How to Choose anti-allergy Barrier Covers for your bedding

A guide to healthy sleeping

Anyone with asthma or eczema, rhinitis or sensitivity to chemicals knows only too well the misery of long nights spent awake with allergy symptoms: itchy or watery eyes, blocked or runny nose, coughing, wheezing, postnasal drip and hot, angry skin rashes can all ruin a decent night's sleep.

One of the most common triggers for these reactions is an allergen found in the microscopic droppings of house dust mites, minute creatures that colonise dark, warm, humid places which offer a food supply of shed skin scales. So your bed, with its mattress, pillows and duvet, padded headboard and stuffed teddy bears provides dust mites with an ideal environment in which they thrive.

Steps to take to clear your bedding of dust mites

First of all give any in-use mattresses a really good clean with a vacuum cleaner, ideally a modern HEPA model that will take in and retain house dust mite allergen. Next, enclose the mattresses in allergen proof barrier covers. These covers will prevent house dust mites already in the mattress getting out and stop new mites getting in. Of course if you buy a new mattress and enclose it in an allergen proof barrier cover you will prevent infestation from the start. Enclose pillows and duvets (whether new or in use) with similar allergen proof covers. As the pillow is home to the highest density of house dust mites and their allergen it is the most important item of bedding to cover. Encasing your pillow in an allergen proof barrier cover can bring an immediate reduction in asthma attacks and eczema flare-ups.

Choices of anti-allergy barrier covers

There is a wide selection of allergen proof barrier covers in the bedlinen sections of department stores or the catalogues of specialist mail order companies. We examined several different types, all of which prevent exposure to dust mite allergen. We offer the following advice:

Avoid barrier covers which have a PVC backing. They are unsuitable for anyone sensitive to chemicals and quite noisy to sleep on. Our tester with eczema found them unbearably hot. They made her sweaty and itchy.

We also tested mattress and pillow covers made of polypropelene from John Lewis. These are not very robust - the pillow cover tore when we took it out of the packaging - but they provide an effective barrier to dust mite allergen and could be an inexpensive option for a guest room for example. Several testers remarked that they gave off an unpleasant odour and would not recommend them for chemical sensitivity.

The more expensive synthetic barrier covers made with a synthetic interlining or bonded membrane are unquestionably effective but our tester found them very noisy.

We also looked at pure cotton barrier covers and others made of modern breathable fabrics. These both proved to be efficient and comfortable to sleep on.

Our recommendations for hypoallergenic barrier covers

Three types of anti-allergy Barrier Cover meet our Best Buy standard and we are happy to offer these to our customers:

Cottonfresh® Organic Cotton Covers

These allergen barrier covers are made of Cottonfresh®, a specially woven, 100% pure organic unbleached, undyed cotton fabric, described as "the Rolls-Royce of allergen bedding material." They can be bought free of VAT if you have asthma, eczema or dust mite allergy. See Cottonfresh product pages for details.

The covers are designed to be zipped around pillows, mattresses and duvets in order to enclose them completely. CottonFresh® has all the benefits of natural, breathable cotton, allowing vapour and heat to pass through, whilst the closeness of the weave keeps out the tiniest particulate allergen.

In tests at the BTTG Laboratories in Manchester and the Medical Entomology Centre at the University of Cambridge, house dust mites and their allergen could not penetrate the fabric. Tests at PMI, New York showed that allergen as tiny as 3.4microns was held out. This type of covers also effectively seals out bed bugs from your bedding.

Cottonfresh® barrier covers also carry the OEKO-TEX guarantee of textile purity so they are suitable for the chemically sensitive.

Cottonfresh® Barrier Covers can be washed frequently at 90°C and will remain allergen proof. They are undetectable in use and incredibly cool and comfortable.

The Cottonfresh Barrier Cover range consists of:

AllergyBestBuys Breathable Synthetic Covers

These barrier covers give an impressive performance, holding out dust mite allergen, bed bugs, pollen, pet dander and mould spores. They have a cool, silky, luxurious feel and are entirely breathable.

Our testers found the soft microfibre fabric comfortable and quiet and were very happy with the price. They can also be bought free of VAT if you have asthma, eczema or dust mite allergy.

AllergybestBuys covers are a perfect choice if you are ok with high quality, breathable synthetics.

Waterproof Allergen Barrier Covers

Perfect if you need additional protection against stains and spills, these comfortable protective covers are made of dust mite proof cotton terry with a fine, flexible non-PVC backing to make them waterproof, guarding against mould spores and damp: serious triggers for asthma and rhinitis attacks. You can buy them free of VAT if you have asthma, eczema or dust mite allergy.

Guaranteed free from antimony, phosphorous, cadmium and zinc, these covers are so safe they've been granted the OEKO-TEX guarantee of textile purity in the category "Products for Babies".

The Pillow Covers are zipped for total enclosure, while the mattress covers have elasticated sides. They're ideal for children's beds, for the elderly, or for where bedding needs frequent laundering. A hot wash at 90° keeps these exceptional allergen barrier covers pure and fresh.

Find out more about

Cottonfresh 100% cotton Barrier Covers

Allergybestbuys Barrier Covers

Waterproof Barrier Covers:

Waterproof pillow cover

Waterproof Mattress Cover