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Do you wake up in the morning and feel like you never went to sleep? Got a stopped up nose and puffy eyes? That’s what you get for sleeping with dust mites and sleeping with dust mites is just a bad idea.
Whether they are dead or alive, sleeping with dust mites is a bad idea. The dead ones can make you just as sick as the living ones. It’s the feces and body parts from the dust mites that are the allergens.
Just killing the mites won’t remove the allergen although reducing populations is always a good thing.
Reduce your dust mite populations and associated allergens by making some changes to your bedroom and your cleaning routine. Even if you can’t do everything, just do a few of these things to reduce the number of dust mites in the bedroom.
11 Tips to Reduce Dust Mites
#1 Wash your bedding
Wash all bed linens once a week in warm water, no hotter than 120°F. Add an allergen wash or a laundry additive to remove dust mite allergen. You don't need scalding-hot water.
#2 Protect your bedding
Cover your mattress, pillows and box springs with zippered allergy-proof covers. Higher quality ones will last you for years so don’t waste money on cheap ones. The cheap ones won’t last but a year or two.
#3 Let the sun shine
Hang your comforters, bedspreads, and blankets outside in the sunlight (especially if you have wool or silk). The sun will kill the mites. The downside to this tip is that bedding may pick up pollen, not good if you have seasonal allergies.
#4 Fluff
Toss comforters, bedspreads, and blankets in the dryer for 15 minutes on the fluff setting every 2 to 3 weeks. It will knock out some dust without fading your colors.
#5 Deep freeze
Freeze stuffed toys overnight and toss them in the dryer in the morning. Freezing kills the mites and tumbling in the dryer loosens the allergens.
#6 Keep it dry
Keep the humidity below 45% in your house. Use a dehumidifier if necessary.
#7 Steam is your friend
Steam clean chairs, sofas, couches and carpets. Steam clean carpets and rugs on a regular basis. Make sure that the company or equipment you use has a good extraction system. Trading mold for dust mites is a bad thing.
#8 Get hard
Get rid of carpeting if you can. Hard surfaces like tile and wood don’t hold allergens and are easier to clean.
#9 Replace
Replace your pillows every six to eight months unless they are protected with a zippered dust mite proof pillow cover.
#10 Rise and shine
Clean early in the day. All the dust you stir up will have a chance to settle before bedtime. Don’t forget to clean the ceiling fan.
#11 Get rid of it
Last but not least – get rid of the excess clutter and dust catchers in the bedroom. Do you really need 12 pillows on the bed? Curtains in the bedroom will collect dust. Taking them down will effectively eliminate dust collection in a major part of the bedroom
Till next time!
Cheryl
Additional Reading
- 16 Tips on How to Control Dust Mites, Pet Dander, Pollen at Home
- What Are The Symptoms of Being Exposed to Dust Mites
- What is a Dust Allergy?
- Have You Heard the News About Sick Bed Syndrome?
Want more ways to reduce allergens at home? See our free Practical Guide to Allergy-Free Living, built on allergy expertise we’ve been sharing since 1989 and covering dust mites, pet dander, air quality, laundry, and more.