10 Ways to Allergy Proof Your Bedroom

If you're sniffling, sneezing, or dealing with nasal stuffiness or other allergy signs, you may want to consider taking some steps to eliminate allergens and other irritants from your bedroom.

Unfortunately, symptoms of allergies can interrupt your sleep. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a study that found 48 percent of sufferers of seasonal allergies have issues with interrupted sleep. They're susceptible to daytime fatigue, insomnia, and chronic sleep deprivation. And the worse the individual's allergy symptoms are, the worse their sleep is.

The bedroom is where you likely spend a lot of your time in your house. Ideally you're spending at least seven to nine hours each night. Therefore, it's a good idea you make your bedroom an allergy-free zone to allow you to breathe easier, and not let your allergies impact your sleep. Here are 10 ways you can help allergy-proof your bedroom.

1. Vacuum Regularly

Use a HEPA filter vacuum on the floor of your bedroom a minimum of once a week if you have pets or carpets. Dust mites find their way into your carpets and make a home, therefore vacuuming once a week can help remove these unwanted critters. Wear a mask so you don’t inhale dust.

2. Close Your Windows

It might tempt you to crack the windows in your bedroom during warmer weather, but when you do this, it allows pollen to come into your bedroom, and settle in your carpet or other spots. To avoid an allergic reaction, keep the windows closed.

3. Keep Pets Out of Your Bedroom

Dogs and cats may provide you with unconditional love, but they also trigger allergies. They have dead skin cells that can become airborne, settling into dust, and triggering symptoms of allergies. If you suspect your pet could be triggering your allergies, have an allergy test to figure out your sensitivities. Keep your pets out of your bedroom, so you can eliminate allergies causes by pet dander.

4. Get Dust Mites Out of Your Bed

Dust mites are microscopic bugs that can trigger asthma and allergies. You often find them living in the bedding. There are a couple steps you can take to eliminate them:

• Wash your sheets, pillowcases, and blankets once a week in water that's a minimum of 130 degrees F. Dry them all in a hot dryer.
• Put dust-mite-proof covers on comforters, pillows, box springs, and mattresses.

5. Adjust Your Bedroom Bedding

Allergy sufferers can benefit from keeping their bedroom free of clutter, and having sleek furnishings. Since upholstered furniture is more likely to catch more allergens, your furnishings should be designed with simple-to-clean materials like metal, wood and leather. Also, limit how many objects you have in your bedroom. Things like knickknacks and books can accumulate dust.

If you have a traditional mattress and box spring, cover both in an allergen proof or zippered dust-proof cover. Do this with your pillows as well.

However, the best way to allergy proof your bedding is to sleep on a pure, organic natural latex mattress. PlushBeds natural latex mattresses are hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenic mattresses prevent allergy affecting microorganisms such as fungus, bacteria, and dust mites from invading the  mattress.

While many believe latex mattresses will actually cause an allergic reaction, this is not true. Dunlop and Talalay latex are a couple common latex types found in latex hybrid and all-latex mattresses, pillows, and toppers, and don't cause the same type of allergic reactions as the latex products you find in medical or household products.

Talalay latex that's used in numerous natural latex mattresses are typically put through a five-stage washing process, which helps to remove any reaction-related proteins. This type of latex is also flash-heated from being a "gel" into a solid form that gets rid of any remaining residue or proteins.

6. Adjust Your Bedroom Blinds, Curtains, and Windows

Invest in blinds and curtains you can wash. Synthetic and cotton fabric blinds and drapes work best. If you can, try and keep the windows of your bedroom closed as much as possible, and clean your windows regularly. Condensation and mold can accumulate in window sills and frames.

7. Change Your Flooring

Switch carpeting to washable area rugs and either linoleum or hardwood flooring. Bamboo flooring, which is touted as one of the best flooring choice for allergy sufferers, is a great alternative, allowing you to sweep away dirt, dust, or animal hair quickly.

If this isn't possible, try using low-pile carpeting instead of high-pile, and vacuum weekly with your HEPA filter vacuum.

8. Utilize Air Filtration

Try putting a high-efficiency, disposable filter in your air-conditioning unit or furnace that’s rated MERV 11 or 12. This is a rating that means the filter holes that let air pass through are much smaller, thereby trapping pollutants better. Be sure you change the filter every few months, or as directed by the filter label. Keep your AC unit on “fan” mode, so pollen and other pollutants don’t become trapped indoors.

Select an air filter that's a HEPA filter, or has a small-particle filter. Adjust the filter, so it directs clean air at your head while you're sleeping.

9. Take a Shower Before Bed

After being outdoors, it's essential you rinse off, so you're not dragging in pollen or other allergens into your bedroom and bed with you. If your hair is wet after your shower, dry it first with a blow-dryer before going to bed to keep moisture from leading to mold growth on your pillow. Move your shower to an earlier time if you like to air-dry your hair.

10. Use a Dehumidifier

Mold can thrive in warm, moist air. It doesn’t grow well in dry air. When it’s warm, you should use your AC unit instead of opening the windows for the outdoor breeze. If you’re living in a sweltering hot weather climate, keep the humidity down to 30 to 50 percent by using a dehumidifier. You can check the humidity level in your bedroom by using a hygrometer, which you can purchase at drug stores or home improvement stores.

As a bonus tip, to eliminate dust mites, turn up your AC or turn down your heat — they can’t breed that well if the temperature is below 77 degrees F. 

These are only some ways to allergy-proof your bedroom. The more you can do to keep pollen, dust, mites, and pet dander out of your bedroom, the better you'll feel, and the better you'll sleep.

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