Controlling Dust Mites in Carpeting
The carpets in our house are a perfect environment for collecting dust mites and other common household allergens. Dust, pollen, dirt, crumbs, dead skin, hair, and other debris fall onto the floor and collect in the fibers of the carpet.
Since dust mites feed on shed human skin (a major component of household dust) carpeting provides a banquet table set for a feast for dust mites. As we walk on the carpet, we stir up the settled bits of allergen, causing them to become airborne.
Once airborne, they are easily inhaled and trigger an allergic reaction. Not a good thing.
People with severe allergies to dust mites or asthma need to do some extra work to prevent dust mites and their allergens including removing the carpeting. The reason for this piece of advice is that it is impossible to really clean carpet.
You can pay companies to clean your carpets, you can rent a carpet cleaning machine and do it yourself, and can buy one of the hundreds of carpet cleaning products. The problem is that none of these processes really cleans the carpet.
It is true that any of these methods of “carpet cleaning” will remove some of the soil and make the carpets look and smell cleaner.
Think of it this way, suppose you took a heavy sweater or shirt (with lots of thick fibers) and threw it down on the floor and walked on it for 6 months. It would get pretty nasty, right?
Then suppose you injected the dirty shirt/sweater with some warm soapy water and then vacuumed the water out. Now, do you think that sweater would be clean? This is why people with allergies or asthma are told to get rid of the carpet.
The reality is, most people are not in a position to remove the carpet and put in wood or tile floors. So what do you do?
- Vacuum the carpet often and with a good vacuum. Not one of the $69.95 specials.
- Take your shoes off when you come in the house.
- Use doormats to wipe your feet.
- When you have the carpets cleaned make sure if it is being steam cleaned that the company uses a very strong extraction system. Damp carpet gets dirty easily and also allows for microbial growth.
- Use either X-mite carpet treatment or ADMS anti-allergen spray products from Allersearch Labs on a regular basis. They will deactivate or neutralize the allergens in the carpet.
We are fortunate. We were able to remove all the carpeting from our home. One room at a time over a period of 3 years. It certainly has made a difference in the control of our allergies.
However, until we were able to remove the carpets, X-Mite anti-allergen dust mite carpet powder was an important part of the allergy control regimen our my home.
Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com
Additional Reading
What is the Best Type of Flooring to Choose if You Have Allergies?