Dust-mite allergy and living room furniture... suggestions?

[Malenki]

Our son reacts strongly to dust mites (well, their byproducts...) and we've found he has a ton of problems with the upholstered living room furniture.

 

We'd like to get something that he doesn't react to. I've read to change to leather or micro-fiber cloth or wood/plastic. But since we've decided it's too risky to buy used (problems with pets, perfumes, dust mites, etc.) I would like to get something that we can use for a long time without him being bothered by it.

 

Anybody choose to go this way for the allergy? Did it work well? I've read that some of the "leathers" are so full of chemicals it may not help on that front, so we're leaning towards micro-fiber.

 

The other thing that was mentioned was to use one of those light wands (I'm forgetting their names...) that kills bacteria and dust mites... but then, if the problem is that the allergic reaction is to the dust mite byproducts that doesn't seem like it would help. But maybe it would? We saw that CostCo is selling one so we could get one if it would help.

 

Any suggestions to help?

[TheCoffeeChick]

I have pretty bad allergies also -- leather is the best for me. It washes very easily. My SIL has a microfiber couch and anytime I sit on it I go home sneezing and itchy.

[Malenki]

Thanks!!

[Jen500]

Have you allergy-proofed his bedroom? Doing that has made a huge difference for my son and his allergies (including dust mites).

[KJsMom]

A good friend of mine has similar allergies. And her DD's are worse. They removed all the carpet from their home and replaced their living room furniture with leather. They wash all window coverings, bedding, and stuffed toys weekly.

[TX Bluebonnet]

All of our flooring is either wood or tile, leather furniture (I don't see how micro fiber would be any better than regular cloth) no curtains upstairs.

 

Also, make sure you use a good quality air filter if you have central air. We also bought a small Holmes air filter to put in ds's room. Limit the number of stuffed animals and other dust collecting items especially in his bedroom. Wash sheets as often as possible.

[Malenki]

We've stripped all the carpet out and eliminated stuffed animals a while ago. Bedding washed weekly, etc. So the next step is to replace living room furniture with something that doesn't make him sick. Definitely seems like leather is the way to go!

 

I was apprehensive about the micro-fiber... it just didn't seem like it would be that much better but who argues with the Mayo Clinic?! But wow, leather can be expensive! We sold all of our living room furniture since we are moving and now I'm thinking we'll be sitting on the floor for a year or two. LOL

[asta]

Leather couches are reasonable (by that I mean compared to other places) at IKEA. You can also get POANG chairs that are bent wood with fabric covers that pop right into the wash.

 

Notes from my allergist:

 

Put DS' stuffed animals into the freezer overnight, and that kills the mites. (I used my neighbor's deep freeze because I only had a little freezer).

 

Carpets are evil, as are curtains and rugs (slippers become your friends). Blinds are the way to go. Wipe them down with a wet cloth, don't vacuum them. Don't dust, wipe down with a moist cloth.

 

Mite proof mattress covers and pillow covers. Bring the pillows and blankets to the "big washer" at the laundromat for a boil wash.

 

Anything that can be washed on hot, should be. Dry the snot out of your towels.

 

Things like "ionic breeze" are marketing BS. It takes a true hepa filter to do any good in the allergen department. There are portable ones for very small areas, but if you want to make a significant difference, get one attached to your HVAC system (they are designed to piggy-back). The better ones have a hepa, a carbon, and a "large particle" filter. The best ones also have a UV light.

 

A hepa vacuum. It doesn't have to be a Rainbow or anything. Just a normal Dust Devil or Hoover is fine, as long as it has that filter. And remember to change the filter.

 

That's all I can remember w/o digging out the sheet he gave me.

 

HTH

 

 

a

[Danestress]

Norwex mattress spray. Supposedly it releases microbes which feed on dust mite waste, compete with them for food, are harmless, and leave no allergic biproducts. We shall see.

[Ferdie]

We've stripped all the carpet out and eliminated stuffed animals a while ago. Bedding washed weekly, etc. So the next step is to replace living room furniture with something that doesn't make him sick. Definitely seems like leather is the way to go!

 

I was apprehensive about the micro-fiber... it just didn't seem like it would be that much better but who argues with the Mayo Clinic?! But wow, leather can be expensive! We sold all of our living room furniture since we are moving and now I'm thinking we'll be sitting on the floor for a year or two. LOL

 

We got some overstuffed leather chairs at Costco 10 years ago and they are still in great shape.

 

We bought our leather couch at this place and it is a great piece of furniture and affordable.

 

http://www.theluxuryofleather.com/store_locator/

 

My friend got a great deal on a leather sofa/loveseat at a Macy's sale.

[Beth in OH]

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is humidity. Try to lower the relative humidity in your home to below 50%, and keep it there consistently. De-humidifiers and air conditioning both help. Dust mites don't survive in a low humidity setting.

 

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcmites.htm

[answerdeskwtm]

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