Pest Management Professional • November 2022 • Mattress Safe

Sprague Pest Solutions uses Mattress Safe products because of a shared commitment to serving customers

Pests have never “bugged” Kolbin Bertilson, ACE. He worked through the ranks at Sprague Pest Solutions, and is currently its Colorado branch manager.

With more than 160 route managers at Sprague, Bertilson is always on the lookout for products that will simplify route managers’ lives. When his team began discussing the possibility of changing up bed bug protocols a few years ago, Bertilson delved into researching all available options. After initially being burned by using low-quality encasements, he was intrigued by the possibilities offered specifically by Cumming, Ga.-based Mattress Safe.

“I was first introduced to Mattress Safe by someone who was doing charity work for low-income housing and teenage shelters, as well as women’s shelters,” explains Bertilson. “We would donate Mattress Safe products and help install them to give people clean places to sleep, and then we would cook dinner for everyone. It was very meaningful, and we were inspired to use the products elsewhere as well.”

As the route managers began to implement the use of Mattress Safe encasements at bed bug accounts, they found they really liked how the products were certified by an entomologist. They also liked that bed bugs could not bite through or penetrate the encasement fabric, but feature a patented “Zipper with the Hook” — a sewn-in loop and zip-tie to ensure total enclosure. In addition, Mattress Safe products are made in the USA and are breathable and fire-retardant.

As the team at Sprague began rebuilding their bed bug program to include Mattress Safe products, Bertilson found some very interesting data from Mattress Safe itself.

“Every time the box spring was encased, in addition to the mattress, the data was showing a much higher success rate,” Bertilson says. “And of course, when you combine that with the research that Mattress Safe was doing, everybody was finding that most of the bed bugs were living in a box spring. That’s what got us interested and why we developed our entire program to ensure that both mattress and box spring encasements are a part of our program.”

WAR STORY: Before using Mattress Safe products, the Sprague team had been using another brand of encasements for bed bug accounts. The results were frustrating the team.

“Our route managers would go for a follow-up six months to a year later, and the bed frame would wear away those thinner materials. And so a lot of customers were struggling, even going so far as to put duct tape on their encasements,” explains Kolbin Bertilson. The Sprague team knew this could be damaging to their reputation for quality. They switched to a manufacturer who shared their goal of customer satisfaction: Mattress Safe. “Now that we’ve got Mattress Safe encasements, which offer a stretch in their material, we’ve seen a higher success rate in not getting rips and tears. Many of our customers comment on how much more they like these encasements, especially in our greener markets.”