Making a Mattress Hypoallergenic

Mattresses are multilayered structures that exhibit symmetry between the top and bottom. That is, if you flip a mattress over, it works fine. The interior is a layer of springs which is sandwiched on the outside by "comfort layers". These comfort layers are usually made of foam to

make it comfortable for lying down. Many people find that they can get some additional comfort if they place yet another layer on top. These are called mattress pads or mattress toppers. Often these contain down or other animal feathers which can lead to allergy or asthma. To improve quality of life, some people take the step of substituting in a hypoallergenic mattress topper.

Pads and Toppers

So while there are no hypoallergenic mattresses, as mattresses themselves usually don't contain down, there are hypoallergenic mattress pads and toppers. There are numerous retailers who carry such hypoallergenic mattresses, but you probably can get away with knowing just a few pointers. Mostly they concern the four major types of mattress pads.

Hypoallergenic Down and Foam

The first major type of mattress pad is the traditional pad that's composed of a cover but filled with down and an additional stiffening material such as foam. To make it a hypoallergenic mattress, the down is usually treated with industrial strength washing, or an additive agent such as syriaca is mixed into the fill. Syriaca, better known as milkweed, has the well-known property of making the environment inhospitable to dust mites. Dust mites are responsible for production of an allergen known as Der p 1. Milkweed helps inhibit dust mites from living in the mattress pad and thereby reduces the concentration of allergy-causing material.

Synthetic Fill and Foam

The second major type of mattress pad is the traditional pad that's filled with either a down alternative such as polyester (a good example of which is the trademarked Primaloft), or a natural fill such as wool or silk. These hypoallergenic mattresses contain no down, so therefore are bereft of any allergens that come from goose plumules (the main ingredient). Many people also believe that the synthetics or non-goose fill are less liable to carry dust mites. A final point in favor of hypoallergenic mattresses made with synthetic fills is that they are cheaper. This is not true for wool or silk of course, which are quite expensive by weight.

Space Age Foam

The third major type of mattress pad is made from the space-age material "memory foam". Unlike traditional toppers, there is no internal structure or fill material. Instead, memory foam pads are single piece structures placed on top of the bed. They are meant to be conform to your body shape, helping both to reduce muscle aches and to increase insulation by making contact with more of your body area. Furthermore, memory foam retains its shape by "relaxing" back to its original shape regardless of how much you've slept on it. TempurPedic is a major company offering memory foam hypoallergenic mattresses.

Only Foam

The last major type of mattress pad is your standard foam pad. While the foam pad is likely to be hypoallergenic as its a single piece item composed of foam and perhaps a cotton covering, it's likely to be the least comfortable and warm of the four possibilities.