I know that 100% natural latex is resistant to dust mites. I’ve seen conflicting information, but it seems like the blended latex is somewhat resistant, but not as much. Is that correct? And would it make sense to use an allergy encasing on a latex bed, or would that take away too much of the feel of the latex?
thank you - KF
Hi kafoster,
There is so much exaggerated or misinformation on the web about dust mites it’s difficult to know what to believe.
What I do know is that dust mites need both food (primarily dead skin cells but other foods as well) and fairly high humidity and since latex of any kind ventilates better and releases moisture to the air better than other foams this alone would make any latex less hospitable to dust mites than other less breathable foams. Dust mites also seem to prefer food that has been partially decomposed by fungi so the documented anti-fungal properties of natural latex may play a role here as well.
I have also read many websites that say natural latex itself has some property that makes it inherently resistant to dust mites and it would make sense to me that if this is the case then the higher the natural latex content the bigger any effect would be but I haven’t seen any specific evidence or studies to back this up and I believe that it’s anti dust mite properties are more the result of its breathability and ability to control humidity.
I would use a mattress encasement designed for allergies if allergies were already an issue but I personally wouldn’t use them as a “preventative” if I didn’t already have allergies that were aggravated by dust mites. There is more about mattress encasements and allergies in post #2 here. A pillow is also a bigger source of problems for dust mites than a mattress and is the first place I would start in any efforts to reduce dust mite populations and reduce or control the allergies they can trigger. Regularly vacuuming the mattress cover can also be very helpful along with regularly washing your sheets and bedding (and a mattress protector) in hot water which can kill most dust mites and rinsing thoroughly (twice) can significantly reduce the presence of dust mite allergens in the sheets and bedding (see here). There is also a good study here which clearly indicates that an allergy cover will reduce the dust mite population but by itself this won’t be enough to have a significant effect on allergy symptoms.
This article and the Wikipedia article here along with the articles here and here and here are some good sources for dust mite information and methods to reduce the dust mite population and the effect of the allergens they produce.
Phoenix
Thank you!