Dust mites are small insects that breed profusely and can be everywhere in the house. They are the number one cause of dust allergies everywhere. Furthermore, a dust mite produces fecal matter and waste that is 200 times its size causing various health problems for everyone living in your home. While eliminating their presence is hard, limiting their numbers is possible. This article will tell you how to get rid of dust mites effectively:
Wash your bedding regularly
Beds are warm, humid, and dark places for dust mites to live in and breed. So washing the sheets frequently can help eliminate the dust mites. Mites cannot live under high heat conditions either, so using hot water to wash your sheets and bedding can kill them. Further, putting them in a dryer can ensure getting rid of any dust mites that survived.
Use an anti-allergen mattress
Dust mites feed on dead skin cells and moisture from our body in the form of sweat. Using anti-allergy mattresses or anti-allergen mattress covers can deprive these mites of their nutrition from our dead cells and sweat, thus starving and killing them. This stops them from getting close to your skin and disturbing your sleep.
Use carpets in place of hardwood flooring
Carpets and rugs can hold millions of dust mites which can cause serious health risks. As dust mites are embedded in the fabric, using a vacuum cleaner is not a good solution to get rid of them either. Instead, replace your carpeting with hardwood floors to eliminate dust mites from your flooring.
Control temperature and humidity in your home
Dust mites live in warm temperatures and humid areas. Try to keep your home’s temperature below 75°F and set the humidity lower than 50%. Low temperatures can threaten their body heat and lead to their death. Lowered humidity reduces their reproductivity as well as nutrition, as they do not consume water directly, they only absorb atmospheric water. If decreasing the humidity to less than 50% is inconvenient for you, try opening the windows and using dehumidifiers in your house.
Use a steam cleaner
Steam cleaners increase the surface temperature of objects and can end up killing dust mites on carpets or curtains. Because some items cannot be thrown into the washing machine, steam cleaners work as a great way to get rid of dust mites.
