulations in place for the sale of reconditioned mattresses, including the requirement that labels clearly show which mattresses are reconditioned. Not disclosing that information is against the law. These labels should also clearly say that the mattresses are sterilised. If this is not mentioned, stay away from them.
Reconditioned mattresses begin their journey once they're thrown out to council disposal teams or taken to specialist clearance sites. From here, they are taken to factories to be sterilised using a combination of insectide sprays and disinfectants. Each mattress must then pass inspection before it is wrapped in plastic and sent off to be sold.
If you are buying reconditioned furniture of any kind, but especially mattresses, it is imperative that you only buy from a reputable reseller who clearly displays reconditioned labels on his stock. You should also check the mattress for signs of bed bugs, their faeces or bed bug eggs.