If you are planning to buy a new mattress cover, you might as well get an allergy mattress encasement. These specialized covers enclose your mattress on top, on all sides and on the underside.

Some may have zippers to keep the covers closed. The cloth used to make allergy covers are specially manufactured to keep dust mites away from you.

The cover traps the allergens produced by the mites giving you relief from allergy symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing and itching. Pick a cover that is breathable with cotton fabric.

Other materials feel warm or make noises. You can use regular sheets over the covers or get anti-allergy sheets to provide more allergy relief.

You can also get a cover that is water resistant that is made of cotton and polyester. These are ideal for a young child in case they still wet their bed at night.

If you need to launder your cover, use hot water and hypoallergenic soap. Make sure it is very dry before placing it back on your bed. Moist covers will have a tendency to get mouldy which can make your allergies worse.

Place freshly laundered sheets over your newly washed mattress cover. It will also help to use hypoallergenic pillows and pillow cases. Sometimes, your allergy symptoms may be caused by down feather pillows.

If you already use an allergy mattress encasement for your bed but still get allergies, the problem may lie elsewhere.

Aside from dust mites, the materials on your mattress, pillow and bed may also be causing your allergy problem. Some people are allergic to vinyl, latex, plastic, and chemicals that are used to treat your beddings, mattress and pillow.

Find out what exactly you are allergic to and use covers to protect yourself from the allergens. You can also replace down feather pillows with hypoallergenic foam pillows.

If your allergies are chronic, you should keep your room clean all the time. Launder curtains at least once a month and vacuum the carpet a couple of times a week.

If your symptoms persist, you should see an allergy specialist. It is possible that the problem is not caused by your beddings, especially if you continue to experience symptoms after you start using an allergy mattress encasement.