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Green Building Discussion
Topic: Controlling Dust Mites in Bedding
Discussion Participants:
- Marc Rosenbaum asks about Medibed sheets
- Bruce Sullivan uses a vinyl mattress cover
- Terry Brennan with some experience
- Mike O'Brien likes his mattress cover
- John Alderman wants to asphyxiate dust mites
- Bruce Sullivan responds to asphyxiation
- Patty Ballantine with some expeirence
All postings are the opinion of the writer, and BuildingGreen can take no responsibility for their accuracy or appropriateness.
Marc Rosenbaum asks about Medibed sheets
From: Marc J. Rosenbaum
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 1996 9:23 AM
Hello all -
I saw an ad for a product called Medibed, which is a "polymer barrier fabric that is thin, soft and air-permeable for comfort yet absolutely impenetrable by tiny dust mites (250 microns) or their microscopic (2 microns) fecal allergen." The fabric encases one's mattress and pillows to prevent the accumulation of allergenic material into the bedding.
Fact or fiction? Any experience out there with this or similar products? (I am the stuffy nose czar of Meriden, in spite of a fairly low-toxicity home and an air-to-air heat exchanger which controls relative humidity to 40-45%.
Marc Rosenbaum
Top of fileBruce Sullivan uses a vinyl mattress cover
From: Bruce Sullivan
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 1996 11:26 AM
I'm allergic to dust mites and their detritus, too. I've used pillow cases made of vinyl and covered with terry cloth (like a bath towel) for about ten years. I also used a vinyl cover for the mattress. I found these measures helped quite a bit, so the concept of isolated the bedding has worked for me.
As to the specific product, it sound like Martha Stewart housewrap.
Bruce
Terry Brennan with some experience
From: TBren46501@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 1996 12:48 PM
Hey Marc,
Even when room RH is kept low, mites remain active in microclimates of high RH (e.g parts of a persons body, clothing, fabric chairs and sofas and of course bedding). I have no direct experience with the sheets you mention, but in theory if it keeps the mites and allergens in the mattress from escaping and the sheets are washed regularly, it ought to work. I have heard annecdotal affirmations from people who use mite barriers on mattresses and pillows. There's not much in the journals about dust mite control using covers (A. Miller et al "Effectiveness of Alergy Control Covers (TM) at blockingegress of mite and cat allergens from mattresses and pillows" Journal of Clinical Immunology 87:321 is the only one I'm aware of). The seminal work on dust mites was (and continues to be) done by a fellow named Larry Arlian at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. He's more up on the literature than me. keep me posted - Terry.
Mike O'Brien likes his mattress cover
From: Mike O'Brien
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 1996 3:57 PM
My daughters and I have been using similar mattress and pillow covers for some years, and we find they are a big help. Also much more comfortable than the plastic covers we started with many eons ago, because they allow water vapor from the skin to escape. I think they keep dead skin and mites from getting into the pillow and mattress; I don't know about the allergen itself. We wash ours weekly.
I read somewhere that the greatest exposure to mite allergen happens in the air a few inches above the mattress and pillow--makes sense when you think of the food supply and the humidity that our bodies provide--I would guess that the microclimate inside a mattress is perfect for mites!
Mike O'Brien & Associates Environmental Building Consultants Portland General Electric Earth Smart program Earth-Wise Builders obrien@hevanet.com
John Alderman wants to asphyxiate dust mites
From: John H. Alderman III
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 1996 5:36 PM
This may seam a strange question which is par for my course. How long can a dustmite in each of its stages hold its breath? How long can they go without oxygen?
John Alderman
Bruce Sullivan responds to asphyxiation
From: Bruce Sullivan
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 1996 5:15 PM
John
The idea is not to _asphyxiate_ the critters, but to cut them off from their habitat. They live in the humid bedding, where they eat dead skin flakes. Sheets and blankets can be washed regularly, but not the mattress and pillows, so they are encased to keep the critters from commuting back and forth. The cases also keep skin flakes from working down into the mattress in the first place.
Ken Gehring at Therma-Stor says that the critters require an RH above 50% to be active. Below that they go dormant. But to kill them you've got to keep the RH below 50% for 6 months. That's impossible in my part of the country without mechanical dehumidification.
Bruce
Patty Ballantine with some expeirence
From: Ballentine
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 1996 3:31 PM
I was given a recommendation by the Michigan Lung Assoc. about an encasement product that sounds something like the one you asked about. "Allergy Control Products, Inc." at 96 Danbury Rd. Ridgefield, CT 06877, 1-800-422-DUST They make a variety of encasements called "The Perfect."
I called and asked for information for my class and they sent me a sample of the product and a video, "Allergy Control Begins at Home." I strongly recommend the video, which tells how to deal with your living environment.
Their brochure documents ASTM tests for vapor transmission which is crucial to dust mites. Abrasion tests are also referenced. Their OWN test results are also given.
If I were interested in an encasement, I would get an ordinary zippered mattress cover, which is wipable. I would cover it with an ordinary mattress pad for comfort--but launder it at 140 degrees each week to kill any new mites. I would buy an soft encasement product for each pillow.
Don't forget to launder all bedding at 140 degrees. Don't ever use "fabric softeners".
I have not tried out this or any other product. But on the general topic of nightime health environment, I do have some input from a client who had multiple chemical sensitivity. 1989 (I mostly learned from her, then read in the subject area.)
She told me that she was advised to maintain a "sanctuary" in her bedroom which was particularly benign. The reason she gave was that her doctors had told her that the body's immune system is at a low ebb during sleep and you are more vulnerable in several ways when sleeping. I have never seen additional info on that idea though. I do know that the human body has cycles--heart rate, temperature, hormones, etc. So I thought it made sense. Anyone else know anything?
Patty Ballentine Lansing MI MZê
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