8 Ways To Get Rid Of Dust Mites

If you have allergies, then dust mites are your worst enemies. These little pesky creatures hide and live in your clothes, soft furnishings, carpets, bed and just about any spot where the dust has a tendency to accumulate. The dust mites’ secret weapon is breeding prolifically. This is one of the reasons why completely getting rid of them is very difficult.

In a single lifetime, dust mites can produce waste products that are 200x its bodyweight. If that’s not icky enough, dust mite debris can cause a wide range of health problems such as watery eyes, itching, nasal congestion, coughing and breathing difficulties to name a few. While it is true that it’s almost impossible to completely wipe-out dust mites from your homes, there are things that you can do to significantly reduce their population and at the same time neutralize the health threats they cause. Without further delay, let’s discover 8 effective ways of eliminating dust mite health threats.

#1 Regular Washing Of Beddings
In order for dust mites to proliferate rapidly, they need to have the right conditions. For example, they need a place that is humid, dark and warm; and you know where that’s it? It’s your bed! Also, your bed is a prime breeding ground for dust mites as they have an ample supply of food. Now, hold on as this might gross you out. You have been warned. Dust mites main food source is human shedding. Fortunately, you can do something about it. Dust mites might love warm temperatures, but hot temperatures make them retire into oblivion. Because of this, it’s highly advisable that you wash your beddings with a 60 Celsius temperature. The temperature will most likely kill a large portion of dust mite and remove their waste products. If it’s possible, tumble dry your beddings until it dries. The heat from the dryer will also kill any of the dust mites that might have survived during the hot washing.
#2 Anti-Allergy Mattress
The exact number of dust mites that is living inside your mattress might be difficult to pinpoint. It could be anywhere from 10,000 to more than a million. Whatever the number, there is one inescapable truth. Every mattress, even the cleanest ones, has dust mites proliferating inside them. As mentioned above, completely killing them off is almost impossible, but a good anti-allergy mattress can help a lot. This is because these special mattresses are designed to keep the dust mite population low and ensure that their decaying bodies and waste products are separated from your body.

#3 Morning Sunshine
This advice will be favourable for people who are lazy making their bed in the mornings. Rather than immediately making the bed when you wake up, hang the bed covers and blankets out in the morning sunshine. This will allow the moisture that may have been produced by our bodies to dry out. And, dust mites are not fan of dry places. Dust mites need moisture to survive. They don’t “drink” water as most creatures do. What they do is absorb the water that is in the air through their skin. When you dry out your blankets and covers in the morning, you are reducing the moisture. Hence, you are making it difficult for the dust mites to survive.
#4 Hypoallergenic Pillows
If you are still using feather pillows, then you might want to throw them out. In fact, you might want to throw out any pillows that are not hypoallergenic synthetic pillows. If you think about it, you lay your face onto a pillow for 8 hours a day. This means that your pillow could be absorbing moisture from your face and the environment. And, where there is moisture, large dust mite populations tend to follow. Here is why hypoallergenic pillows are better. Hypoallergenic pillows are designed to absorb the least amount of moisture. Also, it’s designed to resist allergic-causing substances such as dust mite decays and fecal matter. Furthermore, you can wash these pillows in 60 degrees Celsius washers, which is a good temperature for killing dust mites.
#5 Hard Flooring
If you are trying to get rid of dust mites, then the best option is to have a kind of hard flooring. This could be like a tile, laminate or linoleum. Soft flooring like carpets is a haven for dust mites. Carpets tend to trap pet dander and dead skins inside them. This makes them perfect breeding grounds for dust mites. However, if removing your soft flooring is impractical, then here is something you can do. Regularly vacuum your soft flooring; at least twice a week. Also, you can purchase specially designed carpet treatments and sprays.

#6 Control Humidity
As mentioned before, dust mites love moisture. This means they love an environment that has a high-humidity. One good way of significantly reducing dust mite population is by reducing the humidity within your home. Thankfully, there is something that can help you. What you need are Dehumidifiers. These electronic devices are able to detect the humidity of the room and at the same time increase or reduce the humidity. Once you get a dehumidifier, you would want to set it a humidity of below 50%. This can significantly reduce the reproductive rate of the dust mites.
#7 Freezing Time
For any soft items in the house that are not washable, you can use the freezing approach. What you would want to do is wrap the item in a plastic and extract the air as much possible. Then, place in a freezer for at least 48 hours. This should kill off a large number of dust mites.
#8 Steam Cleaners
Another item that you would want to add into your arsenal against dust mites are steam cleaners. Steam cleaners are great for cleaning items that are not easily washable such as curtains, cushions, surfaces and carpets. Steam cleaner produce high-temperature steam that is enough to kill dust mites. Also, they can kill other problematic stuffs like molds, mildew and fungus to name a few.

Dust mites are one of the major hazards when it comes to your respiratory system. In fact, they are the main cause of allergies in your home. While it is true that completely eliminating them is next to impossible, but you can significantly reduce their numbers to a point in which they won’t become a health hazard anymore. When the times comes to strike back against the dust mites in your home, don’t forget to check this guide so you can clean them out efficiently.