Apartment Therapy's Home Remedies How To Make Your Bedroom an Allergy-Free Zone (Image credit: Liana Hayles Newton) Suffering from allergies is a terrible thing at any time, but it's especially difficult to be breaking out in hives, sneezing incessantly, and struggling to breathe when you're supposed to be falling asleep at night. As someone who has suffered from terrible allergies and asthma all of my twenty-nine years, I know that as difficult as it can be, there are steps to take that can help create an allergy-free safe zone in your bedroom to help ease those night-time allergy attacks. Here is some of my best advice for creating a restful, allergy-free space. Clean regularly with natural products, as traditional cleaning supply fumes can set off an allergic reaction. Wipe down your bedframe with a damp cloth weekly. Cut the clutter — less stuff gives allergens fewer places to hide. Don't store things under the bed. It's difficult to clean and dust (and dust mites!) love to hide under there.
Limit difficult-to-clean soft surfaces like carpets, upholstered items, and heavy draperies. Houseplants are good air filters if you don't have mold allergies. Dust mites (actually, their excrement) are responsible for the majority of year-round allergy problems in the bedroom. They live in soft surfaces, and dust, and come out to eat the skin cells and oils we all shed throughout the day. Here are a few tips for dealing with dust mites: Mattresses and box springs should be encased in a protective allergen cover. The covers are woven too tightly for the mites to slip through, so they can't take up residence in your mattress, or, if they already live in your mattress, they can't get back out to irritate you. Pillows and comforters should either be made of allergen friendly synthetics, or encased in protective covers. Down is an attractive home for dust mites, so be particularly careful to cover or remove all down bedding in your bedroom. Wash all bedding weekly in hot water to kill dust mites.
This includes all soft surfaces on your bed — it's easy to forget the mattress pad or dust ruffle if you use one. Hard floors are best for allergy sufferers, but if you have carpets, vacuum them regularly using a HEPA filtered vacuum. Traditional vacuum filters can spread allergens through the air and cause an allergic reaction. Pollen is the culprit behind seasonal allergies. Of course, there are different pollens at different times of the year, so if you're allergic to lots of pollens your seasonal allergies can be a near year-round problem. Pollen loves to stick to hair and clothes when you go outside and has a tendency to follow you when you head back inside. To get a little relief from pollen in the bedroom: Do not wear/bring dirty clothes or outerwear into your bedroom. Find a place outside of the bedroom for your clothes hamper, and be sure to change into fresh, clean clothes before heading into the bedroom. Leave shoes outside or by the door when you come in.
As with clothing, pollen sticks to your shoes, and wearing them into your bedroom will track the allergen everywhere. Bathe before going to bed at night. This removes all of the pollen that has accumulated on your hair and skin throughout the day, preventing you from transporting the pollen onto your bed at night. I have to say, this one was life changing for me! Leave the windows closed. A fresh breeze is nice, but it can carry allergens in with it. A fan can help give you a little air circulation, without bringing pollen in from outside. Mold can be a sneaky allergen because it can hide in unexpected places, like under your carpet or in your hamper. If you do find mold, it can be cleaned with bleach, or the molded item can be removed altogether. Hopefully you'll never have to deal with a full-blown mold issue, but even small areas of mold can cause major allergies. Here are a few tips to protect against mold: Houseplants should be kept outside of the bedroom. Mold can develop in the soil and on the plant itself, and might not be visible to you until after you've started having allergy problems.
Damp items should not be placed into hampers until they are dry. The dark, damp environment of a hamper is an ideal place for mold to grow. Ideally, the hamper should be kept outside of your bedroom, and emptied regularly to prevent mold growth. Keep an eye out for damp patches around windows and exterior doors. If you have carpet, this includes the carpeted area underneath any windows or doors. If you do find a wet spot in the walls or window casings, it might be best to call in a professional to be sure the problem isn't widespread or structural in some way. This is a hard one. We all love our pets and want to spend as much time with them as possible, but when you have a pet dander allergy it's not always possible to let them share your bedroom with you. There are a few things you can do to help alleviate pet dander allergies in your bedroom: Create a nice place for your pet to sleep that is outside of your bedroom. If your pet is used to sleeping in your room it can be a difficult adjustment, but a new pet bed and cuddly blankets can help ease the transition.
Close the door to your bedroom when you're not around to prevent your pets from spending time in there. Vacuum with a HEPA filter regularly. Pet dander gets deep into carpets and doesn't vacuum out easily, so if it's at all possible hard floors are much better for pet dander allergies. Bathe your pet weekly. This cuts down on the amount of dander shed, and it's always nice for your pet to be fluffy and clean! Allergies are so difficult to deal with, and difficult to live with. While it might not be practical to live an allergen free life, having your bedroom be an allergy-free sanctuary can go a long way in helping you breath easier (literally!) in a generally allergen filled world.THE other night my husband and I were having serious pillow talk. But not the kind you might think. Ours went something like this: Husband: Don’t we need new pillows? We’ve been sleeping on ours for, like, seven years. Me: They seem fine to me. Husband: But they are probably full of dust mites and other gross stuff.
A cool $400 later, I had bought eight new down pillows — two for each member of our family. I was about to investigate dust mite protection covers (an additional $100) when I stopped myself. Really, should I care this much about dust mites? I have mild allergies and so does my husband, but I’ve never felt that my pillow was making me sick. And these fluffy new pillows and covers were expensive. Dust mites are microscopic creatures, about 0.4 millimeters in length, that feast on flakes of human skin. Their feces contains a substance called DerP1, a very potent allergen. People who are allergic to dust mites may have asthmalike symptoms, eczema or chronic sinus problems. Many of us believe that bed linens, pillows and mattresses must be replaced regularly to prevent them from becoming home to vast colonies of these nasty creatures, lest their feces spread and cause allergic reactions in family members. According to most experts, the truth is a bit more prosaic.
People who have allergies to dust mites should indeed take measures to protect themselves. But everyone else can skip the expensive trips to Linens “R” Us. The trouble is, it’s not always clear whether you have a mite allergy. And even when you know you are allergic, there’s a lot of confusion about which strategies really work. Here’s how to decide if you should be worrying about your bedding and the dust mites that take up residence in them — along with expert advice on the most effective home interventions. AN ALLERGY TEST Mites proliferate in warm, humid climates. They are almost nonexistent in places like New Mexico but thrive in tropical areas like Florida. Here’s a mite test: “If your home is full of static electricity, you likely do not have mites at the moment,” said Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, director of the Asthma and Allergic Disease Center at the University of Virginia. But if the temperature and humidity rise, watch out. About one in four Americans has some type of allergy, and within that group about two-thirds are allergic to dust mites, said Dr. James Sublett, an allergist in Louisville, Ky., who is chairman of the Indoor Allergen Committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
“Very few people are allergic to just one thing,” he said. If you’re not sure whether you have a sensitivity to dust mites, ask yourself these questions: Do I have persistent sniffles and sinus headaches? Do I often wake up with scratchy eyes? Do I sneeze repeatedly first thing in the morning? “Sometimes symptoms are obvious, but sometimes they are subtle,” said Dr. Diego Saporta, an otolaryngologist in Elizabeth, N.J., who specializes in allergy management. “Your only symptom might be chronic nasal congestion.” If you do have bothersome symptoms, consider seeing an allergist for testing. And don’t forget the children: Dust mite allergy is common among children and a risk factor for developing asthma, said Dr. Platts-Mills. The sooner you intervene, the less likely your child’s symptoms will escalate into something more severe. Allergy tests take about an hour and most insurers cover the expense, which can range from $500 to $1,000, depending on where you live.
At the end of your visit, you will know what you are allergic to and to what degree. THE SCIENTIFIC CONTROVERSY If you are allergic to dust mites, you will need to reduce your exposure to them. But first, you should know about a scientific dispute over bedding. Most researchers endorse protective bedding as a way to reduce exposure to dust mites. But a meta-analysis of 54 studies on interventions to control dust mites, published in 2008 by the nonprofit Cochrane Collaboration, concluded, “Chemical and physical methods aimed at reducing exposure to house dust mite allergens cannot be recommended.” Dr. Peter Gotzsche, lead author of the study and director of the Nordic Cochrane Center in Copenhagen, said in an e-mail, “The reduction in exposure to mites and mite allergens that can be obtained by encasings, chemicals, vacuum cleaning, etc., is far too small to have any effect.” Most allergists and environmental health experts disagree. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, for example, tell allergic consumers to encase mattresses, box springs and pillows in special allergen-proof fabric covers.
Though the research has been mixed, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004 found that covering children’s mattresses and pillows with special mite-proof casings helped reduce asthma complications. A similar study, published by Dutch researchers in Clinical and Experimental Allergy in 2002, found that mattress encasings helped to reduce symptoms in asthmatic patients and concluded that “their use should be recommended.” APPROPRIATE STEPS Dr. Gotzsche’s views notwithstanding, most experts recommend a variety of interventions for those allergic to dust mites. Mites multiply quickly in high humidity and can take up residence in sheets and blankets in a matter of days. Wash your bedding (including comforters and duvet covers) weekly in hot water and use a hot dryer. It is not necessary to replace them with new linens. But if you’d rather start fresh, spring for new pillows. It doesn’t matter what kind you buy; it matters more that you protect both your pillows and your mattress with special mite-proof covers, experts say.
The new covers are made of old-fashioned typewriter ribbon material, which has a tight weave that does not allow mites to penetrate but is soft to the touch. Be sure you get covers from a reputable company, like Mission Allergy or National Allergy Supply. Covers cost $15 to $40 for pillows and $100 or more for mattresses. If your allergies are severe, your doctor may also suggest that you remove carpets from your home, or at least from your bedroom, and use Venetian blinds rather than fabric drapes. Dust mites take refuge in carpets but can’t live on hard surfaces like wood floors or plastic. If you aren’t allergic to dust mites, forget the urban horror stories about tumbleweeds of mite feces blowing through your home. Simply replace your pillows when you notice they are not supporting your neck and head as well as they used to. An exception to the rule: If you spill liquid on pillows or comforters, consider discarding them, to avoid hatching a mold colony where you sleep.