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We get asked the same questions multiple times a day " How do I get rid of dust mites or how to kill dust mites" Why, because they cause so many problems for millions of people.
According to the Mayo Clinic signs of dust mite allergy include those common to hay fever, such as sneezing and runny nose. Many people with dust mite allergy also experience signs of asthma, such as wheezing, difficulty breathing and even a skin rash. By taking steps to reduce the number of dust mites in your home, you may get control of dust mite allergy.
Highly Effective Ways to Get Rid of Dust Mites
- Get Rid of Their Home or Make it Uncomfortable.
- Starve the Enemy.
- Hot Water Washing and Cleaning.
- Frequent Vacuuming and Dusting.
- Deep Freeze.
- Desiccants Kill Dust Mites.
The first rule of warfare is to know your enemy.
So here is the basic information about dust mites:
- Dust mites, their body parts, and their feces are the most common household allergens.
- The allergens are the source of sneezing, coughing, itchy and watery eyes, stuffy noses, eczema, and asthma.
- Dust mites are microscopic creatures that feed on shed human skin cells.
- Dust mites do not bite you.
- You cannot see dust mites, and you cannot feel them.
- Dust mites prefer areas where it is dark, moist, and there is plenty to eat.
- Your mattress, pillow, and blanket are the perfect environment to meet all their needs.
#1 Get Rid of Their Home or Make it Uncomfortable.
Dust mites look for places that are dark, warm, and filled with their favorite food, shed human skin cells. Therefore, they love fiber surfaces.
Removing dust mites from fabric surfaces requires a multi-prong approach.
Carpeting: While you don’t have loads of dust mites actively living and breeding in your carpets, carpets hold the dead body parts that are a normal part of household dust as well as dust mite feces.
You can spend money on carpet cleaning and carpets will look and smell cleaner, but you can’t really clean carpet deep down where the allergens are. Even when you “steam” clean a carpet, you may kill the mites, but you will not remove the allergens.
Fact, a dead dust mite is just as bad for you as a live one. That is why allergists agree that the best surface for flooring is a hard surface.
That means giving a heave-ho to rugs and carpets. Small throw rugs that can be washed weekly are acceptable. Replace them with tile, hardwood, laminate, engineered wood, vinyl, or concrete floors.
While allergists always say the best thing to get rid of when dealing with dust mites is your carpet. Financially speaking that may not be something that can be done right away.
We have a more cost-friendly product that can help keep dust mites away and that’s X-mite carpet treatment. It is specifically designed to rid your carpeting and upholster furniture of harmful dust mite allergens and provide 90 days of allergy relief. Another side benefit of X-mite is it actually cleans while it denatures.
Furniture: Just like carpets and rugs, furniture covered in fabric makes a great hiding place that can’t be cleaned thoroughly. Replace your upholstered furniture with hardwood, leather, or synthetic leathers. These hard surfaces don’t collect allergens and they are easily wiped clean.
Not able to ditch your couch, curtains, and carpet? You can apply denaturing agents. Denaturing agents are available as sprays and powders. You’ll find them labeled “ADMS Anti-Allergen Spray”, “X-Mite Powder”, and “Anti-Allergy Solution Spray.” They work by breaking down the protein that causes the allergic reaction.
Window coverings: Remove draperies and replace them with hard surface blinds. If curtains and valances remain, they must be washed or vacuumed and treated with the anti-allergen spray.
Dust catchers: Remove dust catchers and wipe down all hard surfaces at least every 7 days. When cleaning and dusting, everyone always has an aid they use to clean around the home. Personally, I like Allerdust Dusting Aid. It not only gets rid of dust mites but also helps with pet dander and mold.
While you are at it, get rid of the excess clutter and dust catchers in the bedroom. Do you really need 12 pillows on the bed?
#2 Starve the Enemy.
When it comes to your pillows, mattress, and box spring it is not practical to wash these items every 7 days in hot water.
Since it is impossible to remove dust mites and their allergens from your bed, you must put a barrier between you and the mites.
You want to kill the mite, so do it in a manner that will provide allergen relief. Starve them to death! Yep. That’s right kill dust mites over time by starvation.
So, how do you starve them? Cut off their supply of food. This is the natural way to get rid of dust mites and their allergens.
Protect your mattress, box spring, and pillows in special zippered dust mite-proof covers. This puts an allergen-proof barrier between you and the mites.
From the first night you sleep on dust mite proof covers you get relief. You will not be exposed to the dust mites, their shed body parts, or their feces!
Also, 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 can collect pollen and grass when outside.
#3 Hot Water Washing and Cleaning.
If you can get an item in the washing machine, you can get rid of allergens in the laundry. Remove and wash all bed linens once a week (while the zippered cover remains behind as your dust mite proof force field).
Now, regular washing won’t eliminate dust mites and their allergens. The water in your washing machine would have to be 140° F to kill the dust mite and eliminate the allergen. Most hot water heaters are not set at temperatures this high for safety reasons.
So how can you eliminate dust mites without causing bodily harm to you or your family members?
Wash with De-Mite or Allergen Wash!
De-Mite Laundry Additive contains tea tree oil, oil of wintergreen and benzyl benzoate. It will safely eliminate dust mites from anything you can safely wash in the washing machine. By using De-Mite you can eliminate dust mites from your bedding by washing in warm or cold water.
Allersearch Allergen Wash utilizes super surfactant agents and ACARIL to eliminate allergens from bedding, clothing, stuffed animals, towels, and rugs. Once again, if you can get it in the washing machine, Allergen Wash will eliminate the dust mites while removing soil.
The big difference between eliminating allergens and dust mites with De-Mite and eliminating with Allergen Wash is how they work.
Steam will also kill dust mites. If you have bedding that cannot be washed, steam cleaning is all-natural and better than dry cleaning. Both steam cleaning and dry cleaning will take care of surface soil, but dry cleaning will not kill dust mites.
#4 Vacuuming and Dusting.
Dust with damp cloths and always start at the top of the room and work down. In other words, dust the items up high before you dust items lower. Do not dust with products that leave a residue. This creates and attracts dust.
TIP - Don’t dust before going to bed. Always wait at least 2 hours before sleeping in a room that has been dusted. Even if you dust with damp rags, some dust will become airborne and you want to give it time to settle before you go to bed.
Vacuum with a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner. Canister models are preferred to upright models, as they have better seals. Speaking of seals, select a completely sealed vacuum system so that dust and allergens don’t leak out of the unit. Avoid bagless models.
Use the same rules for vacuuming as you do for dusting. Vacuum higher items before lower items.
#5 Deep Freeze.
Your freezer wasn’t really designed to store bed linens. The chicken parts and ice cream might object. However, freezing is effective for stuffed toys and small pillows. Place the toy in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer overnight.
If your child can’t bear to be away from the toy overnight, then do this first thing in the morning and leave in for 6 to 8 hours.
After you freeze the toy, toss it in the dryer on the fluff setting. This is the setting with air only, no heat. Once the toy is fluffed back up and dry you can give back to your child knowing you did your part to kill those pesky mites.
#6 Desiccants Kill Dust Mites.
Dust mites don’t drink water. They absorb moisture from the environment around them. It’s why they like areas that are damp. Dry out the space.
Desiccants remove humidity and moisture from the environment. Common household desiccants are borax, calcium chloride, and silica gel.
Borax is the traditional washing additive found in 20 Mule Team Borax. Find it in the laundry aisle of the grocery store. Calcium chloride is the stuff you add to pickles to make them crunchy. Just read the label on a jar of Claussen pickles.
Buy it where you find canning supplies. Ball sells it as “pickle crisp granules”. Silica gel is used by crafters to dry out flowers. You can find it at a craft shop. Spread desiccants where you want to kill dust mites.
To our knowledge, there is no scientific source that states that desiccants are an effective way to kill dust mites. However, by reducing moisture levels in the environment, they make it less hospitable to dust mites
Got Questions about Dust Mites? We’ve Got Answers!
Sadly, you can be the cleanest person in the world and you would still have a problem with dust mites. So, if you’re waking up every morning with bleary eyes, runny nose, and a cough, you may be under attack from these microscopic opponents.
Dust mite allergens are at the center of most allergies and can be hard to beat, but now that you know what you’re up against, you can prepare yourself to fight back and win!
If removing dust mites from your home is confusing; don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. The Allergy Store has been helping people with allergies and asthma since 1989.
Works Cited
Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dust-mites/symptoms-causes/syc-20352173
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/allergens/dustmites/index.cfm
Allergy elimination is about eliminating the allergy-causing substance in your home the best you can. Once you do this, you may be able to eliminate the need for all the medications and doctor visits. For additional information please click here to download your free copy of" You Can Do It! Allergy Free Living.
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