Whether you have allergies, your children do, or your entire family suffers from allergy-related issues, it can be important as a mom to make your home as allergy-friendly as possible.
This can include having air purifiers and other devices that work to reduce dust and other allergens, and it can also include changing some items of your home décor.
One area that can be particularly important to tackle if you have a family with allergies is the bedding you use. Bedding can be a hotbed for attracting things like dust mites that can exacerbate allergy problems.
So how, as a mom, do you choose the right allergy-friendly bedding? Below are some tips to help you get started.
Types of Fabric
When you’re choosing bedding for people in your family with allergies, it’s vital to consider the type of fabric first and foremost.
Some fabrics are specifically designed for allergies, but even if you don’t buy an allergy-specific product, natural fibers tend to work well for children and adults with allergies. Natural fibers include cotton, linen, and wool.
Natural fibers are inherently hypo-allergenic because they are breathable and they’re naturally mold-resistant and antibacterial.
Dust Mite Covers
A good option to improve the hypo-allergenic features of bedding in your home is to use a dust mite cover. These covers have zippers and a minuscule pore size, which is what allows them to protect against dust mites.
Dust mites tend to be abundant in bed environments because there are warmth and moisture, as well as dead skin cells that they can feed on. With a dust mite cover, you can protect your family against these allergens, and many options are made of 100% cotton, for even more hypoallergenic protection.
Consider Buckwheat Pillows
Buckwheat pillows may not sound like something that’s good for allergies, but in reality, the pillows are actually filled with buckwheat hulls, so they don’t have buckwheat flour, which is what tends to be aggravating for people with allergies.
Buckwheat pillows have great air circulation, so they stay cool and dry which is good for protecting against allergens, and these pillows are washable, so you can regularly clean them to make sure they don’t become dusty or molding.
Also, buckwheat pillows are naturally resistant to dust mites.
Membranes
With allergy-friendly bedding, some items have inner membranes. What this means is that the membrane serves as a form of protection to keep allergens from coming through. Membrane bedding is a good option if anyone in your family has severe allergies, but it should be noted that this type of bedding tends to retain heat, rather than keeping you cool while you sleep.
A final factor to consider when you’re choosing bedding for family members with allergies is the pore size. It was touched on a bit above, but it’s a critical consideration. Pore size is an indication of the size of the weave opening of the fabric you choose. The smaller the pore size, the more potential allergens are going to be blocked.
To wrap up, it is possible to quickly make your home better suited to your family members with allergies, and bedding can be a great place to start.
Mum’s two cents
Seeing our loved ones, especially our children, suffer from allergies is absolutely frustrating. The fact that no medicine or drastic lifestyle change can totally eliminate it makes it even harder to cope with the situation. It is good to note, though, that we can effectively manage it by making conscious efforts to make our home more conducive for the members who suffer from allergies.
images from Pixabay
47 Comments
I’ve thankfully never really suffered from allergies so I can’t relate directly. However last year I finally decided to invest in a decent pillow (a bamboo one) and I absolutely love it!! It stays cool and contours to your head perfectly so if it’s hypoallergenic then that’s just an added bonus. As the seasons change I also think it’s crucial to use supplements such as air purifiers and humidifiers as you’ve recommended.
Oh bamboo pillows sound interesting. I wonder where I can get that here in my city. I was contemplating on getting an air purifier to help ease my son’s allergic rhinitis but I found a better and all-natural alternative, himalayan salt lamp. I will be getting one for our home soon.
Its a little expensive but I think it’s definitely worth it. I have a brother who has severe allergies and this would really help me. I sometimes get allergies and it is one of the most irritating things on earth so investing in something like this would really help out.
Although we prefer cotton fabrics for bed sheets and pillow covers, we have dust mites in abundance. Glad to come to know about something like dust mite covers. I’ll try to find those here and buy them. Hope they help against the dust mites. Our area falls close to an industrial area and usually there’s a lot of dust which even enters the house throughout the day!!
I feel you. I have dust in abundance at home and we cannot seem to get rid of them no matter how much you sweep or mop the floors. I am considering to get dust mite covers to protect the bed from dust mites.
Don’t ask. I suffer from severe allergy. Even if someone presses my nose by mistake, I start sneezing. Its so diffficult to deal with. Yeah, I keep changing my bed and pillow covers often. And I always use cotton sheeting as well…
This is very helpful post for my family. My family has a history of Asthma. buckwheat pillow sounds very interesting to try. I guess I should get one this month and change my children’s beddings. Thank you for the tips!
It was indeed interesting. I am planning to get a pair for my boys soon, too.
Ooh interesting! My mum usually buys our beddings but I’ll definitely let her know about some of the points you mentioned. Thanks!
You’re welcome! 🙂
And all these years , I was led to believe that the only remedy to allergy is drugs and medication! Here is a blog that looks at allergy in a different way!
But, it is sad to see so many young people contract allergies at such an early age!I contracted it a few months back at the ripe old age of 45!
Maybe you should now write a post on HOW TO AVOID ALLERGY!
It is true. My son has been suffering from allergies since he was a baby and it was really frustrating for me as a mum. Thank you for that suggestions. I will definitely write something about avoiding allergies. 🙂
I never had to consider allergy friendly bedding before as my parents were the one who bought my bedding for me. Now that I’m an adult, I get to choose my bedding, but it’s usually just made of cotton. Thanks to you I’ve learned something new. I’m not sure I’ll opt for dust mite covers though since there are actually dust mite vaccums that can remove it.
Dust mite vacuums is also a great option to consider.
Great tips! None of my family members have allergy but this is a helpful information. It’s always good to know things like this. My favorite fabric for my bedding has to be cotton. I love cotton materials.
Cotton is always the go-to for bedding. I hope they make hypoallergenic cotton fabric, too.
I have allergies so bad. I really could use this advice to help keep my home allergen-free. Especially in the bedroom, where it seems to be the worst.
Thanks so much for the tips. I needed this because I am going to have new bed and along with it I have to purchase pillows, bed covers, and blankets. At least now I know which type of bedding to purchase. I have allergic rhinitis so I am sensitive to dust, at least now I know that to get.
You are most welcome. I am also eyeing to get these hypoallergenic stuff the next time I purchase new bed covers and pillows
I have never heard of buckwheat pillows. You have totally opened my eyes into something totally new!
It was pretty fascinating. I am thinking of where to get them locally so I can get a pair or two for my boys.
Personally I’m always keen when it comes to choosing my bedding. This is really have wowed me for I never thought these can be factors to consider in choosing good bedding and allergy friendly. This is truly a big help for me for I’m planning to look for another set of bedding this year. Thank you so much for sharing.
Yes, we must be on the look out for hypoallergenic bedding and sheets, especially if we have family members with allergies and sensitive skin.
I’ve never experienced getting allergies from my bed but these are helpful tips! I think it’s perfect for people with sensitive skin!
Luckily, I do not have that kind of allergies, but it’s an entirely different story with my boys. My son has a very sensitive skin, too!
I’ve never thought about choosing the right bedding for your family. I’m glad that you shared it!
It is a must to choose the hypoallergenic ones. I just wish they are easily available at affordable costs.
This is amazing, I’ve never known about that! Thank you for sharing this info.
You are most welcome! 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for the suggestions. My daughter nd husband have horrible allergies.
I feel you, both my boys also have allergies and they get worse during this season.
One of the things I’m thankful for is that I’m not allergic to anything. So far. Fabric allergy will make sleeping at hostels a headache for those who have one. It’s best to keep educated on beddings that won’t trigger your family or your guest’s allergies.
Yes, I guess those who are in hotels and accommodations business also need to consider this when buying beds and sheets for their businesses.
Dust mite covers are a saving grace. I also recommend quarterly professional cleaning of the mattress, if you have a spring mattress. (We get ours thoroughly cleaned this way.) I agree about membranes, especially when you have really young kids (toddlers and babies), who easily get rhinitis.
Yes, planning to get my own dust mite covers soon! 🙂
I always look for comfortable bedding but often forget about making sure it is hypoallergenic. This is a great reminder to consider finding items that can help reduce allergies and make for a better night’s sleep.
I just hope hypoallergenic bedding and stuff are easily available everywhere.
This is a nice article. Cleaning up is very important to prevent allergies from happening. Much more when it comes in your sleeping area. You have to make sure that things bring comfort to your loved ones. I remember giving an anti allergy pillow to my boyfriend as a gift. He always have this allergy randomly occurring. lol
I wonder where you got your anti-allergy pillow, I think I might have to get one each for my boys. Their allergies get worse during this season.
My sister and I are both allergic to dust and strong perfume, but we never thought of countering it with the linen we use at home! Didn’t know it’s a factor to allergies, I didn’t even know there’s dust mite proof bed covers XD! Thanks for sharing, I’m sure this’ll help a lot ensure their home is allergen free!<3
I guess advanced technology paved the way to manufacture products like this. I wish we can easily find them in local markets, though.
This is really helpful! I’m sensitive to dust and my nose itches with non-hypoallergenic fabrics. I always have a hard time buying curtains, carpets and bedding. There are so few hypoallergenic ones in my place. Add the fact that I’m very picky with designs. Haha! In buying bedding, I always try to smell the fabric. It’s my way of testing if the fabric is okay. If I sneezed or my nose felt itchy, it’s a no-no.
Yes, it is a bit tricky to buy these stuff if you are suffering from allergies. I just wish we have more affordable hypoallergenic options out in the market.
I have really bad allergies and my husband suffers from asthma so choosing the right bedding is incredibly important for us. I have never heard of buckwheat pillows! Super interesting- will definitely look for those. We’re due to change pillows within the year (we’ve had ours for 2 years now) so this is super helpful. Thank you!
Let me know where you can find one locally, right? 🙂
This is one of the best allergy-related posts ever! I have allergic rhinitis, the same with my aunt. It seems like I inherited from her. Hahaha. We are very particular with our bed sheets, curtains, pillow cases. Even the slightest dust could make us sneeze a number of times. It’s just so annoying sometimes. It gets triggered with strong perfumes which is why I avoid using strong ones.
Thank you! 🙂 Yes, I guess most allergies are hereditary. I have mild allergies which I believe my little man inherited, too.