Brought to you by Bupa and Nuffnang (S1)
20% of Australians have an allergic condition such as asthma, hay fever or eczema1. My daughter is one of them. She suffers from eczema (you can see how extensive it is, especially on her neck, when it is at its worst).
Through years of investigation and tests, we discovered many triggers of eczema, and two main factors we are focusing on at the moment are wheat and dust mites.
When Bupa’s Guide to a Healthy Home digital book came out I thought it worth sharing here because it has important information about how to keep your home safe from fire damage, flood damage, burglary and theft as well as allergens, moulds and dust mites.
Great tips, and I was especially interested in the allergy-friendly section of the book. There were a few ideas I hadn’t thought of like having 100% natural bamboo sachets in the cupboards to soak up moisture. The book is free by the way, just head to www.bupa.com.au/healthyhome to download a copy.
About the Guide to a Healthy Home
Bupa Home and Contents Insurance provides the best possible coverage for life’s unexpected moments, however there are a lot of things you can do around the house to create a happier, healthier and safer environment for the whole family. Bupa has partnered with experts across the country to develop the exclusive tips in this guide, taking us through some changes we can make in our own homes. Through ‘Bupa’s Guide to a Healthy Home’, we they aim to teach that, along with having the right home insurance, there are so many things you can do to ensure your family’s health and safety in your home.
How to Dust Mite Proof a Bed
The other thing I want to share along the lines of keeping the house safe and healthy is how I dust mite proof my daughter’s bed. There are a lot of so-called allergy friendly products out there and I have boiled it down to a system we use to keep her bed as dust mite-free as possible.
Products/Process
- Mattress protector that covers the entire mattress (not only the top).
- Cover mattress with a dust mite-proof fitted sheet.
- Cover with a regular sheet (or allergy-friendly sheet). For my daughter, I use a silky feeling sheet with antibacterial properties.
- Quilts: Feathers are not ideal; Microfiber (e.g. Polyester, Tencel) quilts are better for allergy suffers and they are affordable. However, it’s best for the quilt to be covered with a dust mite-proof protector, even if quilts are labelled ‘allergy friendly’.
- Cover quilt in a quilt protector (for dust mite protection).
- Place quilt cover over the top.
- Place pillow inside a pillow dust mite-proof protector.
- Cover with pillowcase.
I purchased the sheets (that are smooth so they don’t irritate my daughter’s skin) and dust mite-proof protectors from Aussie company Allergend.com.au.
Cleaning System
Wash all items in hot water.
Weekly
- Pillow case
- Regular sheets
8-12 Weeks
- Pillow Protector
- Quilt Protector
- Dust Mite Fitted Sheet
- Quilt Cover
- Quilt (or at least air the quilt)
Yearly
- Mattress cover
- Quilt
This system is both doable and effective.
We do a lot of things in our home suggested in the digital book, and at the moment we are fine-tuning by avoiding wheat and dust mite proofing the bed. You can see the massive improvement in my daughter’s skin so far!
Other Cool Stuff
I always like a good giveaway and this is a fun one from Bupa at the moment as part of their Healthy Home campaign. All details and the free digital book can be found here: www.bupa.com.au/healthyhome
1. Bupa Guide to a Healthy Home Digital Book, 2014
You can read my disclosure policy here.
7 Comments
Morgan
November 11, 2014 at 10:50 amHi, awesome tips for dust mites. I was wondering how you found out wheat was triggering your daughter’s eczema. I’ve got 2 girls, a 4 year old and a 10 month old who both have bad eczema. Also is it just wheat or gluten? I’m desperately searching for something to help them at the moment. Thanks
Kelly - Be A Fun Mum
November 11, 2014 at 11:21 amIt’s so tough with eczema because what I find with my daughter, there are a lot of factors. We went to a immunology specialist doctor to have her tested, and there were many triggers, but wheat and dust mites were the two main factors. It’s just wheat (so she can consume food containing the gluten protein but not the wheat based products which will have gluten in them). We also put on a lot of moisturiser…as much as we can all day every day. We also do wraps…so heavy moisturising and then wrap the affected areas with glad wrap for half an hour. She hates that but it does help. All the best!
Morgan
November 11, 2014 at 12:47 pmThanks
Kelly
November 11, 2014 at 9:25 pmGreat tips, and many I’ve not heard before 🙂
katepickle
November 12, 2014 at 8:15 pmWe are battling eczema here too. All my kids had it when they were little but they all grew out of it pretty much (though they still have occasional issues) except for my four year old – his skin has just been horrible this year!
After taking him off dairy and wheat during the year and having no improvement, we’ve had success lately with using coco nut oil on his skin… so many factors and things to try with eczema!
My twins suffer badly from dust mite allergy, and we freeze their pillows and doonas and the one and only soft toy they are allowed to have once a month which also helps.
Penny at Mother Natured
November 21, 2014 at 2:14 pmThat book looks great! Miss Possum suffers from eczema! Only in summer for some reason. Poor darling scratches and scratches. 🙁
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