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Transcript Of Video Discussion Between David and Jo 2020

Jo: Who doesn’t love a good night’s sleep. I know it’s the favourite part of my day jumping into bed with a nice clean pillow, mattress, and quilt, but the chances are if you’re watching this video you or maybe even your child suffers from asthma, allergies, eczema, rhinitis, incontinence or maybe even insomnia. Maybe you’ve been ravaged by bedbugs, dust mites, mold spores, allergens, or scabies. Well today we’re joined by David from BedBug Wholesale and we are going to find out about their range of bedding encasements. Where going to find out how they work, made, how to install them, and how they can benefit you and your family.

David: Thanks Jo.

Jo: Now, I’m a mum of four and I have to say I’ve been doing a bit of research lately, and for such a simple range of products there is actually quite a bit to know about this niche range of encasements.

David: There certainly is.

Jo: Then let’s dive straight in Dave. What I would like to know first is, when you’re talking about a pillow or mattress or quilt, what is the difference between a traditional protector and an encasement?

David: Jo that’s a really good question. A Protector for a mattress, pillow, or quilt really has one purpose and that purpose is just to protect that item from being stained or soiled. An Encasement on the other side of things has a different purpose and that is to completely seal an item from stopping anything from getting in or getting out.  Now, the way that’s done is using a textile that has a really fine pore size, and then we also manufacture our products with a double-stitched tightly enclosed seam, so nothing can enter through the stitching on the side of the product. Now things that you might be trying to stop getting in and out of those items could be bedbugs, dust mites, which is a common one, scabies, pet dander, or allergens. Now because the product is also made in most instances with a waterproof membrane in them, they are also good for liquid spills or incontinence.

Jo: So, a lot of people I know wakeup with itchy eyes, a runny nose. I’ve often woken up with really itchy eczema or dermatitis, and I’ve often wanted to scratch it, because I presumed it’s an allergy to dust mites. How would Encasing the pillow, quilt, or mattress in these niche encasements protect you against dust mites or bedbugs? Is there a difference between the two?

David: Bedbugs and dust mites are actually different things. We’ll talk about bedbugs a little big later. Dust mites are one of those things that everyone has, doesn’t matter how clean you are you have dust mites. We can never get rid of them completely but the best we can do is actually just to try and control them and reduce our exposure to the dust mites themselves. What lot of people aren’t aware of Jo is that it’s not actually not the dust mite that most people are allergic to it’s actually the droppings they leave behind. Any given dust mite is going to leave behind about 20 droppings in a day and you will find that all through your mattress, pillow, and quilt where dust mites live, and there is a big buildup of them you will end up with thousands of dust mite droppings. It’s actually the chemical enzyme in those dust mite droppings from their digestive system that is used to breakdown the dust or human skin they are feeding on, and that’s what actually ends up getting airborne and sets off people’s allergy’s. 

Jo: Well, that’s really grouse. If they are everywhere why are they living in our beds? What is it about the beds that is so attractive?

David: Well, there is a few reasons for this. The first reason that dust mites love living in our mattress, pillows, and quilts is because they pretty much have an infinite food source. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve had a shower or how clean you are your body is going to shed skin as you sleep in your bed at night. The second reason that dust mites are going to live in our bedding is pretty much because it’s almost impossible to vacuum the inside of a mattress or pillow or quilt for that matter. So, they are going to be undisturbed and there is no way of actually cleaning up after them. Most people aren’t aware that dust mites actually need humidity to survive so the more humid an environment is the longer life span they are going to have. Now what better place for the dust mites to find humidity. In any part of the bedroom that is going to be the most humid it’s going to be our bed. As we sleep, we increase the humidity that allows them to absorb that moisture through their legs increasing their lifespan. So, with those three things in mind: 

  • Infinite food source
  • Ability to live in humid environment
  • Fact of not been disturbed

These are perfect factors for a dust mite party.

Jo: That’s one hell of a party. So, Dave let’s talk a little bit about bedbugs. I know most people are freaked out by bedbugs, including myself, but apparently, they are a much bigger problem in Australia than we realize.

David: Yes, they are.

Jo: Will these encasements actually stop the bedbugs getting in or out?

David: Yes, they absolutely will Jo. A bedbug is physically much bigger than a dust mite so there is no challenge in our product in stopping bedbugs getting in or out of a mattress, pillow, or quilt. Now unless you’ve been lucky enough to be sharing a bed with bedbugs, and most people don’t even know that bedbugs exist and there actually a much bigger problem in Australia than most people will lead on. It’s a little bit taboo so we don’t talk about it very often but there are many, many people out there with this problem at the moment trying to work out how they can get them out of their bedding and eradicate them from their home.

Jo: Would I see them they or how would I know?

David: Yes, you would definitely see them. I call them Night Ninjas and it is likely that you could have them living in your mattress in your ensemble base when they come out in the middle of the night so it’s not necessarily to say you’ve got bedbugs living in your bed because you’re going to see them.

Jo: So, you might not even know?

David: Yes, that’s correct you might not even know.

Jo: Wow, so I need to really stop eating chocolate in the middle of the night, because I’m presuming, they’re attracted to crumbs? What are they attracted to?

David: They are actually attracted to you Jo. Bedbugs are carbon-dioxide chasers so they feed on blood much like a mosquito.

Jo: Or vampire?

David: Yes, or a vampire. You will find bedbugs as well anywhere in your house wherever you go, they will follow you. If you go and sleep on a couch, they will follow you to your couch and then you’ll end up with bedbugs in your couch.

Jo: What is it about the bed that they are super attracted to?

David: They are really lazy creatures and they like to be as close to they’re food source as they can, so if you sleep in a bed, you’re likely to find bedbugs around the lip of your mattress. You can find them inside and on the ensemble base or bedframe and they will hide in the smallest of cracks and crevices. They are known to also live inside pillows, not as often but it can happen that they will be found inside the quilt. If they are not in the bed you will also find them once you’ve encased a bed, they can often end up inside a bedside table somewhere else in close proximity to their food source.

Jo: Would I see them, like how big are they? What are we talking here?

David: If you are seeing them then the chances are you do have a relatively sizeable problem on your hands.

Jo: So, I would know?

David: Yes. I call them Night Ninjas because they are the quickest and fastest little guys that will race out in the middle of the night when you are fast asleep, bite you quickly normally in a line or cluster, but not like a mosquito that will give you one bite they’ll give you a cluster of bites and then race away back to their hiding space. Occasionally when you’ve got a few of them built up you will end up with little stains or droplets of blood from where they’ve actually run away and left a mark.

Jo: Grouse, so if I put the encasement on them, I’m safe.

David: Yes, so our products are designed as a complete bedbug barrier and they will stop any bedbugs getting in or out. What is inside a mattress will be sealed and they will die and there is no chance that you are going to have bedbugs living on the bed. The reason for that is, they won’t live on a clean white surface with no cracks or crevices to burrow down in, instead they will go and look for somewhere else if you haven’t trapped them all inside then off the bed somewhere, or if you can get them all in, they will be sealed inside the mattress.

Jo: If I can see a bedbug how big is it in relation to a dust mite?

David: A bedbug is much bigger than a dust mite. Bedbugs are around 1 to 5 millimeters as a guide, and a dust mite is 2 to 3 hundred microns. Now, for people that don’t understand how big a micron is the human hair is around 100 microns so it’s three times the width of a human hair; plus, or minus.

Jo: Impossible to see?

David: Impossible to see without using a pretty powerful microscope.

Jo: What is it about the pore size of this product that’s so important?

David: The pore size is really important because it works as a filter material. A lot of people think they are actually allergic to dust mites themselves, which in most cases is not the case. Dust mites been 2 to 3 hundred microns are much bigger than the pore size of our products and they leave behind dropping wherever they go. For each dust mite you have in your bedding it’s going to leave behind the best part of 20 droppings each day. Now these droppings were all glued together with these stomach enzymes that they use, it’s a chemical enzyme they use to breakdown the dust as they feed on it. When these droppings become airborne it gets into our respiratory system and that sets off all of our symptoms be that for some rhinitis, eczema, asthma, dermatitis, itchy eyes and runny nose, all those things can be set off just through those chemicals found in dust mite droppings.

Jo: So, every time the dog jumps on the bed or my son is getting over excited with his Xbox machine?

David: It could be as simple as putting your head down on the pillow at night and the inrush of air brings all of those allergens through a standard cotton pillow protector or cotton pillow cover. It’s right next to our mouth and nose and you breathe that straight in and away you go.

Jo: So, now that I know all this, I’m picturing myself going home to sleep on a pile of dust mites’ poop, do I need to go out and buy myself a whole new bed setting and the kid’s new beds?

David: No, it’s absolutely not required. Once you’ve encased a product be it that mattress, pillow, or quilt that item is as good as new. A lot of people race out and spend thousands of dollars on a new bedding only to find that they’ve got the same problem three weeks down the track. If you are buying new bedding it’s great place to start buying casing from the beginning and that will extend the life of that product. If you do have concerns that something is infested with bedbugs or full of dust mites just by encasing it will remove that problem for you and save you money at the same time.

Jo: So, tell me a little bit more about the specific fabric you guys are using in your product?

David: We manufacture using two different types of textiles of fabrics. First, been a hundred percent cotton textile and that is hundred percent okeo tex certified textile as well. What that means is that it’s been tested for a hundred chemicals and substances that are known to be harmful.

Jo: It’s safe?

David: It’s a hundred percent safe and for all the concerned mum’s and dad’s out there that’s the cotton that you want to be sleeping with. The other half of our products are made with a 90-GSM knitted jersey. That’s a polyester blend and it has a .2-millimeter thin TPU lining and that is what gives it, it’s waterproof functionality, and also the ultra-fine pore size, which is going to give you the best protection. It will also give you a defined pore size for the life of the product, the pore size wont change.

Jo: What is TPU?

David: TPU is known as a thermo plastic polyurethane. It’s used in a lot of baby products and bio-medical applications where a waterproof membrane is required. A lot of active wear sports manufacturers are using TPU in they’re waterproof activewear.

Jo: So, it’s safe as well?

David: It’s safe as well. TPU is an inert material, which means it doesn’t have any off gassing. It has no harmful chemicals or substances in it, which a lot of people are also concerned about. It’s an alternative to PVC. Ten years ago, most of this style of product would be made out of PVC, which is harmful and toxic and it’s not a product you want to be sleeping with. We use TPU because it is the best solution for keeping a fine pore size and giving the product a waterproof functionality.

Jo: So, right if the dog has a little accident in the bed I’m covered?

David: Absolutely. What actually happens is the pore size of that product has a pore size small enough to stop water molecules travelling through the TPU membrane. The pore size is big enough to allow perspiration or water vapor to move through the product which gives it breathability, but allows it to be waterproof. 

Jo: Well, that makes perfect sense because we do want it to last. How do we know the product we are getting adheres to those standards?

David: All of our textile and fabrics go over to a third-party testing house in New York every 12 months and they go through multiple tests. One of those tests is called Porosity so we can guarantee that those products have a pore size as advertised on our website and marketing material. 

Jo: Fantastic. Now in my house there are I think 4 or 5 different bed sizes. We’ve got queens, king, one child has a single one child has a king single. Do all of these products your encasements do you have them for all these types of beds?

David: Yes, we cover all options accept dog-beds, which we’ve been asked about before. It’s something we might add to our product range.

Jo: My dog is on my european pillow so that might work.

David: That’s normally the case. In our pillow covers we have a standard, king, and European size pillow encasement. In our mattress encasements we have from a cot size, single, king single, double, queen and king. Each of the mattress or ensemble base encasements come in two heights. Most people would either have, a standard height mattress which is quite thin or one with a pillow top, or they’ll be putting the pillow-top on top of that one so it is important when ordering say a queen size mattress just to check which height it is, that’s the only option you’ve got. When we look at our quilts, we have the four sizes there: single, double, queen, and king.

Jo: So, you’ve got everything covered. I’m actually intrigued if you don’t sleep on, your European pillow do you still need to buy an encasement for that?

David: I would suggest that you do because as you will probably find if you took one of those pillows over near a sunny window and gave it a good beating, you’ll probably find the same problems again.