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Home > Sleep Products > Bedroom Allergies > UK Astex Dust Mite Proof Bedding
UK Astex
Dust Mite Proof Bedding
Dust mites and their excrement can induce allergic reactions. UK Astex uses an enclosed zipper design to effectively block nearly 99% of allergens and alleviate asthma, eczema and nasal allergies caused by dust mites.
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Made in Britain
Allergy UK Approved
Class 1
Medical Device
Up to HK$400
Dust Mites & Allergies
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Dust mites are tiny creatures that are difficult to see with the naked eye, only about 100-600 microns in size (about 0.1-0.6 mm). The life cycle of dust mites is about 70 days, and they mainly feed on dander from the human body. An average adult sheds skin every day enough to raise 1 million dust mites.
Meet the Little Creatures
The excrement of dust mites contains a specific protein and is one of the most common allergens. Once in contact, our immune system will automatically generate a response to these proteins, producing IgE antibodies and together with our body's defence cells, which then releases anti-inflammatory substances (such as histamine). This reaction causes the typical responses such as itching, sneezing, coughing and wheezing.
Allergic Reaction
The suitable temperature for dust mites to breed is 20-25°C, with the humidity at 70-80%. The inherent climate of Hong Kong is warm and humid just right for dust mites. Mixed with our body temperature and sweat makes mattresses and pillows the ideal habitat for dust mites; the one place where we spend most of our time.
The Ideal Breeding Ground
Dust Mite Proof Bedding
The Most Effective Way
To Block the Dust Mites
The Allergy UK and the Hong Kong Consumer Council recommended the use of mite-proof bedding covers with high fabric density and zipper designs that can have the mattress and pillow completely encased. Female dust mites can lay 2-3 eggs a day, and their reproductive cycle speed is impressive. Even if you vacuum clean every day, it is not enough to remove all dust mites and their excrement. A better way is to completely enclose the dust mites in the bedding so that they cannot make contact with us. Thus reducing the allergic symptoms caused by dust mites and their excrement; and at the same time, terminate their food supply so that they cannot multiply and reproduce.
Sealed zipper design, 360° wrapped mattress, completely isolate dust mites.
High-density fibre material,
impenetrable by dust mites.
The UK Astex
Well Ventilated & Dust Mite Proof
The size of dust mites and their excrement vary, generally no less than 100 microns and 10 microns. To effectively block allergens such as dust mites, the protective fabric must be tightly weaved so the pores must be below 10 microns to ensure that dust mites cannot pass. The higher the fabric density, the better the ability to prevent dust mites, but at the same time, the fabric becomes less breathable. The UK Astex uses material with a pore size of 5.9 microns, which is enough to prevent dust mites from passing through but still retains ideal air permeability.
Made in Britain
Sealed Zipper
Design
5.9 Microns
High-Density Fibre
Allergy UK
Approved
CE Class 1
Medical Device
The UK Astex
Based on Science & Proved Effective
An Allergy Test for Children with Asthma conducted by a University's Immune & Respiratory Center in the UK
The University of Manchester in the UK conducted a large (14 hospitals participated), longitudinal study of 284 children with asthma and dust mite allergy for 12 months. The results showed that after using Astex mite-proof bedding covers, children with asthma flare-ups that required emergency room treatment reduced by nearly one-half compared to before use.
284
Children
12
Months
14
Hospitals
Can other methods
truly prevent dust mites?
Dust Mite Vacuum Cleaners
Although daily vacuuming can reduce dust mites on the surface of the bed-sheet, it is impossible to eliminate or remove the dust mites hiding deep inside, under the bottom or in the four sides of the mattress. Also, do you truly believe that our family member or domestic worker responsible for vacuuming, can thoroughly clean every day? Does the vacuum cleaner have a high-efficiency HEPA filter, and is it cleaned and replaced regularly? All these factors will directly affect the ability to remove dust mites.
Anti-Dust Mite Chemically Treated Fabric
Some mattress protectors on the market claim to be anti-bacterial and dust mite proof. Before purchasing, you should pay attention to whether the protector contains a zipper that completely seals the mattress. If you or your family members suffer from asthma or allergies, you should carefully check whether the protective cover is chemically treated, because added chemicals may cause allergic reactions.
Waterproof Plastic
Most protective covers containing plastic components are waterproof but are not breathable. The weather in Hong Kong is warm and humid, and using the cover may be sticky, hot and uncomfortable. If you have eczema, skin irritation would be a constant worry. Also, the texture of the plastic is generally firm and rigid, unlike cloth which is weightlessness and soft, the cover may make irritating noises when rubbed against, which affects the quality of sleep.
The UK Astex
Improves Allergies & Asthma
from its Root Cause
Up to 80% of allergic patients are allergic to dust mites
Up to 85% of asthma patients are allergic to dust mites
The UK Astex 360° professional dust mite encasements use the most thorough and reliable method to isolate dust mites. It improves and controls the source that causes harmful reactions in people suffering from asthma, eczema and nasal allergies. The Astex series includes mattress covers, pillow covers and inner-quilt liners, offering a variety of sizes, from cribs to extra-large beds, and customised services. Astex also provides a dust mite-proof bed sheet in a convenient travel pack, so that people who are prone to allergies can still be fully protected during travel.
Related Products
Dust Mite Proof Beddings - FAQs
What are anti-dust mite beddings protective covers?
Anti-dust mite beddings protective covers are used for mattresses, pillows and quilts to prevent dust mites from passing through with the purpose of reducing the user’s allergy problems. Anti-dust mite beddings protective covers can be classified into two types: chemical and physical. The first type is where chemicals (e.g. biocides) are added into the fabric to prevent dust mites from reproducing. However, for people with respiratory or skin allergies, regular contact with these chemicals may further intensify their allergies. For the second type, a highly dense fabric is used to prevent dust mites from escaping, cutting off their food supply and starving them.
Which dust mite proof beddings are recommended?
Dust mite proof beddings on the market in Hong Kong mainly fight against dust mites through "chemical" or "physical" methods. "Chemical method" is processed with insecticides such as Permethrin or Triclosan to kill dust mites. However, if you have allergies, these chemicals may increase the risk of skin and respiratory allergies. The "physical method" is much safer. Based on scientific principles, use the high-density fabrics to prevent dust mites from passing through, and effectively cut off the food supply of dust mites, so that dust mites cannot live in the beddings. Therefore, professionals generally recommend that people with allergies choose the physical method.
In addition, there are some dust mite proof beddings on the market in Hong Kong that are waterproof. These kind of dust mite proof beddings generally contains plastic components, which may cause the squeaking sounds when the surfaces are rubbed together due to the change of sleeping position during use, the quality of sleep will be affected. Moreover, plastic materials are not breathable. In Hong Kong, where the weather is warm and humid, it may feel stuffy and sticky when using such plastic-containing waterproof bedding. If you have skin allergies, such as eczema, that are more likely to make them worse. Therefore, for people with allergies, it is generally recommended that they choose the bedding with high-density fabrics to block dust mites.
How to choose high-quality dust mite proof bedding?
If you have allergies, it is generally recommended to choose dust mite proof bedding that does not contain plastic ingredients. Although plastic-containing beddings can be waterproof, due to the lack of breathability, it may aggravate skin allergy symptoms such as eczema, and the quality of sleep may be affected by the heat and discomfort. Also, it is recommended to measure the size of your own pillow and mattress before a purchase, because the dust mite proof beddings should be larger than your own pillow and mattress, in order to avoid the reduction of the fabric density due to pulling during replacement, which will affect the effectiveness of the dust mite proof beddings.
What rules and regulations are there for the dust mite proof beddings to be approved?
According to the guidelines of the Hong Kong Consumer Council, anti-dust mite beddings protective covers must completely (360 degrees) wrap around the mattress or pillows and be sealed off with a concealable zipper. To prevent over-stretching or damaging the beddings protective covers, dimensions must be slightly bigger than the mattress or pillows. Since dust mites and their excrement may be as small as 100 microns and 10 microns, the fabric for the beddings protective covers must be less than 10 microns to effectively block off allergy stimuli.
Even if our usual bedsheets have a very high number of counts, it still cannot block the dust mites as the threads are not secure and will shift when we move around during our sleep. Hence, dust mites can crawl out between the thread-gaps. Furthermore, bedsheets only cover the surface and the sides of the mattress. Dust mites are micro-organisms that will constantly travel around. If the bottom of the mattress is not covered, dust mites can crawl out from the bottom and onto the surface, not helping much to improve your allergy problems.
How can dust mite proof beddings improve asthma and allergic rhinitis?
According to some studies, over 80% and 85% allergy and asthma sufferers are allergic to dust mites and their excrement. On average, people spend about 1/3 of their time in bed. Dust mites enjoy living in shaded, warm and humid areas, feeding off dead skin to survive and reproduce. A mattress fulfils all the criteria. Firstly, it is too thick for light to penetrate. Secondly, our body temperature, sweat and dead skin will provide food and an optimal temperature for dust mites to thrive and multiply.
According to AAFA (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America), an adult sheds a daily average of 1.5 grams of dead skin. This is enough to feed one million dust mites. Other study shows that each mattress has an average of two million dust mites. Therefore, if you solely rely on a vacuum to remove the dust (and dust mites) on your mattress, you will never fully eradicate them. They will still get through your bed sheets and pillowcase and constantly surround you.
When using anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, wrapping the mattress at 360 degrees not only separates us with dust mites and their excrement, but it also reduces the amount of dead skin on our mattress and pillows. This means that dust mites will starve to death and no longer reproduce. When our surrounding allergen has been drastically reduced for 6-8 hours during sleep, it is certain that our allergies will get improved.
How to properly maintain dust mite proof beddings in a good condition?
Because the principle of dust mite proof beddings is to use high-density fabric, so that dust mites and their wastes cannot pass through and contact with us. Therefore, the pore size of the dust mite proof beddings must be smaller than the dust mites and their wastes (less than 10 microns). To ensure that the structure of the high-density fabric is not damaged, it is generally not recommended to wash the dust mite proof bedding frequently. You should wash the dust mite proof beddings with warm water at about 60°C every 4-6 weeks. In addition, it is recommended that you can use daily pillowcases and bed sheets (washed once a week) on the dust mite proof beddings to keep the beddings clean and hygienic.
Is one set of anti-dust mite beddings protective covers enough?
Dust mites reproduce at an alarming speed, with an adult female laying 2-3 eggs each day. Therefore, when you are cleaning your beddings protective covers, you must immediately replace another set of beddings protective covers to prevent dust mites from reproducing. Only when you consistently use anti-dust mite beddings protective covers will the number of dust mites residing in your mattress drastically decrease.
How can I avoid dust mites and lower the risk of having an allergic reaction during travel?
In order to kill bacteria, you may take your pillows and blankets outside to dry under the sun or use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust on the mattress. However, what can you do for the hotel’s mattresses, blankets and pillows which may have accumulated large amounts of dead skin and dust mites? If you are highly allergic to dust mites, we recommend bringing your own anti-dust mite beddings protective covers (travel set). Although they may not completely cover the entire mattress, they can provide some protection and minimise your contact with allergens.
How to effectively remove dust mites from mattresses?
In recent years, dust mite vacuum cleaners are very popular. However, dust mite vacuum cleaners can only remove dust mites on the surface of the mattress. Within a few hours after using the dust mite vacuum cleaner, the dust mites hiding inside and at the bottom of the mattress will climb to the surface of the mattress again to feed. Therefore, even if you use a dust mite vacuum cleaner every night before going to bed, you won't be able to completely prevent dust mites from coming into contact with you.
If you want to completely block dust mites, Hong Kong professionals generally recommend using the dust mite proof beddings with fine zipper to wrap the mattress. It is recommended to use a "mattress encasement" instead of a "bed sheet", because the mattress encasement requires 360° fully wrapping the mattress (surface, sides & bottom), in order to trap the dust mites in the encasement, and effectively cut off their food - the human skin flakes, so that the dust mites will no longer to survive. In addition, when replacing the dust mite proof beddings, it is recommended to use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dead dust mites (due to lack of food) on the mattress surface, so as to further reduce the number of dust mites and their allergens hiding in the mattress, and gradually achieve the effect of eliminating dust mites.
When buying a dust mite proof beddings, you should choose one that can completely wrap the mattress and seal with a zipper, the size should also be larger than the wrapped mattress, because the dust mite proof beddings with the right size is more likely to be damaged due to excessive pulling during the replacement process, and the effectiveness of the dust mite proof bedding will be lost.
After using anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, will this completely eradicate all dust mites?
Apart from your mattress and pillows, dust mites can reside in other places such as curtains, cushions, carpets or stuffed toys. Then you may ask, why should I use anti-dust mite beddings protective covers if it cannot totally eliminate all dust mite in my bedroom? The answer is simple! We are in contact with our bed for approximately 6-8 hours every day, allergens in bed greatly increase the chances of having an allergic reaction. Therefore, doctors recommend using anti- dust mite beddings protective covers to minimise contact with allergens.
After using anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, do the mattress and pillow need vacuuming?
Before putting on the anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, we recommend using a vacuum cleaner to completely remove the dust and particles on the mattress / pillow surface (e.g. our dead skin), this can help to reduce the number of dust mites and their allergens. When changing the beddings protective covers, settled dust particles, dead dust mites and their excrement may be exposed to the air and travel to the mattress or pillows, further stimulating an allergic reaction. Therefore, users must vacuum the surface of the mattress and pillows. We recommend using a vacuum cleaner head that has not been used on floors to ensure good hygiene when vacuuming beddings. Furthermore, if you are a person with severe allergies, we recommend using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to prevent allergy stimuli from escaping and entering the surroundings again.
Do I still need bedsheets, pillowcases or quilts when using anti-dust mite beddings protective covers?
Frequent cleaning of anti-dust mite beddings protective covers may cause the fabric to loosen and decrease the effect of blocking dust mites. Hence, the Hong Kong Consumer Council deems anti-dust mite beddings protective covers unsuitable for frequent washing. Therefore, we recommend adding bedsheets and pillowcases on top of the beddings protective covers so users can wash them weekly and maintain a good hygiene.
After using anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, do I still need to vacuum the bed daily?
Dust travels everywhere. Therefore, the bed still needs to be vacuumed daily to remove dust, animal hair, pollen and other stimuli. When vacuuming the bedding, start with a low intensity and slowly increase to prevent the bedding from getting damaged. This particularly applies to the anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, as too much stretching will affect the fabric density and the effectiveness of blocking the dust-mites.
How to care for a pillow?
Pillow is one of the items that are closest to our facial skin when we sleep, keeping them clean and hygienic is good for our skin and respiratory health. Our face and pillow will stick together for an average of 6-8 hours a day, and the surface of the pillow will be stained with our head oil, face oil, skin flakes, sweat, saliva, etc. The remaining stains not only make the pillow unsightly, but also breed bacteria and attract dust mites to hide inside, which is one of the reasons for poor skin and respiratory allergies. Because pillows are generally difficult to clean, and many pillows are not recommended for cleaning due to the consideration of deformation, using pillow protector is the best way to keep pillows clean and hygienic. Choosing the dust mite proof pillowcase will also help reduce the chance of allergies caused by dust mites and their wastes.
According to the guidelines of the Hong Kong Consumer Council, when purchasing the dust mite proof pillowcase, you must choose one that can completely wrap the pillow, and needs to be closed with a fine zipper. The size should be slightly larger than the wrapped pillow to avoid damage caused by pulling during replacement. Before using the dust mite proof pillowcase, it is recommended to remove the hair, skin flakes and dust on the surface of the pillow. Without food, dust mites will no longer survive.
In addition, it is generally recommended to replace the pillow every 1-2 years, because the shape of the pillow will gradually be flattened under long-term use. If the pillow does not return to its original shape after folding it in half, it needs to be replaced.
After using anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, do I still need to vacuum the bed daily?
Dust travels everywhere. Therefore, the bed still needs to be vacuumed daily to remove dust, animal hair, pollen and other stimuli. When vacuuming the bedding, start with a low intensity and slowly increase to prevent the bedding from getting damaged. This particularly applies to the anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, as too much stretching will affect the fabric density and the effectiveness of blocking the dust-mites.
How to care for a pillow?
Pillow is one of the items that are closest to our facial skin when we sleep, keeping them clean and hygienic is good for our skin and respiratory health. Our face and pillow will stick together for an average of 6-8 hours a day, and the surface of the pillow will be stained with our head oil, face oil, skin flakes, sweat, saliva, etc. The remaining stains not only make the pillow unsightly, but also breed bacteria and attract dust mites to hide inside, which is one of the reasons for poor skin and respiratory allergies. Because pillows are generally difficult to clean, and many pillows are not recommended for cleaning due to the consideration of deformation, using pillow protector is the best way to keep pillows clean and hygienic. Choosing the dust mite proof pillowcase will also help reduce the chance of allergies caused by dust mites and their wastes.
According to the guidelines of the Hong Kong Consumer Council, when purchasing the dust mite proof pillowcase, you must choose one that can completely wrap the pillow, and needs to be closed with a fine zipper. The size should be slightly larger than the wrapped pillow to avoid damage caused by pulling during replacement. Before using the dust mite proof pillowcase, it is recommended to remove the hair, skin flakes and dust on the surface of the pillow. Without food, dust mites will no longer survive.
In addition, it is generally recommended to replace the pillow every 1-2 years, because the shape of the pillow will gradually be flattened under long-term use. If the pillow does not return to its original shape after folding it in half, it needs to be replaced.