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Avoid this mattress type if you want to get rid of bed bugs — and what to choose instead

AnyFans 2025-09-12

By Frances Daniels

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(Image credit: Future)
In addition to their more eco-friendly designs, latex mattresses are naturally resistant to allergens such as dust mites and mold. While they are not resistant to bed bugs (remember, no mattress is), they certainly are one of the best beds to choose if you’re worried about an infestation.
As natural mattress brand Latex for Less points out, bed bugs do not like the high density of latex foam, as it provides few spaces for them to hide and rest.
Disinfectant specialist Steri-Fab also points out that the hypoallergenic, antimicrobial nature of latex also creates an unhospitable environment for bed bugs.
2. Memory foam
Memory foam mattresses have been around since the early 90s and are still popular today thanks to their body-contouring comfort.
The best memory foam mattresses today can also offer great support and even cooling properties, while memory foam itself is inherently resistant to dust mites.

(Image credit: Future)
Like latex, memory foam has a dense, tightly-packed structure that makes it unaccommodating to bed bugs. According to Steri-Fab, memory foam’s anti-allergenic and thick composition acts as a deterrent to bed bugs.
However, there’s no such thing as a bed bug-resistant foam mattress, as bed bugs can take advantage of seams or tears in the mattress’s cover or in the memory foam itself.

The hybrid mattress is a relatively new invention, but the comfortable-yet-supportive combination of foam and springs means its design as monopolized the mattress industry.
The best hybrid mattresses either use latex or memory foam for their comfort layers, and coils or springs for support.

(Image credit: Future)
The layers of memory foam or latex can deter bed bugs thanks to their dense, unhospitable construction, proving a better option than a traditional all-spring mattress.
That said, hybrid mattresses still contain springs and gaps for bed bugs to create hiding spots, so aren’t as effective as all-foam beds at limiting bed bug infestations.
3 ways to prevent bed bugs from infesting your mattress
If you have an innerspring mattress and are not in the market for a new bed, then don’t panic. You can still limit a chance of a bed bug invasion with these three tips:
1. Buy a mattress protector or encasement

(Image credit: Getty Images)
Both mattress protectors and encasements can offer some level of bed beg protection, with some of the best mattress protectors safeguarding your mattress from allergens such as bugs, germs, and spills.
However, the best option out of the two if you want to prevent an infestation is definitely an encasement. Mattress protectors only protect the front and sides of your bed, but leave the underside exposed.
Encasements, on the other hands, provide 360 protection as they encase every inch of your mattress with a zip-up encasement design.
2. Regularly inspect your mattress

(Image credit: Getty Images)
Inspecting your mattress regularly for bed bugs will stop the pests from infiltrating your home.
To do this it helps to know what bed bugs look like, along with the red flags. Check out our guide on how to spot bed bugs on your mattress and our other guide on how to spot the signs that you have bed bugs.
If you do spot bed bugs, also visit our guides on how to get rid of bed bugs and bed bug home remedies.
3. Keep on top of your cleaning schedule

(Image credit: Getty Images)
Knowing how to clean your mattress is important for preventing bed bugs from invading.
Make sure to vacuum your mattress once a month, along with spot-cleaning any stains. Throw your mattress protector or encasement in the washing machine every three months, and save a mattress deep clean every six months.

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Frances Daniels

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Senior Sleep Staff Writer

Frances Daniels is a PPA-accredited journalist and Sleep Staff Writer at Tom’s Guide with an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. Her role includes covering mattress and sleep news and writing sleep product reviews and buyer’s guides, including our Best Hybrid Mattress 2025 guide. She is hugely interested in the relationship between good sleep and overall health, interviewing a wide array of mattress and sleep experts to create well-informed articles about important topics such as nutrition, sleep disorders (from sleep apnea to night terrors), lucid dreaming, sleep hygiene, and mattress care. She is also our specialist on mattress toppers — producing mattress topper reviews and taking care of our Best Mattress Toppers 2025 guide — and takes the lead on all content related to fiberglass-free mattresses for a clean, non-toxic sleep. Outside of Tom’s Guide, she has written for Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens, and Marie Claire.

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