Describing the best anti-mite fabric

The highest quality anti-mite fabrics were described by doctors as:

1. tightly woven
2. thread count greater than 246/in2 (threads per square inch)
3. pore size of between 2-10 microns
4. allergen impenetrability >99%
5. resistance to live mite penetration
6. dust leakage of <4%
7. air permeability between 2 and 6cm3/sec/cm2 (cubic cm/second/square cm) Described as 'breathability' by some manufacturers

Tightly woven fabrics are derived from twisted cotton or synthetic fibres perpendicular to each other and having either a regular, systematised bi- or tri-axial weaving pattern. Thread count represents the coarseness or fineness of a fabric and is defined by the number of horizontal (warp or lengthwise) and vertical (weft or widthwise) threads in one square inch of the fabric.

Tightly woven fabrics, measured by pore size, allow little space for mites to penetrate, however, if the pore size is measured between 2 - 10 microns, the fabric will block the mite and the majority of its allergens. Too small a pore size (under 6 microns) may cause reduced 'breathability'.