The Best Mosquito Net for Your Bed: How to Choose

The best mosquito net for a bed is one that fully covers the bed frame and mattress, has a mesh fine enough to stop mosquitoes, and suits the way you'll live with it every night. For most bedrooms that means a cotton box net. If you can't put hooks in the ceiling, choose a freestanding pop-up net. For a lighter budget or for travel, choose a polyester round net. Each of these gives complete mosquito protection when used properly, sized and sealed.

We've been making mosquito nets since 1995, and the questions below are the ones we're asked most. Here's how we'd choose.

Quick answer: the best mosquito net for your situation

Best mosquito net by fabric

Fabric is the first choice to make, because it decides how the net feels, how long it lasts and how you'll care for it.

Cotton: the best all-rounder for a bedroom

Our cotton nets are woven at 256 holes per square inch. Cotton hangs with a soft, natural drape, breathes well on warm nights, and is machine washable. With proper care a cotton net lasts around ten years, which is why it's the fabric we recommend for a bed you sleep in every night.

In our thirty years of making and using these nets, and in what customers tell us, cotton is also the fabric we'd reach for in places where tiny biting midges (no-see-ums) are a nuisance. That's our experience rather than a laboratory claim, but it's a consistent one.

Choose cotton if: it's your main bedroom, you want it to last, and you like a natural fabric or want to make a statement.

Polyester: sheer, light and lower cost

Our polyester nets are woven at 360 holes per square inch, a finer mesh than the cotton. Polyester is sheer and see-through, so the room feels open with the net down, and it's lighter to hang, quicker to dry and easier on the budget. It's machine washable.

Choose polyester if: you're furnishing a guest room, buying on a budget, or want something light for travel or sheer see through netting.

Silk: chosen for how it looks

Our silk canopies are pure mulberry silk: 8 momme georgette for the drapes and 16 momme satin for the hems and trims. Silk is a decorative bed canopy, chosen for its look and feel rather than as an insect barrier, and it needs gentle hand care or dry cleaning rather than the washing machine.

Choose silk if: you want a luxurious canopy for a bedroom where mosquitoes aren't the reason you're buying.

Still deciding? Our cotton vs polyester vs silk comparison goes into more detail.

Best mosquito net by shape

Shape decides how the net hangs, how much room you have inside, and how many hooks you need.

Box nets: the most room, and the classic bed canopy

A box net hangs from four to six ceiling hooks, or ties to the posts of a four-poster bed, and drops straight down on all four sides. It gives you the most space inside, has four openings so you can get in from either side, and is the shape most people mean when they say "bed canopy". This is our pick for a main bedroom. Browse box mosquito nets or bed canopies.

Round nets: one hook, princess-canopy look

A round net hangs from a single ceiling hook, opens from a ring at the top and drapes out over the bed. One hook makes it the easiest to install, and it's the shape people choose for the look as much as the protection. Our round nets are cut generously: one size covers queen, king, California king and daybeds; another covers single, twin, double and full beds. Browse round mosquito nets.

Temple nets: three openings, a blend of the two

A temple net blends the roominess of a box with the softer lines of a round net, with three openings for easy access. It suits king, queen, double and daybeds. See the cotton temple net.

Pop-up freestanding nets: no hooks at all

A pop-up net stands on its own frame and opens itself in seconds: no hooks, no drilling, no assembly, and it folds flat for storage. It's the answer for renters, spare rooms and anyone who doesn't want to touch the ceiling. Ours fits double to king beds. See the pop-up freestanding mosquito net.

Getting the size right

A net that's too small is the most common reason a good net lets mosquitoes in. Our nets are made oversize so they cover the whole bed frame and mattress, not just the sleeping surface, with fabric to spare for tucking and sealing. Pick by your bed size:

• Twin and single
• Full and double
• Queen
• King and California king
• Super king

Not sure of your bed size, or between two? Choose the larger. A net with fabric to spare seals better than one pulled tight.

What actually makes a mosquito net work

Whichever net you choose, four things decide whether it does its job.

• Mesh fine enough. Both our cotton (256 holes per square inch) and polyester (360 holes per square inch) are far finer than a mosquito can pass through.
• Full coverage. The net must cover the entire bed frame and mattress, with no gap at the base.
• A proper seal. Tuck the net under the mattress or let it pool on the floor, and overlap the entry opening after you climb in. Most "the net didn't work" stories come down to an opening left ajar.
• Care. Wash gently in cold water.

Used properly, sized and sealed, a mosquito net gives you complete protection from mosquitoes while you sleep, with no sprays, no plug-ins and nothing on your skin.

Hanging it and living with it

Box and round nets hang from ceiling hooks in minutes. Our guide to hanging a mosquito net from the ceiling walks through it step by step, and our folding guide shows how to pack a round net away for the off-season.

Frequently asked questions