Dust Mite Bedding - How To Improve Your Sleeping Environment

Dust mites can be found in every household, regardless of how clean it is. They feed on human skin and therefore love to make their home in carpets, upholstery and especially bedding. The bed is a virtual haven for the dust mite for several reasons.

First, we spend one third of our life in bed and the tossing and turning that we do at night sloughs off dead skins cells for the dust mites to feast on. The bed is the nice warm environment that the dust mite can thrive in. Second, look around your bedroom. Is it filled with knick knacks, books, magazines or stuffed animals? Maybe you have some nice carpeting on your bedroom floor. All of these things attract and hold dust, therefore it also attracts dust mites. In addition, you probably don't clean your bedroom as often as you do the living room or kitchen.

So now that we have established that the dust mite loves your bedroom and loves to live in your bed, what do we do about it? There are several options for dust mite bedding on the market today. It is important that you educate yourself on them before you start making purchases.

Choosing a good encasing for your mattress can be very confusing because it seems there are so many different types being sold. But there are really just three basic types. They are vinyl, polyurethane laminates and micro fiber.

The vinyl is the oldest type and probably what comes to mind the most when people think of mattress encasings. They are inexpensive and effective but noisy, uncomfortable, stiff and sweaty. However, they are a very good choice for the box springs.

The laminate encasings are widely used and sold in most department stores. It consists of a plastic type membrane, such as polyurethane, fused to a fabric. The plastic membrane is on the inside and the fabric side is on the outside. Although you are not sleeping directly on the plastic, it is still a bit stiff. One of the big problems with the laminate encasings is that they will delaminate after repeated washings. The plastic separates from the fabric making them unusable.

The third type of encasings is the micro fibers. This is the newest type of mattress encasing. It consists of fibers so thin and yarns woven so tight, that there is no space left for the dust mites to wiggle through. However, they are breathable, allowing both air and water vapor to pass through. The micro fiber encasing is so comfortable you don't even know that it's there.

So if you wake up in the mornings with swollen eyes, a runny nose and chest congestion the culprit is probably those little creatures that you share your bed with. Shop around for the best dust mite bedding that you can afford. It's time to reclaim your right to a good night's sleep.