Top Surface Fabrics to Protect Your University’s Mattress Investment

The university environment, especially student housing, can be rough on furniture. Most students are away from home for the first time and may not always have the type of cleaning habits that will help extend the life of furniture. In addition, the occasionally rowdy college environment ensures a greater risk of wear and tear. Under such circumstances, it’s essential for universities to protect their investment by considering protective measures.

One piece of furniture that is both particularly susceptible to damage and also has a direct impact on student health is the mattress. The average student spends 6 to 10 hours per day in their beds. Having to replace a mattress every couple of years, at a university with a thousand or more students, adds a significant cost burden to the upkeep of facilities. Investing in a high quality mattress cover is an affordable way to significantly increase the useful life of a mattress while making it easier to clean and protecting it from hazards.

High Quality Fabrics Make the Best Covers

Covers help protect mattresses from surface tears, exposure to liquids, and stains. To preserve mattresses effectively and for the longest possible amount of time, the surface fabric used to cover it must be of the highest quality and be fluid resistant. Pressure management and the ability to stretch in a controlled manner are also essential, lessening wear and tear over time. Another benefit of high-quality fabrics is that they are more likely to minimize sliding, enhancing student comfort.

Antimicrobial Fabrics Stifle Germs and Make Cleaning Easier

Choosing a fabric with antimicrobial properties helps to both protect the fabric and also inhibit the buildup of germs on the surface. Using a fabric originally developed for a healthcare environment, like Herculite’s Sure-Chek®, ensures that these antimicrobial properties are top-notch and will endure for the life of the fabric.

Between school terms, it is important that mattress covers can be easily and safely cleaned, able to withstand popular disinfectants. Infections are common on college campuses, and any element of university space that can help cut down on the spread of germs is beneficial.

Covers Reduce Allergens and the Threat of Bedbugs

Mattresses can house dust mites and other allergens. A solid mattress cover prevents allergens from reaching the mattress and embedding in it. Once allergens are present on the mattress, it becomes difficult to clean them. Students with allergies or related asthma may request that mattresses be replaced. With a robust mattress cover, a simply cleaning would eliminate the allergens and help prevent asthmatic reactions.

A high-quality cover also helps keep bed bugs at bay. In recent years, incidence of bed bugs have been increasing and universities, due to their confined spaces, can be at greater risk.  Covers stop bed bugs from getting into the crevices of mattresses, prevent a total loss of the mattress in cases of infestation.

For reducing allergens and mitigating the effect of bed bugs, it is essential that covers are made of the highest quality fabrics with superior seam strength and the ability to withstand cracking. Cheaper fabrics may tear or become permeable over time, reducing or even eliminating their ability to keep enclosed mattresses safe from dust mites and other allergens.

Buying covers made of high-quality fabric not only protect a university’s mattress investment, it also protects its students.

For high-quality fabrics that will protect mattresses, check out Herculite’s Sure-Chek® line, which resists fluid and moisture penetration, staining, and also has antimicrobial properties.  For more information about Herculite’s specialty fabrics visit us at http://www.herculite.com. Or feel free to call us if you would like more information about our products and services at 800-772-0036.