Is There Really Such a Thing As An Anti-Dust Mite Mattress?

You’ve probably seen the ‘anti-dust mite’ mattress advertisements before from various bed retailers. Often memory foam or latex mattresses are equated with being able to prevent dust mites, due to them not being able to pass through the mattress material’s solid structure.

However, it’s really important not to get sucked into buying mattresses from sellers that make these unsubstantiated promises, and at John Ryan; we wanted to point out why there isn’t such thing as an ‘anti-dust mite’ mattress, and provide you with the right alternative solutions…

First, what’s a dust mite and what do they cause?

Dust mites are tiny creatures, approximately 0.25–0.3 millimetres in length. The females can actually live up to a total of 70 days , and during their final weeks of life can lay anywhere between 60 to 100 eggs. 

Because they depend on water and moisture to survive, any material that has the ability to retain moisture can become a nice environment for dust mites. They can typically cause itchiness, reddening of the eyes, and sneezing, along with inflammation in the skin in the form of eczema.

Can a mattress stop the mites?

As mentioned, memory foam mattresses are often marketed as being able to prevent dust mites, due to them being anti-allergen. Unfortunately, although they may be somewhat resistant to the mites, the mattress isn’t the only place that they can live. Dust mites can be found in your sheets, your bedding, your clothing, in carpets, and even in fabric sofas.

Even when you have a mattress that is supposedly anti-dust mite, it will only minimise the mites in your mattress, because literally hundreds of them can live in just 1gm of dust. So, the only real solution to reducing their numbers is to regularly tumble dry your bedding, and use

specialist anti-dust mite covers. Your cleaning routine will play a pivotal role on reducing the number of dust mites in your home, and as long as you stick to it you’ll rarely find their numbers to be a problem.

If your allergens are becoming a big problem then we recommend that you seek professional medical help. The anti-allergen , anti-dust mite gimmick might still be an attractive selling point for you, but simply having robust cleaning regime should be enough.

What about mattress mould?

Mould can actually be a fairly prevalent problem with some mattresses, especially when they are kept in a space that’s frequently very hot and humid. It’s worth noting that memory and hybrid foam mattresses are completely synthetic, so it’s not the mattresses themselves getting mould. It’s normally organic compounds such as bacteria and dead skin, combined with the humid conditions, that allow mould to develop and spread.   

To help prevent this from happening, we advise to rotate your mattress monthly for both even settlement and to make sure it’s getting enough airflow. Keep damp clothes or towels out of your bedroom and away from the mattress. Also, keeping your window(s) slightly open can work wonders for air circulation in your bedroom. If your bedroom is often hot and humid then making sure it gets enough ventilation is vital.

Proper mattress care and maintenance, along with a regular cleaning regime can really make a definitive difference when it comes to preventing mould and reducing those dust mites.

If you’re in need of more advice, or you just have a question about your mattress, please give our experts a call on 0161 437 4419.