How To Get Rid of Dust Mites

How To Get Rid of Dust Mites featured photo

Preventing dust mites is always the best approach to protect your family, but what if they’ve already infested your home? It’s hard to fight against your foe when you can’t even see or feel them. And if that doesn’t make your skin crawl, I don’t know what will.

So, how to get rid of dust mites?

The truth is, it is impossible to eliminate dust mites completely. But if not addressed properly, they can trigger dust mite allergies, asthma, and skin rashes. The good news is that there are several ways to fight against them.

Keep in mind, however, that trying to get rid of dust mites isn’t a one-time thing. In this post, we’re going to walk you through the different ways to remove dust mites in your home.

What Are Dust Mites?

What Are Dust Mites

They are microscopic and pesky and they make you sneeze like crazy. Dust mites are very small insects—so small that you can barely see them with your naked eye. They thrive in warm and humid environments, and the worst part about it is that they feed on dead skin cells, both of you and your pets.

Without you seeing them, dust mites thrive in your beddings, carpets, mattresses, furniture, kid’s stuffed toys, and curtains. They can be anywhere in your home. In fact, according to the American Lung Association, about 4 out of 5 homes in the US have dust mite allergens in their beds.

Do Dust Mites Make You Sick?

Do Dust Mites Make You Sick

One thing to note about dust mites is that they are not parasitic.

While they feed on flakes of dead skin, they don’t bite or dig into human bodies. They don’t cause major harm nor do they spread diseases. What dust mites do is leave their feces and body parts as allergens, which trigger asthma and other allergies.

Those who are sensitive to dust or dust mites can experience inflamed nasal passages and respiratory issues. Dust mites can cause sneezing, a runny nose, and itchy, watery eyes. Severe symptoms may include excessive coughing, asthma attacks, eczema flare-ups, and skin rashes.

How To Get Rid of Dust Mites Naturally

How To Get Rid of Dust Mites Naturally

Removing dust mites helps make your home healthy and comfortable. The good news is that there are simple preventive measures that you can do to keep them at bay.

But First, Address Where the Dust Mites Are Coming From

And destroy it. Dust mites live in various areas in your home, such as dark, warm, and damp places. These microscopic creatures also love fibers because they accumulate food and hold moisture. They can thrive in different places in your home including:

  • Beddings
  • Mattresses
  • Blankets and pillowcases
  • Upholstered furniture
  • Stuffed toys
  • Carpets and rugs
  • Curtains

Wash Your Linens in Hot Water

If you haven’t been doing this, it might surprise you how effective washing your linens in hot water is in minimizing dust mite population. Wash your linens, duvets, pillowcases, blankets, and sheets in a hot cycle at 130°F.

Make sure to dry them in a hot dryer after. You can also dry them under direct sunlight after washing them.

Do Routine Cleaning

You don’t need to do extensive cleaning if you clean your home on a regular basis. It’s one of the best ways to prevent and get rid of dust mites.

Clean surface dust to keep dust mites from traveling to your linens, carpets, and mattresses. When you do this, make sure to use a damp cloth. This will help trap dust and keep it from stirring up in the air as you clean.

Learn how to steam clean your couch to keep dust mites at bay.

Invest in Protective Mattresses and Covers

They are worth it. Instead of sticking to your old, large duvet cover, consider quilted duvets because they are easy to wash. Invest in special zippered dust mite-proof covers and pillows, which have tight-weave fabric to keep the bugs at bay. Vinyl mattress covers also add a layer of protection.

Keep Humidity at a Low Range

Steamy bathrooms, kitchens, and lavatories—these tiny creatures love damp environments. Make sure to maintain a humidity level lower than 50%. This, however, may not be ideal if you live in regions with volatile climate conditions. But you can always add some plants or humidifiers to maintain a healthy humidity range.

Keep Your Home in Order

Cleaning every day gets tedious, and whether we admit it or not, we sometimes skip cleaning or moving knick-knacks on display. When there’s a lot of clutter in your room, there are more spots for the dust to gather. This also makes dusting the surfaces more difficult.

It’s always a good idea to keep your home clutter-free and organized. To make cleaning easier, avoid placing too many items on your tables, floors, and other surfaces. For collectibles that you want to put on display, you can house them in glass-enclosed cabinets.

Use Natural Oils To Kill Mites

This is one of the best techniques on how to get rid of dust mites naturally. Clove oil is found to be effective in fighting against house dust mites. You can also use tea tree and eucalyptus oil, which smell good.

Mix these oils with water and spray them on your mattresses, carpets, upholstered furniture, and window curtains. Just be careful since certain essential oils might irritate your skin.

Other Ways To Get Rid of Dust Mites

Other Ways To Get Rid of Dust Mites

Use Your HVAC System for Proper Ventilation

Don’t open your windows. Instead, turn on your air conditioning system. Opening your windows may not always be a good idea since it lets dust in. The outside air carries mold spores, pollen, and other allergens, which can exacerbate respiratory problems. Once you’ve gone through the steps to clean all your linens and upholstery, try to maintain clean air with an air purifier. Check out some of our favorite air purifiers for dust removal.

Deep Freeze Stuff That Can’t Be Washed Easily

This includes kids’ stuffed toys. Even if they look clean, there are still dust mites in those plush toys. Plus, washing them can ruin their shape, so what should you do?

Well, deep freeze them—yup, you read that right. Put the toys in a clean plastic bag and freeze them overnight. In the morning, retrieve the stuffed toys and spray some anti-allergen solution on them to neutralize the allergens left by the dust mites. Once that’s done, fluff them up by throwing them in the dryer.

Use a Vacuum Cleaner

Clean your carpets, rag, and upholstered furniture using a vacuum. Consider attaching double-layered microfilter bags or HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters to your vacuum cleaner for more efficient cleaning.

Steam cleaning your sofas and carpets also helps kill dust mites. For carpets, do it on a regular basis, however, you must keep in mind that cleaning them won’t remove deep-seated dust mites.

Remember that these insects hide under the fibers. Steaming and vacuuming them can make your carpets look clean, but the truth is the allergens will remain. Your last resort would be to replace your carpets. It’s a serious investment, but you’ll thank yourself later.

Your Turn!

We hope you found our post helpful in protecting your home from dust mite invasion. Getting rid of them requires consistency and you must address the issue before it gets worse.

The measures we’ve mentioned above may not completely eliminate dust mites, but they can help mitigate allergic reactions, keeping you and your family safe. If you have more questions, feel free to reach out to us or share any tips and tricks that have worked well for you.

Good luck!

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