First, it is best to find out whether you have dust mite allergies by going to an allergist for allergy tests.Once you have discovered you have allergies to dust mites, figure out whether you have exposure to them. You are more likely to have dust mites in your home if you live down South in warmer climates or where there is a higher level of humidity. You can test out whether you have dust mites in your home by using a dust mite home test kit.
A pillow can collect up to 2 pounds of dust mite feces, the stuff you are allergic to, over a 2-year period. Therefore, your pillow is the most obvious place to start with dust mite covers if you do not want to bury your nose into dust mites every night.
My favorite dust mite encasings for pillows and mattresses are Solus Organic Dust Mite Covers which are tested to ensure they surpass industry standards are available exclusively through AllergyBuyersClub.com. Apart from the added benefit that they are organic and unbleached, they are also the softest. Think about it for a moment. The softest and most supple dust mite cover underneath your pillowcase means that your pillow retains its soft and supple feel. Important for those of us who like to scrunch up our pillows and mash them underneath our heads.
What is is the BEST dust mite cover?
The answer is when it comes to dust mite cover, we do not sell any brand which let the dust mites through. Our fabrics are tightly woven and the dust mites simply cannot wiggle their way through. The best is a cosmetic or comfort choice, and we prefer ones which are made out of cotton.
What is a good and cheap dust mite cover?
Well you could always encase your mattress in a plastic or garbage bag. Only joking! Plastic does a great job, it cuts the dust mites off from their food source which is you and your skin flakes, yum! Trouble is you will find it sweaty and the noise of the plastic would drive your crazy. Some encasings are only a small step away from a garbage bag – trust me I have slept on one at my father’s condo multiple times. Every time I turned over that darned crinkle sound woke me up. And I dare not take the cover off; the pillow was at least 30 years old! I was convinced I was sleeping on a bag of dust mites!
Do you need a dust mite cover on your box spring?
In my mind unless you are super allergic it is going too far and you can do without one. But as a caveat dust mites do travel and crawl where they are not wanted. I like our middle of the road White Mountain Textile cotton dust mite encasings for this job.
It is definitely worth having a dust mite cover on your mattress, but remember if you have a latex mattress you probably do not need an encasing at all as latex is inhospitable to dust mites.
How often you need to wash the dust mite covers?
This is a matter of hygiene not anything to do with the effectiveness of the dust mite covering. Washing dust mite covers does not rejuvenate them from the dust mite prevention perspective. Putting it bluntly, people drool into their pillows, sweat and do other things at night which make it necessary to freshen the bedding by washing. Dust mite covers are no exception.
How about dust mite covers for duvets?
In a perfect world you would have a duvet or comforter that was anti social for the dust mite party. These comforters are made out of silk or wool. Hypoallergenic down comforters can still be a breeding ground for dust mites but the ones with a higher thread count shell will keep the dust mites at bay. If you need a dust mite cover for your comforter again we think Cottonfresh wins out as it keeps the comforter supple and light which is how you want your comforter to be.
Why bother with a dust mite cover if your regular duvet cover is high thread count?
Good question, but unless your duvet cover has zippered tight enclosures, those adolescent dust mites will muscle their way through any opening. Adolescent dust mites for the uninitiated (as we found out from a man who breeds them for researchers) tend to be pushy creatures who find their way through anything and will jump around in pursuing more food. Need I say more?