Healthy Home Tips: Allergy-Proofing Your Child’s Bedroom

Dust is home to dust mites, a pest virtually invisible to the naked eye, and one of the most common causes of allergy and asthma symptoms in the world. Dust mites thrive on our skin scales and body moisture, so they are found in beds, pillows, frequently used cushioned furniture, and even clothing. If your child has allergies or asthma, take steps to minimize the presence of dust mites, as well as other allergens, in your child’s bedroom.

1. Dust mite covers. Dust mites can travel in clothing, so if there are dust mites in one bed in your house, there are probably dust mites in most of your beds. Encase all box springs, mattresses and bed pillows with dust-mite covers. For older mattresses, use covers consisting of solid plastic (such as urethane) and woven material. Do not use covers made only from non-woven fabric.

2. Washing dust-mite covers. If you want to wash an allergen-control mattress encasing now and then, put two on the mattress and remove only the outer one. Otherwise, dust-mite allergens in the mattress will leak out and contaminate the room when you remove the mattress encasing.

3. Down on down. Down-filled quilts and pillows are often contaminated with dust mites, and emit feather fragments that can be irritating to inhale. So avoid feather bedding.

4. Quilts and blankets. To kill dust mites, put quilts and blankets in a dryer once a week for about ten minutes on medium heat, until hot.

5. Humidifiers. Use only a warm-mist humidifier, which boils the water and thus inhibits the growth of yeast, bacteria and mold.

6. Excess moisture. Dust mites and mold colonies thrive in high humidity. If you humidify your child’s room in winter, measure the relative humidity with a hygrometer, available in many building supply and hardware stores. Keep the relative humidity under 40%. (If there is still water condensing on walls or windows, don’t use the humidifier as much.)

7. Hard flooring. Carpeting captures dust and can harbor mold and dust mites, so have wood, tile or laminate floors in your allergic child’s bedroom.

8. Pets: both breathing and stuffed. If your child is allergic to pet dander, don’t let your family dog or cat into the child’s bedroom. Don’t let a neighbor who owns a cat or dog sit on your child’s bed, because dander from that pet can collect on your neighbor’s clothing. Don’t put a fish tank in your child’s bedroom. Believe it or not, mites can infest the tank cover, and the filter aerosolizes algae and other contaminants from the water. Lastly, if your child sleeps with stuffed animals, put them in a dryer once a week for ten minutes on low to medium heat, to kill dust mites.