Dust mites: what have you found that REALLY helps?

[tooticky]

This summer I had a SPT that confirmed what I already suspected: I'm allergic to our cat. But it also came up positive for dust mites. This makes sense to me as well, although I have not directly confirmed it like I did with the cat (yes - burying my nose in his fur and taking a deep breath was a bad idea! ).

I pretty much sneeze all day long, with most of it happing when I first wake in the morning. If I wake up at night (if? HAHAHA - dd makes sure I wake up plenty!) I also get congested and sneezy.

I have been faithfully vacuuming (with a filter on the vacuum, although not a HEPA filter), wiping surfaces with a damp cloth, and washing our bedding in HOT water once a week.

There are still some things that I have not done, mostly due to $$ restraints. We have a down duvet, as well as down pillows. I have washed them a few times in hot water, with little change in my symptoms. We also have a carpet in the bedroom, but since we are renting there is not much I can do about that, other than vacuum regularily. We have curtains that I have not washed, as they are huge and would not fit into our machine.

Dust mite covers?

I am wondering if it would help significantly for me to get dust mite covers for our matress, duvet, and pillows. I expect that it would cost a fair bit to get everything covered, so I'm wanting to know how much real benefit others have experienced from them.

I also am not crazy about having synthetics on the bed. I know there are cotton covers out there. Are they as effective?

Of course, our cat is not allowed anywhere near the bedroom, so I don't think he's contributing to my nighttime and early morning sneezing.

Thanks for any advice...

[Nan'sMom]

Buteyko has really helped me and my mom...she recently slept over at my house with no sniffles...a HUGE change. Do a google search for Peter Kolb and Buteyko and you'll find a good site.

[kjbrown92]

We have synthetic pillows (dried in the dryer on high once a month to kill the mites) with covers on them. And we covered all the mattresses (DH and DD are both dustmite allergies). I also took the heavy dust-laden curtains out of DD's room and replaced them with roman shades. She has a carpet in her room (our Electrolux -- 16 years old -- has a HEPA filter, and allergy bags). Sorry, but getting rid of the cat gets my highest vote for anything that would make a big difference (I've seen what they do to DH and DD, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone).

[nalo]

We haven't had to wrap anything but we do the wet dusting, all non-washables in the hot dryer for 30 minutes at least once/month, hot wash all bedding each week, HEPA filter on at all times. I have to 2nd the PP though - you have got to get rid of that cat. You will never be free of your symptoms with the cat still in the house no matter how clean you think you keep it. Just keeping it out of the bedroom is not enough. Sorry.

[changingseasons]

The #1 thing that helped me with dust mites was buying a vacuum with a HEPA filter. I tried the pillow covers, HEPA room filters, all of that stuff... they all helped, but none made a noticeable difference like the vacuum. Before that, I would end up with a sinus infection every time I vacuumed my house.

[jocelyndale]

Dust mite encasings are a must. Nat'l Allergy sells them for duvets, too. Back when I bought, I bought top of the line for pillows and middle of the line for the mattress. And they've been awesome--no rustling, no sweating, just perfect.

We shower before bed. No sense tracking more dust/pollen into the bed. Neti pot or nasal irrigation at night to flush out the nasal passages.

We don't have curtains in our bedroom, just blinds. They're much easier to dust/wash.

We have standalone air filters (HEPA standard, absolutely no ionizers or ozone generators) in the house and use the best 3M filtrete filters in our furnace.

When I didn't have control over the HVAC (apt living), I used filtrete material over the vents in my bedroom. It helped a lot, but it does affect furnace efficiency. You can buy filtrete by the roll from allergy supply companies.

And yes, this all makes a big difference. Carpet and upholstery make things much worse. Our couch is leather, but our den has a futon and I do have issues if I spend too much time on it.

[*mama moose*]

I'm watching this thread...DD1 has pretty severe asthma, so much so that we cannot SPT her because she can't be off claritin long enough without getting sick She had a RAST that said she was NOT allergic to cats, dogs, grass, or top 8 foods, but it (for some dumb reason) didn't test for dust/mold. So we did get mattress covers (yesterday, I need to put them on), but I'm really lost as to what else to do. Our vac claims to have a HEPA filter, but its pretty cheap so I'm not sure how well it actually works...
I really need to get on this, I've been so wrapped up in DD2s food issues I haven't taken the time to really process DD1s asthma, which keeps flaring despite numerous medications....

a question though, if the RAST was neg to cats, I don't have to get rid of my cats, right?? I really honestly think theres mold in my apartment that is the cause of her constant flare-ups....(we are moving next month, I am SO hoping that will help!)

[tooticky]

Thanks for all of these replies - it gives me a good idea of where to focus my attention.

I have such a hard time with the cat. I really began to dislike him when I was pregnant with ds, and neither of the kids is particularily attached to him since he's very scratchy and bitey, but dh loves him still.

I guess I still feel like "it's just sneezing" compared to the sadness of giving him away. Of course when my nose is streaming and sore from blowing it constantly, I am cursing the cat...

Dh has said that we can give him away if I want to, but I still feel bad about it.


Mama moose: Have you ever noticed her symptoms improve when you are in a cat free environment for a long period of time? Eg. visiting friends or family who don't have pets? Maybe you haven't had the opportunity to test this yet... Sorry to hear that you LO is having such troubles. My dd spent the first year of her life taking Ventolin and Flovent whenever she got a cold, and I know how powerless you can feel to help them... Of course, sometimes breathing issues can be exacerbated by food intolerances.

[mommydancer]

Could you maybe give the cat to someone your DH visits a lot (in law family? one of his buddies? even a neighbor?) so he can still spend quality time? Just a thought to ease your guilty feelings.

[Scribe]

If you are allergic to dust mites as well as the cat, I don't think getting rid of the cat would fix anything. I have a lot of pets, to whom I am allergic, but I am also allergic to dust mites, and being in a pet-free house doesn't improve things all that much.

The pillow and mattress covers have helped, but honestly, nasal irrigation has been the biggest help. It's gross and uncomfortable, but it's worth it. I also find showering before bed helps.

[tooticky]

For nasal irrigation, do you use a neti pot or one of those nasal misters? The allergist I saw gave me some saline in a spray bottle to irrigate my nose with. It hasn't seemed to do much, but I may not have been getting it far enough into my nose.

Allerpet:
Have any of you found Allerpet to work? Or another method of cleaning the cat, short of actually tossing it in the tub and then rushing yourself to the hospital?

Mattress/pillow covers:
Any words of wisdom when choosing covers for the bedding? I have found a Canadian website (www.sleepclean.com) that has free shipping to Canada and has some products that are all cotton.

[tooticky]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

The #1 thing that helped me with dust mites was buying a vacuum with a HEPA filter. I tried the pillow covers, HEPA room filters, all of that stuff... they all helped, but none made a noticeable difference like the vacuum. Before that, I would end up with a sinus infection every time I vacuumed my house.

At this point, the only room in the house with carpeting is the bedroom! Aaagh! We ripped out the carpeting in the rest of the apartment this past Spring.

I usually sweep the rest of the house, and vacuum it once a week or so to get the dust that is missed by the broom. Maybe this is the wrong approach.

Maybe a visit to the vacuum dealer to search for a proper HEPA filter is in order. I seem to remember they were quite a bit more $$ than the regular ones...

[*mama moose*]

nak
we have gone on vacations w/ no cats and shes the same, though I guss we still have cat hair on us/clothes...my instinct says its not cats....esp since the rast was neg.

we have a bagless dirtdevil that says hepa on it, is there something extra I can buy to make it more effective??