Tag: dust mite cover

Posted on

Will any Mattress Cover Do?

We get calls all the time from people who want to know if you need a special cover to protect against dust mites. They may already have a cover or pad on the mattress or pillow and want to know if it will do the trick. I don’t blame them for asking. I wouldn’t want to buy a new mattress cover if the mattress cover I already owned would do the trick.

The problem is most regular mattress covers aren’t made of barrier cloth.  Barrier cloth is the common name we give to microweave fabrics. The idea of a mattress cover made of a microweave is that the fibers have been woven so tightly that the allergens cannot escape through as air flows.

The most tightly woven microweave mattress covers are made from polyester fibers.  That is because polyester is a strong yarn that can be woven very tightly without breaking.  To get allergen protection, you want a mean (average) pore size of at least 8 microns.

The good microweave mattress covers are made with fabrics that have a 5-micron pore size and the really really good ones have a pore size of 4 microns. Of course, if you don’t like the idea of a mattress cover made from polyester and want the coolness of cotton, then you will have to sacrifice some pore size.

So, if the mattress cover you currently own totally encases the mattress, zips closed, and is made from a fabric with a mean pore size of under 8 microns, then you do not need to buy a special cover.  Chances are, your cover does not meet these requirements and the money invested in a new mattress cover will well be worth the relief you get from sleeping allergy-free

Cheryl
Posted on

How Your Dust Mite Cover Should Fit?

We get lots of questions from people trying to decide what size dust mite cover to buy for their mattresses.  Over the months, I have written lots about the different fabrics, but I don’t think I have ever addressed how the dust mite cover should fit.

How Should It Fit?

There is a misconception that the cover needs to fit tightly.  Actually, the opposite is true.  If you try to put a too-small cover on a too-large mattress you will put stress on the seams and the zipper closure.  Those are the weakest points in your line of defense against dust mites.  You don’t want any strain or stress on those seams or zippers.  So, your dust mite cover should fit loosely and not tight at all.

How Do You Measure the Depth?

Most people know what “size” their mattress is (queen, king, twin, full, etc) but they are not sure of the depth of the mattress.  To measure the depth of your mattress, you need to strip the bed down.  That means removing all the bedding, including the sheets and any mattress pad you might keep on the bed.

Get down at eye level with the mattress (only measure the mattress for depth, do not include the box spring in the depth measurement) and measure from the top seam to the bottom seam.  If you have a pillow-top mattress, take the measurement in several places.

Round Up or Round Down?

Round that measurement up to determine the proper depth mattress cover to purchase.

For example, if your mattress measures 10″ deep, you want the 12″ deep cover.  While you might be able to stretch and tug to get a 9″ cover on that 10″ mattress, chances are you are going to stress the seam or tear out the zipper in your attempt.

While the 12″ cover will give you a little extra fabric, it does not affect the dust mite protection of the zippered mattress cover.  Just take that little bit of extra fabric and tuck it between the mattress and the box spring.  Your fitted sheet will hold it in place.

Properly sized, your dust mite mattress cover will last for years and give you night after night of protection.  So make sure your dust mite cover fits right.

Til Next Time!