If you suffer from allergies, you’re well too aware of the devastating effects that dust mites can cause. One of the reasons why it is hard to get rid of them is because they’re microscopic and can’t be detected with the naked eye. They breed at a higher rate.
They could be millions of them living and feeding in your home without knowing. This is never good news for someone with serious allergies.
It is estimated that an adult dust mite can produce 200 times more its mass in waste. It is a waste product that triggers allergies. It should be noted that getting rid of dust mite completely from your home is not possible.
The best you can do is take the necessary precautions that will neutralize the threat and reduce their numbers. Here are some of the ways you can get rid of dust mites in your home.
Lower Temperature and Humidity Levels
Dust mites thrive in areas where the temperatures are high. The ideal temperatures for their survival are between 75°F and 80°F.
Anything else that is not within the range will not necessarily kill them but will make it hard for them to survive. The temperature should be set at no higher than 75°F.
This is ideal for human comfort but well below optimal for house mites. If you can go below the recommended temperatures, you’ll not only be saving money on energy costs but you will also be getting rid of dust mites.
It should be noted that dust mites prefer a higher humidity to survive. There are different ways you can test if you have dust mites. To test humidity in the home, you can buy an electric humidity monitor.
If the humidity levels are higher than 50, you should try and have more air circulate in your living spaces. You can also control the humidity levels with your HVAC unit.
Cleaning and Removing Dust
You should make it a habit of cleaning and removing dust from your home. Dust mites primarily feed on dust which is made of dead skin cells. According to statistics, the average human shades enough dead skin every day to feed millions of the dust mites.
If you’ve been living in your home for a long time, you’ll have noted the areas where dust tends to accumulate. You should make an effort to clean such areas on a regular basis.
Rugs and carpets will need to be vacuumed on a regular basis. If you don’t have time to do the cleaning, you can hire someone to help you out because your health is of utmost importance.
Washing Fabric in Hot Water
This is another of ensuring that you’re getting rid of as many dust mites as possible. Dust mites rarely survive when they’re exposed to high temperatures.
There should be a high heating system in the washer and the drier to ensure that you’re getting rid of the dust mites that could be on the fabric.
Ideally, you should be washing your bedding every week as that is where you’re likely to get the dust mites.
Freeze the Dust Mites
Just like dust mites can’t survive in hot temperatures, you can also freeze them to death. For the delicate fabrics that will be ruined when they’re washed, you can put them in the freezer for a minimum of 24 hours.
This is a guarantee of killing all the dust mites but is not a way of getting rid of the allergens.
Use of Diatomaceous Earth on Furniture, Beddings, and Carpets
This is a natural fine powder that is derived from the silica rock. It works by piercing the exoskeleton of the dust mites. It has also been shown to be effective to kill other pests like bed bugs.
The reason why DE is usually recommended is that it is safe for both pets and humans.
Use Hard Flooring Instead of Carpets
The carpet in your home harbors all manner of allergens. You can opt for hard flooring if you’d like to reduce the number of dust mites in your home. If getting rid of the carpet is impractical from a cost perspective, you should ensure that it is being vacuumed every other day.
Don’t Make Your Bed
This could be great news for someone that doesn’t like to make their own bed. It is recommended that you give the moisture that is excreted from the human body time to dry.
