How to Get Rid of House Dust Mites: DIY Home Remedies

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Getting rid of house dust mites involves all methods which will help you to kill dust mites altogether or reduce their population, removing their allergy-causing feces, and preventing them from breeding inside your house.

Below are 10 best  Do It Yourself (DIY) Home Remedies for getting rid of house dust mites in a natural way without using chemicals.

Remedy 1: Wash bedding, pillow covers, mattress pads in hot water

Beddings are among the places where dust mites prefer to breed because they are abundant with food (dead human skin cells) and moisture (sweat).

A simple and easy way to get rid of dust mites and their feces is to start with washing all your beddings, pillow covers, and mattress pads in hot water, over 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius).

You should wash regularly, at least once a week, if you are allergic to dust. Dry your beddings using a hot dryer to get rid of dust mites which survived the washing phase.

Remedy 2: Throw away old pillows

Up to a third of the weight of your pillow could be made up of bugs, dead skin, dust mites, and their feces.

Consider throwing away pillows that are at least 6 months old, and replace them with washable pillows, or cover the pillows with allergenic covers which will stop more dust mites and dead skin cells from getting inside and will trap already existing dust mites and allergens from getting outside the pillow and causing allergies.

Remedy 3: Cover your mattress, mattress pad, and pillows with allergenic covers

dust mite proof covers

Cover your mattress, mattress pad, and pillows with allergenic covers.These are a special type of cover, which will not allow dust mites or your dead skin cells (dust mite food) to get inside your pillows and mattress.

Also, they will trap all the dust mites and feces already inside your mattress or pillow from getting to you and causing allergic reactions.

Make sure the pore size of the allergenic cover fabrication is less than 10 microns to not let allow dust mites to pass or allergens to get to you.

Remedy 4: Vacuum with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter

Consider buying a HEPA Vacuum which is certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

HEPA vacuums have a special filter, which will pick up invisible dust together with dust mites, their feces, and eggs.

Vacuum carpets, floors, mattresses, beddings, sofas, and all places with the likelihood of finding dust mites. While vacuuming, use small, slow strokes to avoid allergens getting into the air and making your allergy worse.

Also, consider wearing a mask while vacuuming.

Remedy 5: Humidity and temperature control

dehumidifier

Dust mites don’t drink water, but they suck it from the air. So, when the humidity drops below 50%, they start dying, and when the humidity goes above 50%, they multiply.

Consider buying a dehumidifier to control humidity levels, especially in your bedrooms. Bear in mind that lower levels of humidity might feel uncomfortable to some people.

Dust mites prefer warm temperatures (above 21 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit). Consider setting your home temperature to no higher than 21 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit, if possible.

You can use Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer to monitor the indoor humidity and temperature of your house.

Remedy 6: Pet dander control

dog bath to control pet dander

Apart from feeding on dead human skin cells, dust mites also feed on pet dander. Make sure to brush your pets daily while you are outdoors so that the dander drops outdoors.

When pets come indoors from outdoors, wipe them with a damp washcloth to prevent dander from dropping onto the carpet, floor, or bedding. Keep pets away from your bedroom to reduce pet dander here.

Remedy 7: Freezing

Some items, such as pillows, some beddings, and stuffed animals cannot be washed in a washing machine. These items can be placed inside a plastic bag without oxygen and frozen for 48 hours to kill all dust mites and bugs.

Remedy 8: Replace carpets with hard flooring

Your carpet acts as a perfect reservoir for dust mites and their feces. Research shows that carpeted floors accumulate 100 times more dust mites than a bare floor.

Consider replacing your carpet with linoleum, laminate, or tile. If it is impossible to replace, then vacuum your carpet regularly using a HEPA Vacuum.

Remedy 9: Clean regularly

It seems obvious, but cleaning will get rid of dust and dead human skin cells, which are a source of food for dust mites. Use a damp cloth while cleaning to avoid stirring allergens in the air.

Remedy 10: Get a spring mattress

In a study performed by students from the University of California,USA and the University of Tromso,Norway.

It was concluded that spring mattresses may reduce the exposure of allergy causing dust mites allergens compared to foam mattresses.

Conclusion

You can choose any remedy you think is practical to your situation and start applying it.Please feel free to ask or comment below.

Source:National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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