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Posted by Honest Expert on January 02, 2001 at 21:44:46:In Reply to: Mattresses and Dust Mites posted by StuffyDuffy on January 02, 2001 at 12:04:58:
StuffyDuffy,
It is fun to get lots of questions! Thanks! I'll try to take them in order and be as brief as possible, but I will confess to Dust Mites not being one of my stronger topics.
First, controlling Dust Mites is more difficult than it might at first seem. You cannot completely control them with a mattress choice because Dust Mites feed first and foremost on the skin we shed, so the problem is going to exist anywhere we sleep ... to some extent.
The second place where Dust Mites tend to find a food source is in natural fibers: Feathers, wool, cotton, etc.. These being organic compounds, they can also provide a food source just like our sloughed off skin.
Since most the construction of most mattresses these day are primarily of synthetic fibers rather than natural fibers, the majority of the Dust Mite problems come from US!
As simple rule to follow (but hard to verify), the more pourous the surface you sleep on, the more it will "absorb" Dust Mites into it and pass them onto deeper layers, allowing a build up.
Foam Mattresses that are open-cell construction will allow more Dust Mites to penetrate into them than a closed-cell foam will, but NEITHER will promote Dust Mite growth because they lack a food source. Foam is "naturally resistent" to Dust Mites. Ultimately, I believe, the only real difference between open-cell and closed-cell foam mattresses will be in how many DEAD Dust Mites will be found in them. Gross I know, but probably not a reason to choose one mattress over another ... unless all other things are equal.
The only thing I know about Mite-proof covers and sheets is a study I read about two years ago. It said that there is a great disparity in the terminology and efficacy of these products. They found that some companies use the term "Mite-proof" when all they REALLY means is that they are using synthetic fibers that Dust Mites cannot feed on! It DIDN'T mean that Mites wouldn't collect on them or be passed through them to the mattress below and collect there! Pretty shady, as far as I'm concerned!
Others were found to have a construction that would reduce the likelihood of mites passing through them, as well as having no feeding source of their own.
I cannot give you a good recommendation on how to tell the difference between one that really works and one that is just using the "right" terminology to market their product at a higher price! The best I can suggest is: Sheets with a higher thread count are a tighter weave and reduce the amount of stuff that can pass through them. Also, although synthetics don't feel as plush, they minimize the food source for Dust Mites.
That leaves our own skin to deal with: More frequent washings and in-between vacuuming (with a vacuum containing a HEPA filter) are all I can think of to reduce the presence of Dust Mites.
Controlling Dust Mites is more a matter of maintenance, than of products.
In my answer to Ruby, I told her that the only brands of "memory foam" mattresses I have good information on are Tempurpedic and Supple-Pedic. I sleep on a Supple-Pedic.
When Tempurpedic came on the market in the US about 8 years ago, they followed the industry standard of putting a 10-year warranty on their mattress. Because they were selling them almost exclusively directly to their customers at that time, they were able to do some extensive follow-ups on mattresses that had been in customer's possession for several years. This allowed them to check on wear rates.
What they found shocked even them: After 3 or 4 years, the mattresses were showing almost NO wear. They expected to see wear comparable to a quality innerspring mattress, which usually lasts only 8 to 12 years. Deterioration is usually visable within 3 to 4 years.
As a result of this real-life performance, they changed their warranty from 10 years to 20 years, confident that they would not get "warrantied" to death.
Supple-Pedic, which uses a newer, patented system in their mattresses, has not been on the market for quite as long. But using the federal standard testing method (ASTM-F1566-94) for longevity, they found that there was no appreciable wear on their mattresses after the comparable of 30 years life! At that time they just shut the machine off!
As a result, they have put a 30 year warranty on their mattresses.I'll simply say this: Even if these two only last HALF their warranty life, it will still be 20-33% longer than the expected life of a premium innerspring mattress (8 to 12 years)!
Now, about putting a "memory foam" topper on top of a very firm mattress over a hard base: This might work just fine! But: You may not get a warranty with any "meat" on it from maker of the topper, because the manufacturer will have absolutely no control over what you put it over! They cannot warranty a "defect" that they had no control over.
If the topper breaks down faster than expected, they might give themselves an "easy out" by blaming the very firm mattress for not promoting the longevity of the topper.
When you buy a "memory foam" mattress as is was designed -- complete from the manufacturer -- then you know that they have built it specifically to avoid having to spend more money on it later with a warranty claim. Warranty claims equal lost profits and bruised reputations!
So, using a topper may completely accomplish what you want ... as long as you are not putting it on a mattress that should be replaced anyway, especially if it is sagging or has a deep body impression (the topper cannot overcome these problems).
I hope this was a help to you, Stuffy!
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