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One question that people who are buying dust mite-proof covers for the first time frequently ask is if they need any special sort of cover or tape over the zipper.
We always tell them that it is not necessary but if it will make them feel better it does not hurt anything if they do it. Just make sure to use an easily removable tape. No duct tape!
Some people are under the mistaken impression that dust mites are highly mobile. This is not true. A dust mite only lives for about 30 days. During its short lifetime, a dust mite might not ever wander far from where it hatched.
The way you become exposed to their allergy-causing feces and body parts is when they become airborne. As you move on your bed, you send an invisible cloud of particles up into the air from your mattress and pillows. As the particles fall, you inhale them and this causes the allergic reaction.
Dust mites do not crawl out of your mattress at night and scamper about your body. They do not crawl up your nose or down your throat. If you were never to disturb an item in which they resided, they would never become airborne and inhaled.
If you have dust mite proof zippered covers on your mattress and pillow, they have been designed so that when the dust mite particles become disturbed they do not get out into the air. The dust mites are not going to crawl through the teeth of the zipper.
If you have a zippered cover on your mattress to contain bed bugs, you will want tape where the zipper closes. Unlike dust mites, bed bugs are highly mobile. They can crawl through space where your zipper closes so it is a good idea to use tape as an added level of protection. Our zippered Bed Bug covers come with a patented reusable tape for the zipper for just that purpose.
Now that you understand how dust mite particles are spread, you can see that putting tape over a zipper is a waste of time, energy, and money. If it makes you rest easier, it does not hurt. If you are going to use tape, make sure you select an easy-to-remove tape such as blue painter’s tape. Do not use duct tape or masking tape as the adhesive will stick to the zipper and can make it unworkable. If you decide you want to use tape just buy it from Home Depot or Lowes.
FYI - All of our zippered covers are warranted against defects in manufacturing. Zippers gummed up by tape are not a defect and are not covered by warranty.
Wishing you the best of health
The Allergy Store