Suitable duvet filling for sufferer of allergy to dust mites: is goose/duck down ok?

Legacy_user

RE: 1) allergy to dust mites; also a tendency to 2) mild asthma and/or hay fever symptoms brought on seasonally by over-polluted areas

I am looking to buy a new type of duvet and want to ensure this is suitable for a sufferer of the above allergies.

I'd prefer a "down" duvet so is down (goose or duck) ok?

I ask this as I have read that feathers (goose or duck) are a no-no as animal feathers can be an allergen.

So would a down duvet be ok for someone allergic to dust mites?

Or does it have to be made of Hollow Fibre (i.e. polyester)?

tomtontom

That pretty much describes me, I have wool bedding. Down gives me breathing problems.

DigForVictory

It's a 2011 article but I don't think science has roared too far from the main idea
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/health/05patient.html?_r=0
However it's red hot on washing bedding weekly & that's where I think down may not be the answer. Not only as down is not a novice wash, but also when you consider how much abuse you can give a synthetic duvet, including replacing it for a fraction of the cost of a down one?

I run synthetics as I have sons & a lot of bedding to wash. It does mean I just don't have to worry about mites as much, and I can afford to replace a duvet that someone has been ill over without getting a loan!

In matters of health & comfort however - only you can decide how much money & effort you intend to put into it. All the best!

Ben84

I have a bad dust mite allergy, and I have found controlling dust mites in the bed to be very helpful. I'm just one person, and I've not tried everything, but I've tried a lot of stuff and have made some discoveries.

Feather anything is bad. Extremely bad. Dust mites seem to thrive in it. I also wonder about the little particles it releases. They're also not really washable at home.

Plastic fibre is intermediate. Dust mites certainly do live in it, and enough to be a problem for me. It is easy to wash at home at least, and as someone else said, cheap enough to replace more often.

The best I've found is wool. It's comfortable, washable at home and doesn't seem to host as many dust mites as plastic fibre. For pillows, dunlopillo seem to resist dust mites too.

This combination worked better than anything else for years, but I didn't really get the allergies under control until I bought full encapsulation covers for the pillows, duvet and mattress. It was expensive (I bought Astex Pristine), although having an allergy at least meant I could tick the VAT free box and I didn't pay VAT. Thankfully it was worth it, I woke up for the first time ever without itchy eyes and a completely blocked nose, and have pretty much every morning ever since. I do make sure I wash the outer covers every week at 60 (60 degrees breaks down the allergens) and vacuum the bedroom and bed at the same time. Covers stop the bedding getting filled with mites and allergens, but they can still live on the surface.The anti-dust mite covers also need regular hot washing, but not every week. Every 2-3 months works for me. Many people don't need to limit exposure as much as I do, but if you do, there are options.