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One quarter of the UK population suffers from hay fever. Now furnishings manufacturer Louvolite is fighting back with their range of Pollergen treated fabrics. Here’s everything you need to know about hay fever and how these state-of-the-art treated fabrics can help eliminate the symptoms that hit so many of us every year.

Hay fever is also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis. It’s caused by sensitivity to tree and grass pollens. The sensitivity is a case of mistaken identity. The pollens trigger defences that have evolved in the body to see off harmful invaders such as viruses (like the common cold). Sneezing, raised temperature, streaming eyes – all these are defensive measures that are falsely triggered by pollen. The pollen itself is harmless – it’s the body’s defence systems that make the hay fever sufferer feel so ill when pollen is in season.

We can’t stop trees and grasses from releasing pollen. When hay fever sufferers are outside, pretty much all we can do is rely on drugs like anti-histamines that stop the body reacting so violently to pollen. When we are inside, we can prevent the pollen from entering the home, but who wants to sit with the windows shut at the height of summer? Here’s where Louvolite Pollergen treated fabrics can really help!

Fabrics that have been treated with Pollergen denature up to 50% of the pollen entering a room. The allergen denaturing agents used are a pretty cutting-edge science. Serious research only started in the last decade. Those of you who want to know how hydrolysable gallotannins and other molecules were investigated in order to make it work, we recommend you read this research paper. For the rest of us, we’re just glad to know that these fabrics can seriously reduce the amount of pollen getting in a room. Reduced pollen means reduced sneezing – something we can all be glad of!

All the fabrics in the Louvolite range that are available as Pollergen treated fabrics have been marked with the following symbol in our fabric index.