KOA Campsites make for the best outdoor camping experience. They bring together comfort and nature and allow people to create pleasant memories with their loved ones. However, the realities of providing outdoor camping services for groups of people tend to sneak up on owners at KOA campsites from time to time.
As a campsite owner, the priority remains to provide visitors with a comfortable, hygienic experience. Mattress protectors, also known as bed protectors, mattress covers, mattress encasements, or bed covers, make it easier than ever to facilitate a luxurious sleeping environment for your guests.
In this article, we’ll go over the frequently faced mattress maintenance issues at KOA campsites, how incorporating bed protectors can help, and how you can choose the best mattress cover for your campsite.
4 Biggest Mattress Maintenance Problems at KOA Campsites
Efficiently managing a KOA campsite is not an easy feat. There are long lists of daily tasks to handle, apart from periodic maintenance jobs. It is easy to have slip-ups or management mistakes when much is to be done.
While changing sheets and pillow covers may be a daily practice at your facility, mattresses do get ignored or take a backseat. This could be due to the difficult, time-consuming process of cleaning them.
However, there are too many mattress maintenance problems that cannot be simplified to one point. Before we understand the solution, let's look at the problems at hand.
- Heavy daily usage damages
The first problem furnishings at commercial facilities face is the damage from use and daily wear and tear. Mattresses, of all, are used to their best capacity by guests staying at campsites.
Human contact for hours leads to the mattress absorbing sweat, urine, and other bodily fluids. Not only that, people on vacations do tend to be carefree in their surroundings and can spill food or drinks on the bed.
Camping in nature also comes with unavoidable dirt, dust, mud that may make their way to the bed and eventually the mattress.
Thus, if mattresses are unprotected and used for months or even years, they can face a lot of damage.
- Frequent parasite and bacteria infestation
Bodily fluids and food spills not only get absorbed into the mattress but also form a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites.
Dust mites, bedbugs, and mold allergens can take their place on your beds, mattresses, and pillows in no time. These are a health hazard for your visitors. They may ruin their sleeping and their overall experience at your property.
Research shows dampness and mold can cause insomnia, snoring, restless sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Dust mites are also proven to be the primary cause of respiratory allergies.
- Difficulty cleaning and sanitizing
While it is easy to throw bed sheets and pillow covers in the washer, cleaning mattresses is not the easiest task.
You can always vacuum mattresses. But vacuuming them does not guarantee a thorough, sanitary clean despite the time and effort-intensive task.
It is most likely the difficulty of cleaning mattresses that puts their maintenance at the bottom of every to-do list.
- Too expensive to replace frequently
Thinking through mattress maintenance becomes important due to the cost of replacing the old with new ones. Buying high-quality, comfortable mattresses can be a high cost to bear as a campsite owner.
Protecting your mattresses can add years of life to your existing mattresses and drastically reduce the frequency of having to replace them.
Why KOA Campsites Shouldn’t Ignore these Problems
The problems outlined above can create problems for your KOA campsite at multiple levels. Some of them may appear relatively minor, but the little things can greatly impact your guests’ overall experience.
Here are a few reasons you should pay attention to them and opt for a strong solution at the earliest:
- A health hazard for guests
Mold, bacteria, dust mites, bedbugs, allergens, etc., are not only an unpleasant sight but a serious health hazard for guests.
These parasites can affect the sleeper’s physical and psychological health. Children, the elderly, and those with compromised immunity or breathing problems face a heightened risk when staying or sleeping in an infested environment.
- Ruins visitors experience
No one likes waking up groggy or with rashes on their body. Lack of good sleep can lead to feeling irritable throughout the day.
The quality of sleep visitors get at your site is a big influencer in how they feel about their complete experience. It is an aspect you should definitely not be compromising on.
We’re sure you’d agree that happy guests are easier to manage than frustrated ones.
- Discredits your service quality
For the hospitality industry, word of mouth is everything. Bad word of mouth tends to spread like wildfire. In these times of rapid judgement, every visitor's experience can make or break your campsite’s image.
Creating a safe and hygienic sleeping environment should be the top priority for you as a campsite owner so you can offer good experiences and preserve the perception of your service quality.
What are Mattress Protectors?
Mattresses are a significant expense. They are prone to a variety of hazards and contaminations, especially at commercial locations like KOA campsites.
Mattress protectors are the easiest and most reliable way to protect your mattress.
Mattress protectors, also called bed protectors, mattress covers, mattress encasements, or bed covers, are an additional layer of protection for your mattress that usually zips on top. It covers your mattress to protect it from everyday wear and tear.
A mattress cover can offer varying degrees of protection, depending on the brand. There is a wide variety of bed protectors in the market today, from waterproof mattress protectors to hypoallergenic mattress covers; there is one for every need.
Having mattress protectors is one of the best investments you can make because they allow you to increase the life of your mattresses.
Why are Mattress Protectors Essential for KOA Campsites
Photo by Nachelle Nocom on Unsplash
A mattress protector or cover offers the following primary benefits at a campsite:
- Protects from environmental elements
At an outdoor campsite, beds and mattresses can come in contact with outside elements like dust, mud, water, etc.
A vinyl mattress protector or plastic bed cover can create an impermeable barrier between external dirt and the mattress. The protector preserves your mattress not only from the pollutants but also from the mold, smells, and stains they can cause.
- Guards against human accidents
Humans on holidays tend to get messy. Accidents like food spills, water or drink spills, or even something as serious as a fire risk, are frequent at campsites.
Waterproof mattress protectors prevent any spillage from seeping into your mattress. This helps keep your mattress free of moisture, thereby avoiding the development of mold or other bacteria.
Mattress covers can also be fire retardant and protect your mattress, site, and visitors from potential fires.
The frequent and heavy use of mattresses allows for a variety of contamination that can, over time, result in breeding a host of bacteria.
This bacteria can pose a big health risk to your guests.
Having a protector for bed mattresses adds a layer of security for your mattress that is hard to breach. You just have to change the sheets and periodically wash the mattress encasement. You can rest assured that bacteria does not hamper your visitors’ health.
Bed bugs are frequent but uninvited guests at outdoor campsites. Being literally in nature makes keeping them away extremely difficult.
But the annoyance of a bedbug infestation doesn’t just end at their frequency but includes the health risks they pose, how they can literally travel with your guests, and also how difficult they are to get rid of.
Mattress protectors, especially zippered ones, solve the bedbug problem at all levels.
To begin with, they protect your mattress from a new bedbug infestation completely by sealing it on all ends. Additionally, if you have a mattress that is already under attack by bedbugs, bed protectors are a great way to keep them confined and prevent them from spreading further.
- Improves sleeping experience
A hygienic mattress will always lead to better sleep than one that smells bad or is infested with bacteria or parasites.
Vinyl mattress covers make it super easy to bring a safe, secure, and comfortable sleeping experience for your guests.
But that’s not all. High-quality mattress covers also help regulate the temperature and offer a soft, silky finish and contact to create an overall luxurious sleeping experience.
Vacuuming entire mattresses is a labor-intensive effort that still does not lead to a 100% clean mattress.
By installing waterproof mattress protectors on all your mattresses, you cut down the cleaning effort by more than half.
All you need to do is take off the mattress cover, put it in the washer and dryer, or hand wash it, and leave it out to air dry. Put the mattress cover back on, and your mattress is ready for use.
- Leads to happier, more satisfied guests
When your patrons wake up happy, they feel energized and positive about their holiday as well as your services.
At the end of the day, you, as a campsite owner, are doing it all so your guests can have a safe and enjoyable stay. Don’t let offering them a good night’s sleep take the backseat.
A strategic investment like waterproof mattress protectors can translate into happier, more satisfied guests, better word of mouth, and an increased number of visitors.
What are Pillow Protectors? Do You Need Them?
Photo by Allen Taylor on Unsplash
Pillows, just like mattresses, are exposed to all kinds of contamination and risks at campsites.
Pillow protectors are similar to protectors for bed mattresses. They zip around your pillow and offer it the same level of protection that waterproof mattress covers extend for mattresses.
Here are some benefits they offer:
- Heavy-duty protection
- Fire retardant
- Bacteria and allergen barrier
- Bed bug barrier
- Temperature regulation
- Luxe sleeping experience
- Increased life for pillows
- Easy cleaning
If you have made up your mind about incorporating mattress covers at your campsite, it is worth it to give pillow covers a thought too.
3 Important Considerations in Choosing Mattress Protectors
If you're in love with the idea of bed protectors and cannot wait to get some for your space, we recommend you know how to choose the best ones. With a number of options available, you might feel overwhelmed, but we've got you covered.
Here are our recommendations on important considerations you should keep in mind before making the purchase.
- Pick an experienced manufacturer
Several mattress protectors are available in the market, but they are not alike. It is vital to choose a brand specializing in mattress protectors and other related products.
This way, you get to rely on the quality and trust that the product will last you a long time.
- Choose the right size and fit
Your bed protector needs to fit the mattress snug. It should not be oversized or too tight.
It is extremely important to get the right size, and it may be worth it to measure your mattress before placing an order.
Standard sizes include single, queen, and king. However, premium bed protector retailers like Bargoose offer a wide variety of choices in size and fit.
To get the most out of your investment, look out for the features the mattress protector has to offer.
Start by taking note of thread count, material, fitting method, and breathability. You can then also consider factors like allergen resistance, waterproofing, bed bug barrier, and the ease of cleaning.
Best Mattress Protectors for KOA Campsites in 2022
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Best Pillow Protectors for KOA Campsites in 2022
Conclusion
Investing in heavy-duty, high-quality protection for your mattresses and pillows with mattress protectors, mattress pads, and pillow protectors is a wise decision to make as a KOA campground franchise owner. These help you provide a clean and hygienic environment for visitors, lower your maintenance costs, and extend the life of your mattresses and pillow.
Opt for an experienced manufacturer like Bargoose for your bedding protection needs.
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