Dust Mites 101

What Are Dust Mites?
Dust mites are microscopic bugs that when viewed under a microscope, resembles tiny, whitish spiders. They are very primitive in nature, content with a life of eating, producing waste and reproducing. They predominantly eat dead skin cells - the kind shed by people every day. In fact, an average person sheds enough skin cells every single day to feed 1 million dust mites. They thrive anywhere their food source can be found: upholstery, carpet, mattresses and pillows. They also love tepid temperatures (68-77 degrees) and high levels of humidity. They are rapid reproducers, with each female dust mite producing up to 100 eggs in her lifetime of 2 to 4 months.

What Are Dust Mite Allergies?
Dust mite allergies are actually reactions to the waste products of the dust mites, not the mites themselves. These bugs are efficient waste producers and their waste products can be found in the dust around the home. While many dust mites will die in low humidity or extreme temperatures, their waste products are left behind. Of course in many homes kept comfortably warm throughout the year, it is possible for dust mites to live year-round.

How to Attack Dust Mites
Although the idea of having tiny bugs crawling around your home is unattractive to say the least, it is nearly impossible to eliminate them entirely. And while the presence of dust mites does not mean that your home is not clean, just a few basic products and cleaning techniques can help to lessen your exposure:

1. First Step: Protect Your Bed. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to address dust mites is buy hypoallergenic bedding products. Dust mites love living in pillows and can quickly turn an everyday pillow into an allergy nightmare. Mattress and comforter encasings are also great products to protect yourself and improve your sleep. Covering your pillow and bedding keeps the dust mites, and more importantly the dust mite allergens, completely away from you. Dust mite covers (in addition to your sheets and comforter) should be washed often in high temperature water. To add to your protection, you may want to invest in a mattress that is made from dust mite resistant materials. Latex mattresses, for example, are naturally resistant to dust mites. Silk sheets are also a good choice in the bedroom, as silk is naturally dry and moisture-wicking. Lastly, a dry vapor steam cleaner can help reduce dust mite populations without dampening your bedding materials.


2. Next Step: Target the Entire Bedroom. Once you have addressed the bed, look at all the other soft, porous areas of the bedroom. Because carpet is another attractive home to dust mites, hard-wood flooring is a great alternative in the bedroom. To control infestation in carpeted bedrooms, it is important to vacuum very often with a HEPA vacuum. Use a vacuum with a filtration system specially designed for allergen removal and wear a filtering mask when vacuuming. Reduce any other dust collectors in the bedroom - stuffed animals, dry flowers, and knick-knack type items. Draperies and rugs are also common allergen collectors. They should be laundered in hot water if possible as well. Steam cleaners are a great cleaning tool in the bedroom for killing dust mites in your mattress, bedding, curtains, rugs, clothing and carpets. A dry vapor steam cleaner can clean even delicate materials and surfaces and can be used for bedding and drapes in-between launderings. After you have addressed the surfaces in the bedroom, a high-quality air purifier with a HEPA filter will clean the allergens floating around in the air.


3. Lastly: Protect Your Entire Home. As mentioned, dust mites love high levels of humidity. In summer months it is particularly important to monitor the humidity levels in your home. If your air conditioner is not keeping the humidity levels low enough, use a dehumidifier. Levels need to be kept consistently below 50 percent humidity. Most dehumidifiers contain internal hygrometers that will allow the unit to keep the household humidity within a set range. Some areas of the home (basements) may benefit from year-round dehumidifying. Many of the other principles of the bedroom techniques apply to the whole home as well, including: installing hard-wood floors, reducing dust collectors in the home, using a steam cleaner to kill dust mites on contact. Using an air purifier will not only help with dust mite allergens, but can also help with a host of other indoor allergens.

There are an estimated 20 million Americans with dust mite allergies. Fortunately, with a little dust mite education and just a few specialty products, allergic reactions to dust mites can be greatly reduced. Good news for anyone wanting to improve chronic allergies or just wanting to maintain a clean bedroom environment.

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