OMG I think I am a slattern

[TheUnquestionedAnswer]

I've never ever vacuumed my mattress. Recently started to feel sneezy and sore throaty, so have been investigating why, and have concluded that I may be allergic to house dust mites. I haven't changed my (feather) pillows in at least 5 years either. This is bad, isn't it.

So, for any of you familiar with allergies, what kind of vacuum cleaner do you use?

Jeez, I am going to have to drag the bed out as well and do underneath it (which I do of a fashion but not properly).

I'm not saying dont vacuum your mattress but have you considered hayfever. It does seem really bad this year. I usually have it but feeling really horrible with it some days this year.

I've got a meile cat and dog which works fine I tend to vac the bed then put bicarb on it and leave for a few hours then vac the bicarb off and flip and repeat for the other side. I also hang out the pillows and duvet when changing the bed I find this really helps. Also I never "dress" the bed so each morning I fold the duvet so it only covers the bottom of the bed and put my pillows on top of the duvet so the top half/ 3/4 of the bed are clear. Apparently mites love dark /warm so by not covering them over it helps kill them (I think that's the theory .

ok thanks for the tips. I have considered hay fever, but would that start as soon as I wake up, before getting out of bed? I'm fine now, it just seems to be first thing, mind you yesterday I was convinced I was coming down with coronavirus, as had the sore throat...who knows!

I'm allergic to something. First thing in the morning I start sneezing in bed.

But I don't sneeze overnight. Nothing has changed about my environment. It is a mystery to me.

If you have allergies, the last thing you should be using are feather pillows. I would bin them. And buy some good quality hypo allergenic pillows. Use a pillow protector and wash bedding every week at 60.

Hayfever always gets me and my DM first thing in the morning - I think the sunshine wakes the pollen up, and the birch pollen is very heavy at the moment. DH, otoh, gets it far more in the late evening / overnight. It might just be that whatever makes you sneeze has suddenly come into season.

Yes you’re a sloven.
Feather pillows are unethical due to how they are produced and are likely the source of your allergy plus the manky mattress.

Hoover the bed , wash the mattress cover, you can wash your feather pillows make sure they get a 1600 spin then but on line for the day finish off in tumble dryer, use pillow protectors.

Move the bed a Hoover under it, and the skirting boards if you can hoover under all the bedroom furniture, you can wash the duvet, but best to go to a laundrette to do that in a big machine. I do mine twice a year , I also but duvet on line to air the day I put on clean bedding.

Change the bedding ever week

I have a mattress that has a zip-off top - honestly one of the best purchases I have ever made. Every so often I zip it off when I change the bed and bung it in the washing machine. It's a double but fits with no problem. Will never buy a mattress without a zip-off top ever again!

Rhinitis. Symptom is sneezing first thing in the morning when you wake up, my DS has it, sniffs and sneezes the moment he wakes up and then it gets better. His is triggered by tree pollen allergy, it is tree pollen season at the moment. Of course it could be dust too... Isn't everyone allergic to dust? Dust makes me sneeze and have itchy eyes, but I've never hoovered my mattress...

Thanks for your responses. It's not easy to drag my bed out, it's so heavy and there is only me here. I managed to move it enough to get to skirting board behind the bed and clean the frame. It was thick with dust. I do change my bedding regularly, and have only recently washed the pillow protectors etc. I am generally a very clean person but obviously when it comes to under the bed, I'm not! I have ordered new non feather pillows as I don't have a drier, and don't drive (nearest launderette is about a mile away). I only ever wash the bedding at 40 so maybe that now needs to change. I'll wait for the new pillows on Saturday, and then do it all again. Thanks again all. ps not a sneezy/throaty since the dust was removed and mattress hoovered.

Dh has asthma so I replaced the 13.5sk duvet with 3 x 4.5sk duvets. I stick them together with adhesive Velcro tabs & I can wash the duvet myself now.

Even in a 9kg machine I only get one in at a time.

It hasn’t helped his asthma at all but it makes me feel better.