I have been getting a lot of questions
around dust
mite and dust
control recently as I have been taking customer phone
calls along with the rest of our staff. What I am reminded
about is that there is no silver bullet, no one thing to do,
but instead a whole long "to do" list. My advice
is to go down the list one item at a time until you are symptom
free.
Dust mites can live in pillows,
comforters,
mattresses,
carpets,
upholstery and clothing.
So here is a synopsis of what I tell people on the telephone.
1. First of all find out whether you have dust mites
in your environment. If you live in the South it is highly
likely that you have them. In the Northeast you might like
to check out ahead of time, by using a dust
mite test kit (available in our store). If you use dust
mite test kits you can also check out whether your efforts
have been successful or whether you need to go further down
the list.
2. Dust mites tend to flourish in humidity levels
of more than 50%, so reduce the humidity levels in your house using
central air conditioning and dehumidifiers. You can use a simple
hygrometer (like a thermometer) to monitor the humidity levels. In my house the humidity
varies from 22 to 30%. I do not have a dust mite problem.
3. Put dust
mite covers and encasings on your pillows and mattress.
This is the cheapest solution. Dust mite covers cut the mites
off from their food source - your shedding skin flakes. Dust
mites collect in your pillows; after a couple of years or
so the dust mite droppings can account for up to 2 pounds
of the pillow. The thought of burying your nose into millions
of dust mites at night is quite frankly not exactly appealing!
4.
Dust mite droppings need to be vacuumed up with a hepa
vacuum cleaner. Even the dead ones are allergenic. If
you allow them to kick up into the air and not be vacuumed
up then they will cause you a problem. So sorry - you need
to get out that vacuum cleaner!
5.
The next step in the program is to use a first class hepa
air cleaner. Every time you walk around the room, it stirs
up the settled dust mites into the air where you can inhale
them. Inhaled allergens can cause the respiratory problems
you are trying to avoid.
6.
Maybe the best solution of all, is to use a vapor
steam cleaner to kill dust mites every 8 weeks. Dust mites
have an alarming habit of coming back- the eggs lie dormant
for months on end. The intense heat of a steam cleaner kills
all living organisms. You can use the dry steam to kill dust
mites in your mattresses, carpets, clothes, and upholstery.
7. Then finally, retest using the dust mite test kits
again. They will give you a good idea of how your anti dust mite
program is doing.
See our handy product comparison charts for air cleaners,
vacuum cleaners and vapor steam cleaners at Allergybuyersclub.com
First Published: October 2001
Updated: April 2007
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