Combating Dust Mites in the Home to Help with Allergies

Dust mites are everywhere and are really impossible to absolutely eradicate. They are microscopically small creatures that live on dust. Dust particles are actually shed human skin. Dust mites then devour dust and produce waste. Many people have dust mite allergies. The allergic reactions that those of us that are allergic to dust mites experience is due to inhaling the dust mites and their waste products.

Due to their appetite for dust, dust mites tend to live in areas where dust can accumulate freely and is not easily cleaned. Carpets, curtains, sheets, mattresses, down comforters, pillows and even stuffed animals and furniture coverings are places that dust mites tend to frequent and even thrive.

For some with allergies, the reactions caused by something as simple and small as a dust mite can elevate into more serious symptoms triggering things such as Meniere's Disease. That has at least been my experience. Allergic reactions seem to be my primary trigger for Meniere's symptoms. It is possible to limit your exposure to this microscopic pests though and we'll talk about how in the next section.

First it's good to evaluate what I think of as the soft surfaces within your home. Your carpet, furniture with upholstery, mattress and bedding, stuffed animals, curtains. The first thing you would like to do is really replace whatever possible in that list with items that are not upholstered or fabric related. For instance, you could replace curtains with vinyl blinds. Flooring that was carpet could be redone as vinyl flooring or wood (even wood laminate flooring). Stuffed animals limited.

You should recognize that you will never eliminate dust mites so your goal should be to simply reduce the number of hiding and breeding places there are for them. So, for instance you might cover your pillow and mattress with dust-mite proof allergy covers. You may want to cover your down comforter with a duvet cover as well that would prevent dust mites from traveling in and out through the fabric. In fact, it seems as though down is one of the types of materials that dust mites really tend to collect in and so any kind of duvet cover would probably be an improvement, but I would look for one specifically designed to be allergen proof, or designed to not allow dust mites to pass through.

For vacuuming it may be preferable for someone else to do the vacuuming, but if possible use a vacuum with a high quality hepa filter. Another alternative is a vacuum which filters all the incoming dust through a water basin. Then the water is emptied after each vacuuming. We have used a rainbow vacuum cleaner that does just that and the difference between it and our older cheap upright is really amazing. Much less (and I really don't notice any) dust expelled back into the room. Even with these improvements you still may need someone else to do the vacuuming of carpeting and upholstered furniture.

Another approach that you can take is controlling humidity levels in the home. Dust mites will die with an environment with less than 50% humidity. So, if possible, keep your humidity below that level. Also, they thrive in temperatures between 75 and 80 degrees fahrenheit, so it would be good to keep your indoor temperature below that. Of course, dusting the hard surfaces is something that should be done to eliminate as much of the dust buildup to deprive them of a breeding ground. I would suggest to use a moist cloth so that the dust is picked up and not just stirred up. Just as with the vacuuming it may be best to have someone else do this chore if it aggravates your symptoms.

Stuffed animals may be enclosed in a plastic bag and then spend the night in the freezer to kill off any live dust mites, but since the dust mites themselves are what we are allergic to, it would be important to also pass the vacuum over them or possibly pass them through the wash to help eliminate as many of the carcasses of dust mites as possible.

Bed linens and other fabrics can be washed in water as hot as the fabrics can take. High temperature washing will kill of the dust mites. I have also seen recommendations of using essential oils added to the wash to help kill off the dust mites. In fact, one study specifically cited the effectiveness of eucalyptus oil in killing up to 99% of the dust mites in a sample. So, you may try adding these essential oils to the wash. I recall the same study pointing to the effectiveness of other oils such as Tea Tree oil, Pine Oil (think about pine sol....), Peppermint oil and Wintergreen oil. One suggestion in particular that I saw even suggested using vodka as well to kill dust mites. I believe I remember reading of it added in small amounts into a wash even or as a base for a spray with an essential oil such as wintergreen oil to spray down soft fabrics between deep cleanings.

With regards to tea oil, I have even read of a spray made up from tea that the writer claimed that the tannins in the tea had properties that mitigated the allergic reaction producing effect of the dust mites. I don't know if this has any basis or not. However, if you do follow this idea be aware that you may stain surfaces that you spray with this type of spray.

In the old days, they would bring rugs and blankets out and beat them thoroughly on a clothes line with a broom. There really might be a lot of wisdom to that as that could also dislodge the dust and dust mites that can accumulate over time on these soft fabrics. Probably the most important part of working to remove the dust mites in your hope is to keep at it, it's a continual battle and one that really will not finish, so keep at it!