Pillowcases & Bedsheets for Allergies

You might just try going to Bed Bath & Beyond or JC Penney's or some other department store and asking the sales associate. Chances are you will not be the first person to come in and ask.

You could also try Amazon. It should be in the description, but you might even be able to select "hypoallergenic."

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=hypoallergenic+sheets&cr...

For us, back in the days when we had allergies, we used regular pillowcases and sheets but covered the mattress and pillows with impermeable covers. The regular sheets/pillowcases can be washed regularly in a fragrance-free detergent (the mildest and most natural you can find), and the lined covers keep the dust mites as well as the pillow/mattress fibers away from the person. Just be sure you don't get really crinkly ones, as they're noisy every time the person rolls over.

As much as it's nice to air dry sheets in the sun, I wouldn't do that in the pollen season unless/until you know for sure what she's reacting to.

I agree that changing the allergy meds around can make a difference, both by the time of year and also by the individual sufferer. You can talk to the doctor, but don't forget your senior pharmacist is an incredible asset. I've gotten rid of all my allergies and my husband is just about done with his (no shots or meds needed), so I'm not as up to date on the medications as I used to be, but I see my local pharmacists as extremely knowledgeable.

I'm not sure what "nasal wash salts" are but perhaps that's related to the Neti pot, which uses water, salt and sometimes a pinch of baking powder. Those worked for us but I think they are hard to use with a young child. There's also a right way and a wrong way to do it for both effectiveness and preventing infection. They are good at sweeping out the pollutants and the excess mucus though!

Terrible seasonable allergy person here. Don't bother with new bedding unless she's allergic to types of fabric. Also don't go crazy over cleaning unless she's allergic to dust mites.

If its seasonal allergies then the goal is to keep the pollen out of her room as much as possible so that she can get in some good solid sleep without being congested.. This means getting out of the clothes she wore outside in the bathroom so they won't shed pollen in her room. Also brushing her hair well and having her wash her face and any skin that was showing all day. No open windows in her room as letting in fresh air will also let in pollen. Plan on changing her pillow case every other day because pollen will linger in her hair.

Ask the doctor about the nasal sprays like flonase (although I just use generic from Costco at a fraction of the cost). I found that the nasal sprays work so much better than the pills.

You can get air purifiers which work well to remove things in the air. I've never had one because everything else I do seems to work for me.

Ebird

Your daughter needs to shower EVERY NIGHT before she goes to bed. She should probably use a netti pot (I despise them and use the plunger instead).

She needs to have a room without material curtains - so the dust and allergens do NOT "stick" to them - get blinds. NOT MATERIAL blinds.

She needs to have all the carpet removed from her room and hardwoods put in. Not kidding. If you aren't willing to vacuum every day in her room - under the bed and all? She needs hardwoods.

These pillows work
https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2167058/sealy-posturepe...

I have these pillows
https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-3680639/serta-2-pack-al...

and these mattress covers
https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2077615/allerease-maxim...

I buy Allerease pillowcase covers, duvet cover, and mattress cover. You put on the covers under your normal sheets/duvet. I don't use down bc of possible allergies to goose down. I buy the type of pillows and duvet that are nonallergenic. You can find them on Amazon or on allergy product websites. More advice you didn't ask for: I also have a good room air purifier that I keep running. Keep windows closed. Make sure your A/C has a good filter that filters out allergens. When she comes in from outside each day in allergy season she needs to take a quick shower. This is crucial!! If I feel a huge allergy attack and go take a shower it helps a lot. Last, if she uses a saline nasal spray 2x a day this also helps a lot. I used to use a netti pot, but the boiling of water and then waiting for it to cool was so time consuming I just never stuck with it. Meet with an allergist to talk about what medications she should switch to. My advice is to be careful with Zyrtec...if she takes that one then switch after a couple weeks to Allegra and go back and forth rotating between both. Zyrtec can be addictive...meaning if you take it year round for years it causes your body to be super itchy when you stop taking it. So, just don't take it year round nonstop. I also do a nasal spray for allergies everyday....Nasacort or Flonase. It works in a different way than the Zyrtec/Allegra. If I'm super super bad the doctor says to take Sudafed for a few days. My doctor is now recommending that I try a new under the tongue tab that is like the allergy shots, but you put a dissolvable tab under your tongue. I have also found that acupuncture works really well...you have to start a couple weeks before allergens start and then go once a week during allergy season. Good luck! PS - I tried the local honey every day for a few years and it did NOTHING. I realized that it's probably bc I'm allergic to pollen from mostly trees and grasses like most people and not from wildflowers.

Sheets don't matter and we just do whatever pillows (non down). I have protectors for the pillows and mattress that are for allergies and dust mites. Allerease sounds familiar but have tried different brands.

Air purifier runs continuously in bedroom and main floor. We don't have carpet in son's room.

Shower helpful after being outside, keep windows closed.

We take (Very) local honey every single day -- 1 T. starting at the very beginning of the season. I have a hepa vacuum and a dry Swiffer. I wash the sheets (And clothes) in dye-free detergent. I have an air-purifier machine. We eat non-GMO foods. I use only NON-toxic cleaners like vinegar and water or Method....No Lysol, Febreeze, Fantastik and so on.....Candles have to be soy or I give them away. I keep the windows closed during the height of the pollen days! We use Little Remedies Saline spray 2 or 3x a day. I shake out all area rugs every few days and I do not hang the clothes outside to dry during pollen season.

Nose Wash Salts work very well for nose allergy. You can search how to wash nose through google or Amazon. You can help your kid wash his nose in the morning and before bed time every day.

Nothing specific but if you search on 'hypoallergenic' you will get lots of options.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/s/hypoallergenic-s...

I find that different allergy meds work best according to what pollen is in the air.
Claratin works for me in the spring and not so much in the fall.
Zyrtec works better for me in the fall than Claratin.
Ask your doctor but you might try to switch up allergy meds till you find which works best in what season.
Flonase might also be an option but ask doctor first.

When it comes to dust mites, it's hard to deal with because it's not just sheets/pillow cases but any fabric surface - , blankets, stuffed animals, carpet, drapes, mattress/boxspring, etc.
Clean what you can regularly and often.
You want to make sure your vacuum is a hepa type so allergens are filtered and not just redistributed around the room.

https://www.prevention.com/life/a19600469/best-hepa-vacuums/

I hope she feels better soon.

Do you know if she is allergic to dust mites (which you would know because her allergies would be year-round) or are her allergies seasonal? The pillow and mattress covers only help if she is allergic to dust mites. I bought mine from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They are more expensive than what you find at some other stores, but they are softer (some stores sell covers that work well but they feel like plastic).

If she is allergic to pollen, the best thing that she can do is shower every night before bed. If there is a night when she can't shower before bed, as soon as she gets up in the morning, change at least her pillowcase (wash all bedding if possible, but AT LEAST put on a clean pillowcase). Otherwise, she is just sleeping on a pollen-covered pillowcase every night (hair traps the pollen and then transfers it to the pillowcase at night).

I also recommend a HEPA air filter for her room. Keep it running all the time and keep her door closed and windows closed all the time so that the air in her room is cleaner.

Your biggest concern should be dust mites. You should also seal her mattress with a plastic cover. Any bed over 3 years old use to throw me into severe asthma attacks. Wal-Mart sells a good brand of hypoallergenic type pillows and covers. I now have COPD and never smoked in my life. That is the natural progression of allergies and asthma as we age. I would definitely get a Honeywell air purifier for her room and your house. I hope you dont have inside pets either. Cats and birds were always my triggers. Btw, zrytex works on children better with those type allergies. If she doesn't get better soon after these changes you really should get a referral to an allergist doctor. She May require allergy shots. Good Luck

Have you tried adding Benadryl? You can alternate between doses of Claritin and Benadryl. That’s what our dr. Recommended and it’s worked.

What is she allergic to? If it's indoor allergies (dust, mold, etc.) then bedding is a good start but other important and perhaps more helpful steps are to get rid of dust-trapping textiles like carpeting and drapery and invest in a good HEPA air purifier.

I am allergic to dust and mold and my oldest son has severe allergies to pollen and grass, so his face and eyes swell for several weeks in the spring. Because of that, we all have Aller-ease covers on our pillow, mattresses and box springs. IMO, those help a lot with protecting the mattresses and pillows themselves (they are very clean after years of use when I take off the covers to wash them) and help cut down on the symptoms we would have if dust and pollen were getting into these and hanging around. We just use normal bedding otherwise and wash more frequently during allergy season for him, or when the heat is on for me (house gets dryer and dustier). You can get Allerease products online or at Walmart and other retailers.

You didn't ask this but for meds...my son cycles through allergy meds. Claritin works for a while, then Zyrtec might work better, then Allegra will be the drug of choice...Flonase spray, Benadryl at night...my cabinets look like a pharmacy. Oh and eyedrops are a lifesaver for him. He uses Opcon-A most frequently. He hated that when he was little, so I just used to have him tilt his head back and would drop a few drops on the bridge of his nose, which would roll down into his inner eye and and that would get the medicine where it needed to go. No need to torture a kid and pry their eye open and drop it in directly.

my younger had bad seasonal allergies. we did get him a hypoallergenic pillow, but i don't think it did anything. the main things we needed to do were to get him on allergy meds and protect him from pollen as much as possible.

but if you want sheets, google is your friend. i find it an odd way to word it to say he 'refused to name any brands.'

he probably didn't have any right there at the front of his brain at the second you asked, and assumed you could do this minimal amount of research yourself.

khairete
S.