Wool mattress & pillow protectors on top of dust mite covers overkill????

[phoenix]

Hi Barra,

Congratulations on your new mattress … you certainly made a great quality/value choice

Would the softness of the latex be affected with the dust mite encasement (read on here that the 12" king is great for a 9-10" mattress because it “gives” more with respect to feeling softness of the latex)??? My husband has allergies, but if we are going from a 10yr old innerspring mattress with down pillows and bedding to all latex (shredded pillows as well), is there really any more improvement with the encasements as far as preventing dust mites? Same questions for the shredded latex pillows as well (and would it really be necessary to buy the st. dormier pillow protector if the allergy encasement is already on them?) Trying not to break the bank but also wanting to ensure our investment in the bed is cared for right from the get go.

There is more about dust mite encasements and their effect on allergies in post #2 here.

A loose dust mite encasement such as the one you are considering would probably have little effect on either the feel or the breathability of your mattress but there is a link to the results of a study in the same post that indicates that while a dust mite cover can certainly reduce exposure to dust mite particles that come from a mattress … by itself this isn’t likely to be enough to reduce allergy symptoms without a more comprehensive strategy to reduce exposure to dust mites in all the other areas of the home that can also make a difference (including your pillows)…

I would make your decisions about a more comprehensive strategy to control exposure to dust mites and reduce allergy symptoms in consultation with your doctor and based on the severity of any symptoms your husband experiences that can be attibuted to exposure to dust mites. This will really be a “best judgement” choice.

Phoenix