About MiteGuard dust mite allergy bedding covers
MiteGuard bedding covers are made in New Zealand for dust mite allergy sufferers. Inspired by our own experience with allergy symptoms, our mission is to help families get a better night’s sleep.
Hello there! We're a family-owned company specialising in MiteGuard and AllerProtect - 100% natural cotton bedding covers for dust mite allergen protection. Our covers for mattresses, duvets and pillows help our customers to manage their allergy symptoms.
Our products are made by Kiwis and were designed for conditions right here in New Zealand. We believe passionately in quality products and awesome customer service which is why we commit ourselves to giving you the best of both.
Our NZ History
MiteGuard has a long history in Aotearoa. Our products were first developed in 1994 by Richard Thorogood, a leading New Zealand microbiologist, who believed that better science could mean better lives for allergy sufferers.
Richard brought that belief into practice through his work in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland, where he developed products designed to help people manage their allergy symptoms in the comfort of their own homes.
Why did Richard choose this allergen?
Dust mites live in home furnishings – and they love beds, because our bodies also produce sweat and warmth in bed, creating an ideal warm, humid environment for them to live in.
As your mattress and pillow are usually the biggest store of dust mites and their allergen particles in homes (one mattress may contain 2 million dust mites) and you sleep on them for hours every day, developing protective mattress & bedding covers has been proven to be a key step in helping people manage their allergen exposure and health.
How do you know if you have dust mite allergen?
Allergies are usually medically diagnosed and can be complex. If you suffer from dust mite allergy you might struggle to sleep with symptoms such as coughing and sneezing at night, a stuffy nose or your eczema, asthma or breathing may get worse. Read more about dust mites and dust mite allergen.
Developing the covers
Richard wanted to create an alternative to the heavy hospital grade vinyl covers in use at the time. He followed up a 1990 article in the Lancet(1) medical journal about new allergy fabrics developed in the UK, then in 1994 made the first Miteguard covers via his own small company Allergen Services Limited.
Over the decades, advances in materials technology have allowed us to refine and improve our products, but the core commitment has never changed: every design decision is grounded in research, and every cover is made to genuinely help the people who use it.
Thirty years on, we still work with the same trusted manufacturing partners, and we're proud to remain a market leader in scientifically backed allergy barrier bedding.
Why us?
Restless nights, blocked noses, wheezy breathing, itchy skin, and a whole family running on not enough sleep. Sound familiar? For so many New Zealand families, dust mite allergy is the hidden culprit behind symptoms that are exhausting to manage and hard to explain to others.
The good news is that something as simple as the right bedding cover can make a real difference. Encasing your mattress and pillows in dust mite-barrier fabric reduces exposure to one of the most common allergy triggers in the home, and for many people, that means fewer symptoms, better sleep, and a little more breathing room for the whole household.
We get it. Living with allergies, eczema, or asthma isn't just hard for the person experiencing it, it affects your whole family and everyone around you. That's why we're proud to work alongside organisations like Allergy NZ and the wider allergy support community, who do so much to help Kiwi families navigate this journey.
MiteGuard is a proudly New Zealand business. Our products are made right here in Aotearoa, supporting local workers and manufacturing, because we believe great products and great service should go hand in hand. Whether you're just starting to explore your options or you've been managing dust mite allergy for years, we're here to help you find the right fit for your home and your family.
References: (1) Owen S., Morganstern M., Hepworth J., Woodcock A. Control of house dust mite antigen in bedding. Lancet 1990; 335: 396-97
