Suffering from house dust mite allergy and looking for a duvet?

Of course, you can’t sleep in a perfectly sterile sleeping environment, however, we’d like to give you some tips if you’re specifically looking for more info on anti-allergy duvets as we call them.

Why do you react allergically to dust mites?

You are not actually reacting to the mite to be absolutely correct, but the feces of this tiny mite. In these microscopic and ultra-light particles are allergens that go floating in the air or they get stuck in the textiles, your pillow or remain in your mattress. Allergens that we inhale that can cause the allergic reactions. Most of us are not affected at all. But when your body reacts to them, it is often with a chronic inflammatory reaction of the airways.

An estimated 5 to 10 percent of people suffer from chronically inflamed nasal mucosa caused by inhaled allergens, and up to 40 percent of the world’s population suffers from dust mites.

When your nasal mucosa inflames, you get a runny nose, a stuffy nose or you have to sneeze very often. Very often you are suffering from an allergic reaction caused by the allergens left behind by the house dust mite. Avoiding dust mites is almost impossible. They are everywhere in your home, including your bedroom, your sheets, your pillows and your duvet.

What can you do about house dust mite allergy?

Don’t panic! Fortunately, you can make a lot of choices in your bedroom that will greatly reduce the effects. After all, house dust mites do like your bed, it is warm, relatively moist and there is plenty of food thanks to the numerous hairs and dander present. So if you make this environment a little less ideal, they will also occur with less in your bed.

We know that a house dust mite dies from +60°C or below -20°C. So be sure to choose bedding that can be washed easily, often and at least at 60°C. Or hang your bedding outside if it freezes exceptionally hard, because a freezer is not so convenient to put a duvet or pillow in.

Avoid too many stuffed animals in your child’s bed if you know they suffer. Avoid sleeping on old mattresses for too long and when you purchase a new one, look for anti-allergic solutions but don’t overdo it! Ensure good ventilation and ventilate the bedroom often and sufficiently. That way, you will also ensure lower humidity levels in the room.

Clean the room daily when you are very sensitive. And when decorating your bedroom, keep it simple! Less is more in this case. Be sure to read the interesting content at lungfund.nl. They also offer a free booklet: ‘away with dust mites’.

Which anti-allergic duvet is best to choose?

Very often synthetic duvets are recommended. That only makes sense if you can also wash them at higher than 60 degrees…. because make no mistake they contain just as much house dust mite as other duvets. In my opinion, it is better to look at properties. A dust mite likes moisture, remember?

Moisture regulation and ventilation

Moisture is an important condition in the life of mites. A duvet that consists of a filling that is strong in moisture regulation and ventilation they find less pleasant to stay in. So don’t rule out wool because you read on the internet that it would not be good…. Wool is quite possible if you at least take care of proper maintenance.

Indeed, wool duvets or by extension natural hair duvets (cashmere, camel,…) are naturally dirt-repellent and self-cleaning. You can wash wool carefully by hand, however it is even better to let it air out regularly outside.

You can also look for blended duvets, these duvets are filled with a mix of different natural materials such as flax (linen), hemp, natural hair, silk, kapok or cotton or artificial fibers based on natural materials such as lyocell. Again, you are assured of top moisture management and ventilation. Again, follow the care instructions very carefully.

There are synthetic duvets that try to mimic the moisture regulation and ventilation of wool, for example, think Thinsulate TM filling for example. The added advantage is that washing above 60 degrees does work very well. In fact, most synthetic duvets do not excel in moisture regulation and ventilation but are often washable at higher temperatures.

Down comforters are also possible, despite what many people think. Down and feather comforters are not as strong in moisture regulation as natural hair, though. They are made with a down-tight ticking, though. Often an ideal barrier for mites, not allergens unfortunately. There is a fascinating initiative and label NOMITE, which you can find by the labels on the duvet.

Get comforter covers that you can easily wash above 60 degrees. Preferably in cotton, lyocell or fabrics that are powerful moisture regulators.

Are there high-tech and functional fabrics that can avoid dust mites?

You may be wondering in these high-tech times if by now the chemical industry is still unable to keep out dust mites when fabrics are made into bedding or duvets. Well that’s right, because yes … there are some pretty interesting techniques out there.

The Belgian company Devan, for example, markets fabrics coated with a coating that punctures allergens. Our skin experiences the fabric as soft, but microscopic punctures perforate the cell membranes, deactivating microorganisms. Or the fabric is provided with biodegradable micro capsules filled with probiotics. Friction causes these trace elements to enter the fabric.

They repel dust mites because they process the available moisture and food, including the allergens. Therefore, the dust mites seek other places. And you suffer less from allergic reactions. BekaertDeslee also markets these techniques in mattress fabrics. They call it Purotex+. The Swiss company HeiQ has a similar technique with Allergen Tech. Again, active probiotics are used. Another invention from their set of solution and is called Viroblock and is a combination of vesicles and silver technology.

It is fascinating to see how quickly the textile industry is evolving. Especially within the bedding sector. And important to note that most are now working with largely biodegradable elements. Because more microplastics in nature or water purification, so that they already end up in our drinking water, nobody wants that. European players work according to strict and stringent European rules, so know what you are buying!

The world of substances is constantly changing so rest assured that a lot of interesting solutions are still being tested. There are very exciting, but unfortunately still expensive, projects underway in which substances are based on fungi from mushrooms, nettles, for example, or even seemingly strange wastes such as coffee grounds.

The best anti-allergy duvets – Conclusion.

House dust mites live everywhere in your home and you cannot avoid them. However, you can arrange your sleeping environment so that they are not encouraged to live near you en masse. Simple solutions like regular cleaning help! Avoid warm, humid environments such as poorly ventilated mattresses, pillows and duvets.

So ventilate and air above average. Choose a duvet that is powerfully moisture-regulating and preferably washable at high temperatures. Above all, however, check whether it suits your sleeping habits. So you don’t have to rule out wool or down.

And if you’re willing to invest a little more? Then look for powerful, high-tech solutions in the fabrics around the filling of your duvet.