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Dust Mites & Bed Bugs

I started this web page after seeing a segment on the TV show "Extra" (8/23/00), which claimed that the average pillow is 10% dead dust mites and their droppings. Allergy or no allergy, that's got to be making people sick so I decided on a mattress and pillow cover.  I did some research on the Internet and it sounds like the Pristine® Allerweave® brand.

Specific Recommendations:

• Dust Mite Covers at Amazon.com
• Pristine Allergy Products at Amazon.com
• Natural Latex Pillow Products at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• Bed dust microorganisms may boost children's health, study suggests - Science Daily, 11/19/20 - "The correlation suggests that microorganisms may reduce a child's risk of developing asthma, allergies and autoimmune diseases later on in life. Invisible to the human eye, our beds are teeming with microbial life. It is life that, especially during early childhood, can affect how microorganisms in our bodies develop, and thereby how resilient we become to various diseases."
• The invisible reason you're not sleeping well - CNET, 12/7/18 - "You might not know it, but you could be allergic to dust mites. If you are, then there's a really good chance that you're not sleeping well at night ... A dust mite allergy can cause a repetitive sneezing, coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath, inflamed eyelids, blocked sinuses, a tight chest, breathing difficulties and watery eyes" - See dust mite covers at Amazon.com.
• Yes, there really are millions of tiny, dead bugs in your pillows - today.com, 4/11/17 - "The problem is that they go where there are a lot of skin scales. One of the best places in the world is your pillow. These little dust mites take those skin scales that come off of you and me and everyone else and eat them ... Think runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes and sneezing. That's right: typical allergy symptoms. So you might have a dust mite allergy, and not even know it ... You probably won't be able to kill them all, but washing your bedding, including your pillows, is a good start ... The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends people wash their sheets and blankets once a week in hot water, invest in pillow and mattress covers and avoid wall-to-wall carpeting, if possible" - Note:  I figured this out on my own a long time ago and never saw the point of a top sheet if you're going to wash the comforter and sheets once per week anyway.  Like Georges problem in the Seinfeld episode: https://youtu.be/ysiRG37IEWw
• Bedbugs: How they hide and bite - CNN, 4/11/17
• Scientists: To keep mites away, leave your bed unmade every day - USA Today, 9/11/15 - "We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body. Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die"
• ActiveGuard mattress liners reduce bed bugs' ability to lay eggs, study finds - Science Daily, 4/1/15 - "out of 52 females tested, only one laid a single egg" - See ActiveGuard mattress liners at Amazon.com.
• Chicago Top City for Bed Bugs - ABC News, 1/18/13 - "Here are the top 50 U.S. cities, ranked in order of the number of bed bug treatments. The number in parenthesis is the shift in ranking compared to January to December 2011: 1. Chicago (+1) ... 2. Detroit (+1) ... 3. Los Angeles (+2) ... 4. Denver ... 5. Cincinnati (-4) ... 6. Columbus, Ohio ... 7. Washington, D.C. (+1) ... 8. Cleveland/Akron/Canton (+5) ... 9. Dallas/Ft. Worth (-2) ... 10. New York (-1)"
• Are Mites Causing Your Rosacea? - WebMD, 8/30/12 - "Demodex mites live on the skin of 20% to 80% of adults. The tiny bugs are invisible to the naked eye. Until recently, it was thought that the mites lived harmlessly, feeding off the oily sebum that coats the skin ... people with rosacea have more than 10 times as many Demodex mites on their skin as people without the condition ... Those bacteria trigger an immune reaction that causes redness and inflammation of the skin ... This study contains evidence, but it's not proof"
• Much Ado About Dust Mites - NYTimes.com, 3/4/11 - "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 asthma-like symptoms, eczema or chronic sinus problems ... Many of us believe that bed linens, pillows and mattresses must be replaced regularly in order to prevent them from becoming home to vast colonies of these nasty critters, 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"
• Heating, Air-Conditioning And Carpets May Be Hazardous To Your Health - Science Daily, 11/10/09 - "A damp building with high humidity may lead to increased levels of dust mites and mold, leading to increased allergic respiratory symptoms, as well as the worsening of asthma. And even if someone is not allergic, molds may produce mycotoxins and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that smell bad and may cause respiratory irritation"
• Dust Mites: Is Resistance Futile? - WebMD, 4/15/08
• Dust Mites Outlast Heroic Efforts To Help Asthma Patients - Science Daily, 4/15/08
• Unwanted Bedmates: Your Pillow Could Make You Sick - cbs2chicago.com, 3/26/08 - "your pillow could be making you sick. Pillows are the perfect place for dust mites and fungi to grow and multiply ... One option is to stick it in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer to kill the mites and other germs ... you can also wash your pillows in very hot water to kill the germs and mites or buy special impermeable pillow cases to keep them out"
• Dust mites, roaches can weaken your skin - Skin and beauty- msnbc.com - MSNBC, 2/28/08
• Vacuum Cleaning Is Ineffective At Removing Dust Mite Allergen, According To Study - Science Daily, 5/22/07
• Hotter Is Better For Removing Allergens In Laundry - Science Daily, 5/20/07 - "140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 ºC) or higher--kills all house dust mites, compared with just 6.5% of dust mites in laundry washed at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 ºC), or warm water"
• Dust Mites Elude High-End Vacuums - WebMD, 2/17/06
• How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs - cbs2chicago.com, 2/7/06
• Pillows: A Hot Bed Of Fungal Spores - Science Daily, 10/14/05
• Your Pillows Are Full of Fungus - WebMD, 10/14/05 - "It is thought that human skin scales in bedding are used as a food source for fungi, and the fungi are eaten by mites. And the fungi might sit on the mite feces as well"
• Sublingual Immunotherapy Effective in Treating Mite-Induced Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma - Doctor's Guide, 3/21/05
• Impermeable Bed Cover Use Does Not Lead to Improved Symptoms for Patients with Asthma or Allergic Rhinitis - Doctor's Guide, 7/21/03
• Allergy-Proof Bedding Not Enough - WebMD, 7/16/03
• Dust Mite Allergies in Newborns Prevalent in Homes With Gas Stoves - WebMD, 3/11/03
• Bedroom House-Mite Dust Levels Unrelated To Later Bronchial Hyper-Responsiveness - Doctor's Guide, 2/4/03
• Intervention Lowers Mite Allergen Sensitisation in High-Risk Children - Doctor's Guide, 11/12/02
• Reducing House Dust Mite Allergen Load Ineffective in Atopic Dermatitis - Doctor's Guide, 9/23/02
• Feather Bedding Could Reduce House-Dust Mite Sensitisation in Children - Doctor's Guide, 8/12/02
• Spring Mattresses Rather Than Foam Reduce Exposure to House Dust Mite Allergens - Doctor's Guide, 5/31/02
• Shake Out the Dog, Vacuum the Cat: It's Time for Spring Cleaning - WebMD, 3/15/02
• Simple Steps Can Reduce Dust Mite Allergens in Homes - Doctor's Guide, 8/7/01
• Wash Those Mites Right Out of Your House - WebMD, 8/6/01
• You'll Never Guess What's Sleeping in Your Bed, Dust Mites -- and They're Known to Trigger Asthma, Allergies - WebMD, 5/22/01 - "some 86% of American homes have detectable levels of dust mite allergen, but more importantly, around 23% of homes have enough of the irritant to trigger respiratory problems"
• Experts Offer Tips for Controlling Dust Mites and Other Allergens - WebMD, 3/20/01
• Dust Mites, Cats Doubted as Cause of Childhood Asthma - WebMD, 10/20/00
• Dust Mites: Where Are They Lurking? - ExtraTV.com, 8/23/00 - "The average pillow will get up to 1/10 of its weight from dust mites and dust mites waste material and its making people sick."
• Dust Mites and Asthma - Stephen A. Brunton and Richard L Saphir, Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Conn., and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y. - "approximately 10% of the weight of a two-year-old pillow may be due to the presence of dead mites and their droppings."
• American Bedrooms Ripe With Asthma-Causing Dust Mites And Allergens - Doctor's Guide, 5/10/00
• Almost Six in 10 Canadian Asthmatics Do Not Have Disease Under Control - Doctor's Guide, 5/10/00 - "A significant portion of U.S. homes have beds with dust mite and cockroach allergen levels that exceed levels previously associated with triggering asthma symptoms ... Extrapolating the findings to the entire U.S. housing stock, the researchers estimated that 44 million homes (over 45 percent of occupied housing units) have beds with levels of dust mite previously associated with allergen sensitization, while 22 million homes (23 percent) are estimated to have beds with levels of dust mites believed to be associated with symptomatic asthma"
• Bed Survey Shows Dust Mites in Bedding Can Trigger Allergies in Many Homes - ABC News, 5/9/00
• New Ventilation/Cleaning System Effective In Reducing Dust Mites - Doctor's Guide, 12/13/99
• Synthetic Pillows May Not Be Best For Allergies - Doctor's Guide, 12/13/99 - "It seems that it is not so much what is inside the pillow that matters, than it is the fabric that covers the pillow"
• Allergies May Be Culprit In Disabling Inner Ear Disorder - Doctor's Guide, 9/30/99
• New Allergy and Asthma Findings - Doctor's Guide, 8/5/96 - "exposure to indoor allergens, particularly to dust mites, can play an important role in both primary sensitization and the later development of asthma ... Sixty percent of the asthmatics had a positive skin test to mite allergen ... the researchers found dust mite allergen concentrations to be the highest in beds ... Our results suggest that in mite-sensitive patients, the level of exposure to mite allergens has a major influence on severity and clinical activity of asthma"