Dust mites have been living with a human for a long time. It now becomes a common thing in human life. But preventing it is also important as it causes allergic reactions and lots more health difficulty.
That’s the reason you should know how to get rid of dust mites easily. Removing dust mites completely is not possible. But you can keep it in control by following the things of prevention.
So, without any further delay, check every detail to get rid of it and be safe.
Contents
What are dust mites?
Dust mites are like small particles that are called microscopic arachnids. These are like insects that help to produce allergens. That’s how you get allergies from dust.
These mites are generally found in bed, especially bed sheets, carpets, clothes, furniture, and many more.
Dust mites produce dropping protein which means allergy. Each mite produces 20 droppings every day. And these cause allergy continuously. An interesting fact is, dead human skin cells are primary food in the dust mites.
Asthma, Eczema, and many other health problems are caused because of mites. However, having proper precautions can reduce the percentage of symptoms. So, taking action is better than spending a lot of money in a hospital.
Things you will need to Get Rid of Dust Mites
Using proper products as well as tools is important if you want a proper outcome. So, that’s why you should know what the products are to get rid of dust mites easily.
1. Allergy-proof mattresses and bed sheets: If your bed sheets and mattresses are allergy-proof, then it helps to make a barrier between dust mites and you. Also, it helps to prevent creating dust mites that a normal mattress cannot do.
2. Laundry detergent: Washing all the bedsheets, curtains, clothes, mattresses, soft toys, and carpets is necessary. And laundry detergent helps to wash out properly and easily remove all the dust mites.
3. Vacuum cleaner and steamer: Vacuum cleaner is for soaking out all the dust mites, and the steamer is also for removing dust from soft surfaces like upholstery and making sure the places are hygienic.
4. Dehumidifier: works well for balancing the environment in your house by extracting water. It improves the quality of the air and for that reason, dust mites cannot live in this kind of environment.
5. Dust-mite spray: Dust mite sprays are available in any shop that helps to eliminate the mites and make the places hygienic. But make sure you avoid spray it on soft toys or any places where children are playing.
How To Get Rid of Dust Mites – 10 Proven ways of removing dust mites
Removing dust mites is important as well as simple to do. You just need to check some things and do some steps to have a mites-free environment.
First of all, select the places where you spend most of the time. And according to it, you should make those places more hygienic than before. Know more about it in depth.
1. Use allergy-proof bed sheets
To protect yourself from dust mites allergy, one thing you can do is to change your bedsheets and mattresses into an allergy-proof one.
There are several benefits of switching it from a normal one. First of all, it makes a barrier between dust mites and you and prevents generating more mites there.
Also, it helps to set fewer dead skin cells on the sheets. For that reason, dust mites cannot get enough food and die. Not only that, it is breathable too. So, for all the reasons, try to use allergy-proof covers if possible.
2. Wash all bedding at 60°C
Washing all bedding helps to kill all the mites. Blankets, bed sheets, curtains, pillowcases, and all the things that you think you are using the most, need to be washed regularly.
Despite using any chemicals, you can kill them at home. For washing it, you will need hot water. Make sure it is about 60°C.
Use allergen-reducing laundry detergent to wash them properly. Wash it in hot water and dry it out in the sun for better results.
For non-washable things like mattresses, you can do steam washing. It helps to kill all the mites.
3. Avoid using a bottom bunk bed
You sometimes use bottom bunk, especially for your children. But if you want to get rid of dust mites and the allergy, you should avoid sleeping in a bottom bunk bed.
The reason is, dust mites not only exist in bed, but also on the floor. So, the chances of having dust mites allergy are increased. So, it better is, avoid it.
4. Don’t use carpet if possible
The carpet looks amazing in your room or living room. But it also helps to collect dust mites more than before. Also, dust mites live longer in that kind of place. So, if you want to prevent dust mites, avoid using carpet in your house.
5. Use vacuum or steam cleaner for better cleanup
The vacuum cleaner can take all the dust from any corner of the house. Even smaller insects cannot escape from it. So, use a vacuum cleaner to clean out all the dust from your home.
Another gadget is the steamer. It hydrates the places so that no dust mites can be alive. Use a vacuum cleaner filter for better service. You can also use the steamer for your furniture, floor, carpets, and the places you want to kill the mites.
6. Dust-mite spray for instant remedy
There is some dust mite spray you can find in any general store. These are like the insect sprays that people use to kill them.
Just like that, dust mites spray works to kill the mites. You can use it any time you want. It’s good for getting an instant outcome. If you are not up for washing all the cloth and cleaning all the places, then this spray will help you.
But don’t use it on carpet or other places if you have children. Also, don’t spray it on toys and other things that the babies use later.
7. Dust with a damp cloth
Dusting regularly is necessary to remove all the dirt and dust mites as you already know. And dusting with a damp cloth makes it much more effective.
Use a damp cloth and dust all over the areas of your house regularly. Rinse the cloth while doing it so that it cannot spread dust from one to other areas. Dust off all the areas including furniture, shelves, and other things of your house to create a lacking food environment for mites.
8. Wash toys
You cannot wash toys, even if it’s a soft toy. It is because it cannot be washed at 60°C. Also, you cannot use dust mites spray on it. It will be harmful to children. So, what should you do? You have to remove dust mites in other ways.
The most simple way to kill the dust mites is freezing. Put all the toys in a plastic bag and freeze it for at least 24 hours. It helps to kill all the mites properly. So, for this kind of thing that cannot be washed, can be frozen to get mite-free toys.
9. Trickle vents and windows
For reducing humidity, you need to increase ventilation. Use trickle vents or open windows to keep your house dehumidified.
Also, keep the windows open in bedrooms and kitchens to bring fresh air into the house. And that automatically reduces humidity. So, make sure you reduce the humidity to remove dust mites as soon as possible.
10. Use a dehumidifier
To keep the indoor humidity under 50% but over 30%, you need a dehumidifier in your house. Use it in your house if possible. It will help to reduce the humidity in your house. And that’s how dust mites cannot get increased in this environment.
Natural ways to prevent dust mites
Several natural ways are also available if you are looking for it. If you want to avoid using chemicals, then use any of the natural ones.
Having plants can be a good remedy for it. The reason is, plants with large leaves help to fight against dust insects like dust mites. There are plants like bamboo palm, peace lily, Boston ferns, spider plant, and more like these that help to decrease the chances of living.
Besides, you can use eucalyptus that is excellent at killing dust mites. Pour some drops of eucalyptus into the washing machine while washing all the clothes, and sheets.
You can add water to a damp cloth to dust off. Or, mix with water to spray it all over the areas. There’s much more you can do if you want to prevent dust mites naturally.
How dust mites affect your health?
You might not realize but almost all houses are affected by dust mites. They have been living in every corner of your house since first. They can live in humid and dusty places. So, when houses become dusty, they grow and live thereby having human dead skin cells.
And that’s how they got into our bodies and created an allergy. That’s how we get dust allergies if we don’t clean the places and live with mites.
Dust mites allergy symptoms
A lot of symptoms that we can share with you. And you might relate to it too. The basic symptoms are:
- Stuffy nose
- Itchy skin and nose
- Sneezing
- Postnasal drip
- Watery eyes
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain (if you have asthma)
Dust mites allergy treatments
When there are problems, there are solutions. And to get rid of the allergy problem, you can have different simple treatments that we are going to share with you. See if those work for you.
Allergy Balm
Several balms are available to prevent dust mites allergy. You can get one to try it out. It helps to prevent the reactions. And it can be a great remedy for allergy.
Nasal spray
If you don’t like to use balm, you can use nasal spray. These are also available in any kind of store. If you are suffering much from dust mites allergy, then it would be a good option to stop that.
Keep the window open
If the environment inside the house is suffocating, dust mites can easily live in that environment to make your health more suffocating than before.
And to avoid the mites as well as mites allergy, you need fresh air. And that can happen if you make your house less humid. We have talked about it earlier and we know having fresh air can continuously prevent having dust mites allergy.
So, for that, keep your windows open in your house or anywhere you are working. The more the ventilation is, the fewer dust mites can live.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does sunlight kill dust mites?
Yes, direct sunlight can kill dust mites. So, if you want to kill them, you should hang bedding or any other thing in the sun.
2. What is the difference between dust mites and bed bugs?
The most noticeable fact is, bed bugs are larger than dust mites. You can see bed bugs in your bare eyes. But dust mites are so tiny that you cannot see them. They also create allergic reactions by living in beds, soft furniture, and carpets like dust mites. They eat human blood whereas dust mites eat only human dead skin cells.
3. How do I get rid of dust mites in my mattress?
If you want to get rid of dust mites in your mattress, baking soda is a good option. Just sprinkle some baking soda and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. After that, vacuum the soda by using a vacuum cleaner and that’s it.
4. Is it bad to have dust mites?
Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live on dead human skin cells. These are not harmful. But it creates allergic reactions to humans and difficulty breathing for asthma patients.
Conclusion
To conclude, all we want is to give you some valuable information about dust mites that you must know as you are living with it no matter what.
We cannot eliminate them, but we can stop them from increasing by knowing all about how to get rid of dust mites.
So, follow the information about cleaning that we have shared with you before and have a safe life!
