What are the best anti-allergy duvets?

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 can cause 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. According to a review study by Calderón and colleagues (2015), an estimated 65 to 130 million people worldwide are sensitive to dust mites, and for people with asthma, that figure rises to as many as half.

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 in smaller numbers in your bed.

We know that a house dust mite dies at temperatures above 60°C or below -20°C. So be sure to choose bedding that you can wash easily, frequently and at least at 60°C. Or hang your bedding outside if it happens to be freezing exceptionally hard, because a freezer isn’t exactly handy for stuffing a duvet or pillow into.

Avoid having too many stuffed animals in your child’s bed if you know they suffer from allergies. 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 air out the bedroom frequently and sufficiently. This also helps maintain a lower humidity level in the room.

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

Which anti-allergic duvet is the best choice?

Synthetic duvets are very often recommended. That only makes sense if you can also wash them at higher than 60 degrees… because make no mistake, they contain just as many house dust mites as other duvets. In my view, it is better to look at specific properties. A house dust mite loves moisture, remember?

Moisture regulation and ventilation

Moisture is a vital requirement for the life of the mite. They find a duvet with a filling that excels in moisture regulation and ventilation less pleasant to stay in. So don’t rule out wool just because you read on the internet that it might not be good… Wool is perfectly fine as long as you ensure proper maintenance.

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

You can also look for blended duvets; these duvets are filled with a mix of various natural materials such as flax (linen), hemp, natural hair, silk, kapok or cotton, or synthetic fibers based on natural materials like lyocell. Here too, you are assured of top-tier moisture regulation and ventilation. Again, follow the maintenance instructions very carefully.

There are synthetic duvets that try to mimic the moisture regulation and ventilation of wool, for example, think of Thinsulate TM filling. The extra advantage is that washing above 60 degrees is very easy. Most synthetic duvets don’t actually excel in moisture regulation and ventilation, but they are often washable at higher temperatures.

Despite what many people think, down duvets are also an option. Down and feather duvets are not as strong in moisture regulation as natural hair, but they are made with a down-proof cover. This is often an ideal barrier for the mites, though unfortunately not for the allergens. There is a fascinating initiative and quality mark called NOMITE, which you can find among the labels on the duvet.

Ensure you have duvet covers that you can easily wash above 60 degrees. Preferably in cotton, lyocell or fabrics that have powerful moisture-regulating properties.

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

In these high-tech times, you might wonder if the chemical sector isn’t already capable of repelling house dust mites when fabrics are processed into bedding or duvets. That is a fair question, because yes… there are quite a few interesting techniques.

For example, the Belgian company Devan brings fabrics to the market equipped with a coating that punctures the allergens. Our skin experiences the fabric as soft, yet microscopic spikes perforate the cell membranes, deactivating micro-organisms. Alternatively, the fabric is provided with biodegradable microcapsules filled with probiotics. Friction releases these trace elements into the fabric.

They drive away house dust mites because they process the available moisture and food, including the allergens. The house dust mite therefore seeks other places to live, and you suffer less from allergic reactions. BekaertDeslee also brings these techniques to the market in mattress fabrics. They call it Purotex+. The Swiss company HeiQ has a similar technique with Allergen Tech. Active probiotics are used here as well. Another invention from their set of solutions 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. It is important to note that most now work with largely biodegradable elements. After all, nobody wants more microplastics in nature or water treatment, which are already ending up in our drinking water. European players work according to strict and rigorous European rules, so know what you are buying!

The world of fabrics is constantly in motion, so you can be sure that many more interesting solutions are being tested. There are very exciting, though unfortunately still expensive, projects where fabrics are based on things like mushroom fungi, nettles or even seemingly strange waste products like coffee grounds.

The best anti-allergy duvets – Conclusion

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

Ventilate and air out your room more than average. Choose a duvet that works powerfully to regulate moisture and is preferably washable at high temperatures. However, above all, check if it fits well with your sleeping habits. You don’t have to rule out wool or down.

And if you are willing to invest a bit more? Then take a look at powerful, high-tech solutions in the fabrics surrounding the filling of your duvet.