SizeAdjustable beds come in many different sizes. The size of bed that you choose depends largely upon personal preference as well as if you are sleeping in the bed alone or sharing it with another person.TwinQueenKingSurfaceThe surface of the adjustable bed is very important to the quality of sleep you will get. There are many different surfaces available and consumers can choose between them depending on personal preferences and budget restrictions.Memory foamCoilAir bedMotorThe motor of the adjustable bed is an important thing to consider because it affects how well and how easily the bed works. Different beds come with different quality motors.DurabilityAC or DCNoiseHand controlsAdjustable beds are operated by hand controls that are part of the bed itself. These allow you to lift or lower different sections of the bed.Menu optionsWirelessWiredWarrantyWarranties are an important part of an adjustable bed as they help cover repairs and maintenance to the bed. Some warranties cover more issues than others.
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Links to other organisations Links to sites and resources provided by third parties are provided for your general information only. We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources and we give no warranty about their accuracy or suitability. You should always consult with your GP or other medical professional.If you have bed bugs, many pest management professionals and entomologists recommend encasing your mattresses in high-quality encasements that are designed and tested to keep bed bugs in or out. If you do not yet have bed bugs, bed bug encasements may be a good preventive measure for keeping bed bugs out of your box springs and mattress. The use of bed bug encasements is not without controversy. We are aware of several highly respected UK bed bug experts (namely Richard Naylor of the University of Sheffield and David Cain of Bed-bugs.co.uk), who don’t recommend encasing mattresses. However, at this writing (8/2011), I can’t think of any North American PCOs or entomologists who generally recommend against bed bug encasements.
The design of beds may play into this: keep in mind that UK beds tend not to have US-style box springs, and that box springs are notorious for harboring bed bugs. And British-style divan beds tend to have wheels attached, which makes them impossible to encase. The argument for encasement use: The argument against bed bug encasements: Click the following link to read discussions tagged as being about “encasements” on our forums. My own sense gathered from the input of various experts is that the vulnerability of North American-style box springs means they should be securely encased. (As you’ll see below, some experts recommend this be done with mattress encasements, which may be better-designed in some cases than those marketed as box spring encasements.) And while using a mattress encasement does not prevent you from getting bed bugs in your home, if kept intact, it will keep them on the encasement surface and prevent bed bugs from harboring on and leaving fecal stains on the mattress itself — and the staining in particular is something many people would like to avoid, especially on a nice or newer mattress.
If your pest management professional does recommend encasement use for your box springs and/or mattresses, make sure you are using ones which have been independently tested to keep bed bugs in or out (more on that below), make sure they are installed correctly and carefully, and inspect them regularly and carefully for tears. On the other hand, if your pest management professional does not agree with the use of bed bug encasements, and they seem to know what they’re doing, then I would recommend you follow their protocols. You need to encase both the mattress and the box spring (if you have one). North American style box springs are even more vulnerable than most mattresses to harboring bed bugs. (Bedbugs can get “inside” a box springs, whereas they will only get inside a torn mattress.) You should obtain bed bug encasements before the pest control operator comes to treat your home, but I recommend not putting them on until treatment occurs; many PCOs will want to treat/remove bed bugs from your mattress before it is encased.
Keep in mind that you need to be careful with any encasement to avoid tearing. If you have a bed frame with sharp edges, put tape or felt around them to avoid having them poke or rub against the encasement fabric. While encasements are available at all kinds of retailers (and from many pest control operators), they are not all alike. A few years ago, Richard Cooper performed tests comparing six encasements which were being marketed for protection against bed bugs: Protect-A-Bed AllerZip with BugLock Zip, National Allergy Elegance, National Allergy Classic, Mattress Safe, CleanRest and Bed Wetting Direct. You can watch the videos and read more about the tests here. To summarize, in the first experiment, Cooper found that all six encasements kept first instar nymph bedbugs (the smallest life stage) from escaping through the zipper teeth of the encasement. In the second experiment, only three encasements (Protect-A-Bed, National Allergy Elegance, and Mattress Safe) kept first instar nymphs from escaping from a completely closed zipper end stop (the place where the zipper closes).
National Allergy Classic, Bed Wetting Direct, and Clean Rest encasements failed this second test. And in the final experiment, only one of the bed bug encasements, Protect-A-Bed’s AllerZip, kept bed bugs from escaping even if the zipper was not completely closed. This gives added protection, since even if the zipper is open by one to two teeth, bedbugs will be kept in. In fact, Cooper says in the third video (here) that the Protect-A-Bed bed bug encasements have to be opened 3.5 inches or more in order for bed bugs to escape. Otherwise, the BugLock (TM) design feature keeps bed bugs in. There have been some developments since those tests were conducted. MattressSafe encasements has a zipper mechanism which it did not seem to have during the tests described above. Mattress Safe has passed independent entomologists’ tests, which you can consult here. SafeRest Encasements are another newer product which was tested in Dec. 2010 by Snell Scientifics (who also conducted studies for Mattress Safe and BugStop).
You can buy SafeRest encasements at Bed Bug Supply and view the testing data which is linked from there also. BugStop Elite encasements (sold in Canada by the Allergy Guy) have also passed independent entomologist’s tests (conducted by Snell Scientifics). Protect-a-Bed: This article about bed bug encasements from the Wall Street Journal describes the tests the Protect-a-Bed AllerZip encasements were put through: It’s important to buy a good-quality cover, one with a zipper that stays in place and doesn’t have large gaps between the teeth, scientists say. The Protect-A-Bed, made by JAB Distributors Inc., of Northbrook, Ill., uses a zipper with tiny teeth and a “bug lock” system, a fabric channel with foam backing that keeps bugs inside even if the zipper pulls open slightly. In developing the Protect-A-Bed, JAB first tested fabric to make sure bugs couldn’t bite through (they couldn’t), then hired an independent lab to put starved, live bedbugs inside the zippered covers and tempt them with a human leg at regular intervals.