While it's hard to get rid of these pests, there are measures you can take to get rid of dust mites living in your home textiles. Because dust mite particles often become airborne, using an air purifier with a high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filter can also help remove these and other allergens from the air.
Air purifiers help people whose allergies are caused by dust mites, pollen, pet hair, and other airborne irritants. They do very little against allergies caused by the existence of mold, mildew, or dust mites, all of which are linked with excessive humidity and can be addressed by a dehumidifier.
Reduce Humidity: Dust mites hate dry air. Utilize dehumidifiers to maintain an environment where they cannot thrive.
Wash bedding weekly.
If bedding can't be washed hot, put the items in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at a temperature above 130 F (54.4 C) to kill the mites. Then wash and dry the bedding to remove allergens. Freezing nonwashable items for 24 hours also can kill dust mites, but this won't remove the allergens.
You can't feel dust mites crawling on you. They're too small. The bugs may catch a lift on your clothes but they don't live on humans. Consult your healthcare provider if you have any concerns about crawling sensations or think you may have dust mite allergy.
Though too small to see with the naked eye (only about . 33 millimeters long), dust mites are easily visible through even a cheap microscope. You can pick up an inexpensive microscope from any store that sells toys, a hobby store, or a thrift store and use it to discover whether your home has dust mites.
Combine Clove, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint or Rosemary oil with water in a spray bottle and spray your bed, linens, and other furniture lightly with a fine mist. Once this mixture air dries, the scent should repel dust mites.
Allergen levels are at their highest between May and October, the peak breeding season of house dust mites. Most of the mites die during the winter, but the allergen-containing dust is stirred up by heating systems. This often causes the symptoms experienced by affected patients year-round to worsen during the winter.
Sleep disruption: Dust mite allergies can disrupt sleep patterns, especially if symptoms like sneezing, nasal congestion, and coughing are more pronounced at night. This can spill over into a long-term health risk, as poor sleep quality can have a negative impact on your overall well-being.
Predators. The predators of dust mites are other allergenic mites (Cheyletiella), silverfish and pseudoscorpions.
The chemical that makes house dust mites gather together in defense has been identified as neryl formate, a common scent used in foods and perfumes.
Most air filters can latch onto particles as small as five microns thick. And luckily, dust mites are much larger, ranging anywhere from 250 to 350 microns. This size means that most air filters can be highly effective at filtering out dust mite particles from your living space.
Dust mites eat skin cells shed by people, and they thrive in warm, humid environments. In most homes, such items as bedding, upholstered furniture and carpeting provide an ideal environment for dust mites. By taking steps to reduce the number of dust mites in your home, you may get control of dust mite allergy.
Yes, air purifiers can help reduce dust in indoor environments. Air purifiers equipped with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are particularly effective at capturing airborne dust particles as small as 0.3 microns with 99.97% efficiency.
Wash all sheets, blankets, pillowcases and bedcovers in hot water that is at least 130 F (54.4 C) to kill dust mites and remove allergens. If bedding can't be washed hot, put the items in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at a temperature above 130 F (54.4 C) to kill the mites.
There are also a number of plant extracts formulated as acaricides (a pesticide that kills mites) that exert an effect on spider mites. These include garlic extract, clove oil, mint oils, rosemary oil, cinnamon oil and others.
Essential Oil Sprays: Certain oils like eucalyptus or tea tree oil are natural dust mite repellents. Commercial Anti-Mite Sprays: Choose sprays that are safe for use on mattresses and effective against dust mites.
Common Signs
Visible Dust: While the mites themselves are not visible, their droppings and dead bodies can contribute to the accumulation of fine dust particles on and around your pillow. If you notice more dust than usual despite regular cleaning, dust mites may be the culprit.
Daily vacuuming of mattresses significantly reduces house dust mite allergens, bacterial endotoxin, and fungal β-glucan.
Though there are thousands of species of mites, dust mites are the most common and can be the most problematic. They're even more common than bed bugs. But dust mites not only look different from bed bugs, they act differently as well.
Allergic reactions typically occur within 15 minutes of exposure to dust mite proteins. Reactions may include skin discoloration (red, gray or white) or raised, round spots called wheals that look like bug bites. Your allergist will measure the size of your wheal and flare (discolored area of skin around the wheal).