Mattress/duvet cleaning - does it work? (Dust mite allergy)

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

I’ve had allergies for a long time and I’m getting really sick of it. Seems to have gotten a lot worse over the past month. It’s based in the bedroom as I only get sneezy there. I need a decent night’s sleep, dammit!

I vaccuum the bedroom carpet and change the sheets weekly, putting them through a hot wash. I also vacuum the top of the mattress before putting new sheets on.

So that leaves the mattress and the duvet, both are about 5 years old. I’m wondering if it is worth getting it professionally cleaned by a place like this: http://www.mattressdoctor.net/uk/default/solution.asp

Has anyone got an experience/opinions on the effectiveness of this sort of cleaning service?

#2

No info on the cleaning service, but have you tried a mattress/pillow cover? They make them specifically to help with dust mite allergies.

#3

Can you get rid of the bedroom carpet? They can hold dust mites, too. Hard floors are best for an allergic person’s bedroom. If you must have a rug, make it a small one you can wash.

#4

Couple of things, recommended by my allergist. Wash the sheets/pillow cases/comforter in HOT water. I believe he suggested cranking the water heater up to 130, let it heat, then doing the laundry, then turning it back down or taking them to a dry cleaner or laundromat and doing it there.
Second, either get a vacuum with a HEPA filter or get a HEPA bag for your vacuum, otherwise your taking the dust mites from the carpet and just kicking them all over the room.
Third, he recommends…nope, that’s where my memory ran out, next time I’m in the office (today or tomorrow probably) I can find out the brand he recommends for covers if you’re interested.

#5

It’s a rental so we can’t get rid of the carpets. The pillows themselves are anti-allergy. I haven’t tried the covers - they are quite expensive and I’ve read very mixed reports regarding their effectiveness.

I will try that suggestion about upping the water temperature before washing!

Can you kill dust mites by freezing them? i.e. if after washing and drying the sheets, I put them in the freezer for a few days?

#6

I have had a dust mite allergy for years, and we finally hit upon a procedure that works for me.

-hypo-allergenic mattress bag/protector, and one for the box spring as well;
-sheets are changed weekly;
-mattress and box are vacuumed biweekly with HEPA filter vacuum (all 6 faces, while still in the bags);
-removing them from the frame and dusting the headboard, then vacuuming under and all around the bed.

We have w2w carpeting in our bedroom but are planning to rip it out; problem is it’s just plywood underlayment underneath, so I will have to put in a hardwood floor. We’re still working on the 1st floor renovations and will maybe get to the bedroom floor project next year. In the meantime, our current system is working well.

I was at the point that as soon as I laid in bed, my sinuses instantly shut down and I couldn’t sleep, but if I got up in the middle of the night to pee, as soon as I left the room they cleared up. Then my head would hit the pillow, and they shut down again.

Good luck!

#7

That’s very thorough, corkboard! It never occurred to me to vacuum the mattress… Do you use something allergy-specific to dust the headboard and frame?

That said, if I couldn’t breathe as soon as I lay down in bed, but was OK as soon as I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, it wouldn’t be long before I wound up sleeping in the bathtub, or possible simply conking out sitting up on the toilet. :smiley:

#8

If you have to keep the carpet, could you at least have someone else hoover for you? The live ones cling to the fibres in the carpet, so they won’t disturb you. But by hoovering, even with a filter, you’ll throw the dead ones and the faeces up in the air and breathe those. It would be better if someone else can do it for you, and then when you go in the carpet is clean(er).

You can kill them with temperature and such, but really, they’ll just multiply and come back. It’s the dead ones and their faeces that you are allergic to, so that really what you need to fight. I’ve heard criticism of the mattress covers, but I don’t really know what about them wouldn’t work if they’re just acting as a barrier.

If it’s getting worse, it might be good to see your doctor. You might be going from just allergies to allergic asthma.

#9

You can try vacuuming the mattress, but the dust and mites are probably pretty well into it by now, so a surface vacuuming won’t be the magic cure. Putting the mattress into an encasement should help - they cost around $50 for a queen size. Get one for the box/foundation as well.

Duvet encasements are a bit more expensive for some reason, but they do exist. Before buying one, you could try removing the duvet from the room to see if your symptoms improve or not.

For the carpet - when’s the last time you had it steam or hot water extraction cleaned?

An odd sounding option - do you by chance have any symptoms of sleep apnea? CPAP can help with allergies. I’ve got apnea and my CPAP machine has a HEPA-type filter on its intake that turns quite green during our pollen season. The pollen gets so bad that I’ve considered getting a long extension cord so I can breathe its filtered air all day long.

#10

Another (albeit expensive) option would be to look into allergy testing and getting allergy shots. If you are actually allergic to dust mites, they can treat you for them. If you have cheap copay, you might want to look into that, if you have a high deductible, it might be something to look into if you hit your deductible.

#11

No, just Pledge and a dusting cloth.

#12

Well, I got home last night to find my husband had very kindly swapped the mattress and duvet with the spare bed, and put fresh bedding on. I had a fantastic night’s sleep, although I have had a couple of sneezes this morning. So a great improvement!