Dust Allergy Life Hack: Keep Clean Linens Allergy-Free

Soooo, raise your hands if you have a dust mite allergy.

I do!

I am able to forgo daily allergy meds by limiting my exposure.

I do this mostly by cleaning, using allergy covers on all of my bedding, and washing all of that in HOT water every week.

I then have to replace my allergy covers every year, which I try to remember to do in January.

I bought allergy covers for my pillows for 2/$16.00 online last month, and that was a huge mistake. They were not breathable whatsoever, so air was trapped inside. It was like sleeping on an unopened bag of potato chips or something. It was super uncomfortable. 

The only work-around I tried was unzipping them a tiny bit to help the air escape but that basically renders them useless since then the allergens also have an escape route. Another fun side effect of my work-around was the whoopie cushion noise that was produced as you rolled your head around on it. You go ahead and say "It wasn't me! It was my pillow!" to whomever you share your bed with and see how that goes down.

 I ended up buying cheaper ones for $4.00 each. They feel like a dream compared to the more expensive ones.

Since I had already opened and washed the ones I bought online, I didn't feel comfortable returning them and getting my $16.00 back. I immediately thought of my second allergy dilemma- linen storage.

Our house has no linen closet. None, whatsoever.

Currently our linens live in a shelf tower inside my closet. This skeeves me out. 

I just know those little dust mite jerks are finding their way to them. In fact I put the sheets and pillowcases away in the tower, and will re-wash them before I put them on my bed. If I don't then I can't sleep very good because I am worried my eyeballs will be red and swollen and I will look like a troll in the morning. 

I realize this is neurotic, and probably wasteful.

So I made these clever linen storage bags out of my allergy covers.

 With a stencil and a laundry pen that I already had on hand. 

Pretty allergy protection for my bedding, and no wasting of money. 2 problems- SOLVED. Good job, me!

+++ Bonus points;  my water and electricity bill will be less, and my linens will not wear out as quickly.

Waste not, Want not!

I used:
Dust allergy pillowcase cover
Duck Tape (from a different project)
This pretty stencil (from a different project)
Rub-A-Dub Laundry marking pen. (Already had it)

I taped my stencil down. I did not iron my pillowcase beforehand. 

Then I just traced inside the stencil, took it off and added some freehand shading to the bird.

So pretty, so simple. The whole project took less than 20 minutes from start to finish.

Here it is all zipped up and folded. Ready to go on the shelf, and keep the dust out!

This would also be a lovely way to keep your guest linens clean and fresh. One pillowcase can easily hold a couple of blankets or a duvet as well.

Have other ways you might use this idea? Let me know in comments?