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As you make your bed, so must you lie in it...

… and who doesn't love - the pleasant warmth of a feather and down quilt with its cosy and pleasantly enveloping warmth?

There are various advantages provided by the natural fillings of down and feathers. Every type of sleeper finds a suitable quilt for every season. Down and feathers offer ideal conditions for the human sleep comfort: They weigh little and offer an excellent climate regulation: During sleep a comfortable warmth is built up rapidly. As the humidity from the body is absorbed continuously and if the product is regularly aired the moisture quickly disappears.

Most feather and down filled bedding products are washable (see care instructions) and are extremely durable.

Since feathers and down are natural products, the fillings from old bedding articles can even be composted.

On average, human beings spend one third of their life asleep. This important part of the day serves as regeneration. We "fill up on energy" for the next day. - body and mind regenerate. Prerequisites for healthy and restful sleep should be adjusted to the individual needs of the sleeper.

Allergy to house dust mite - did you already know?

Allergy sufferers react hypersensitively to certain substances occurring in the environment, the so-called allergens. For house dust mite allergy sufferers the starting point for the occurrence of allergy symptoms is the microscopically small house dust mite. It is a harmless natural fellow occupant of humans existing in every room. Main nutrients of house dust mites are shed human skin scales. The food source of house dust mites does not include feathers. For the house dust mites´ growth and reproduction, a special microclimate is necessary: High humidity and environmental temperatures of about 25° degrees Celsius.

Not the mite itself, but the allergens in its secretions lead to extremely unpleasant allergic symptoms - watering eyes, sniffing, coughing and respiratory problems - which may considerably affect the quality of life of allergy sufferers.

Most house dust mites in the domestic area are located first of all in mattresses. Shed skin scales and mites easily penetrate the open-pored fabric of the mattress. They are then dispersed together with the mite allergen, by every move the person who is sleeping makes. House dust mite allergy sufferers are therefore recommended to surround their mattresses completely with a mite-proof encasing.

Also upholstered furniture, carpets, cuddly toys as well as the room air (for instance by dispersion of dust during vacuum cleaning) may also contain larger amounts of the mite allergen.

Feather and down bedding products, do not provide a habitat or food source for house dust mites.1.

Jürgens, H. W., Abschlussbericht "Ökologische Untersuchungen zu Hausstaubmilben", 1992

Even house dust allergy sufferers can enjoy sleeping in feather and down!

It has been proved that people suffering from allergies don't have to do without the sleep comfort of feathers and down. The microclimate established under these quilts which is so pleasant for humans, is unsuitable for house dust mites.

Additionally, a down-proof ticking acts as a real barrier against mite penetration of pillows and duvets. This kind of ticking fabric is very tightly woven and thus prevents down and feathers from penetrating it as such house dust mites and shed human skin scales, which represent the nutrient of mites also cannot penetrate inside the fabric.

Lenghty studies on down and feather-filled bedding showed only very small concentrations of mites and allergens within the product. Hence, there is no need for allergy sufferers to shun feather-filled bedding products in favour of synthetic-filled bedding: from the allergists´ point of view they are also safe1.

Recent international examinations also dealing in lengthy studies asked, if there is a possible correlation between down and feather-filled bedding and house dust allergy? This unanimously refuted the popularly held view that this kind of bedding bears a higher risk for house dust allergy sufferers. 2, 3

Relief for house dust allergy sufferers: healthy sleep in feathers and down!

In general, with the purchase of bedding it is recommended to pay attention to tested quality. In the manufacturing process of these products high-quality down-proof fabrics and selected filling materials (down and feathers) are used. In addition to this various production and cleaning processes are also used whilst the tested product is subjected to strict controls.

Down- and feather filled bedding articles labelled with the Nomite® brand stand out especially for down and feather-proof ticking fabric, so that they are suitable for house dust allergy sufferers

No Mite....

The NOMITE brand confirms that bedding articles displaying the mark fit for house dust mite allergy sufferers. Because down and feather filled products offer excellent thermal and climatic conditions (a rapid warming up while one is sleeping, rapid decrease in the bed's humidity if the room is aired regularly. This provides a poor habitat for the house dust mite that relies on high humidity to life.

Your additional protection is the tight weave of the down-proof fabric, which works as a barrier preventing the house dust mites from penetrating the fabric.

So people suffering from dust allergy may fully enjoy the warmth and comfort of down and feather filled duvets and pillows displaying the NOMITE mark.

NOMITE Care Recommendations:

Air your bedding and bedroom regularly to reduce humidity
Wash bedding regularly following the washing instructions of the label
Replace bedding which has lost its bulkiness after many years of use

Fit for house dust allergy sufferers

Are dust allergy sufferers really excluded from enjoying the comfort and softness of down and feather filled bedding? No - not at all!! Although the perception still exists that feather and down filled bedding is a preferred habitat for house dust mites, science has long ago rejected this allegation.

Why this misunderstanding?

Professor Dr. Dr. H. W. Jürgens - Director of the Anthropological Institute of the University of Kiel - carried out extensive research and settled the matter once and for all. His findings confirmed that house dust mite allergy sufferers can be recommended to use down and feather filled bedding.

Tests - and more tests!

When laboratory tests had shown that there is no correlation between down and feather filled bedding and the occurrence of small or large concentrations of house dust mites, Prof. Jürgens conducted representative tests of many used duvets in different households. In all cases it could be shown that hardly any mites could be found.

More facts

Allergy to house dust mites is not caused by the mites themselves, but by their faeces in large numbers. From an allergological point of view the occurrence of a few mites is not important. House dust mites can be found in almost every household because they prefer the same ecological conditions as human beings. Consequently, they cannot be completely eliminated without modern living conveniences suffer. As only a massive mite presence is serious for allergy sufferers, it was first tested under which conditions the mites multiply massively.

Nutrition...

Scales of human and animal skin compromise the main nutrient of the house dust mite. Man produces approx. 0,5 to 1 gram of skin scales daily, but only 0,25 gram is sufficient for the nutrition of some thousands of mites for several months. Other tests confirmed that mites do not consume feathers and down.

Down-proof ticking as a mite barrier...

Interestingly the research also showed that the feather- and down-proof ticking fabric of pillows and duvets acts as a barrier against penetration of pillows and duvets by mites.

Conclusion: Down and feather filled bedding displaying the NOMITE mark is - FIT FOR DUST ALLERGY SUFFERERS

People suffering from dust allergy or asthma may now fully enjoy the warmth and comfort of down and feather filled duvets and pillows displaying the NOMITE mark. As the research showed, there are two main reasons why house dust mites are unlikely to be found in down and feather filled bedding: Mites do not consume feathers and down and the down-proof ticking fabric acts as a barrier against penetration of pillows and duvets by mites.


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