Top 10 Ways To Control Dust Mites

One of the most highly allergenic contaminants found indoors is common house dust contaminated with small fecal pellets and skins of dust mites. In fact, persons which exhibit serious symptoms to house dust are confirmed by testing to have a strong allergy to the protein found in dust mite feces.

Here are 10 great ways to control or even eliminate them from your home environment:

1. In the bedroom, encase your pillow and mattress with allergy proof covers.
2. Wash all bed linens in hot water (130 degrees F) weekly.
3. Maintain a dry environment in your bedroom especially if it is directly connected to a bathroom.
4. Avoid going to bed with wet hair. Moist hair and bedding attracts swarms of dust mites.
5. Keep all rooms clutter free year around.
6. Utilize HEPA (High Efficient Particulate Air) technology. HEPA vacuum all upholstered furniture, bedding and carpeting weekly.
7. Limit the use of a humidifier unless needed for other health reasons.
8. Remove carpet where possible and replace with wood, tile, linoleum, or vinyl floor covering. 
9. Purchase a quality Relative Humidity (RH) meter and attempt to keep RH levels below 50 percent. Central air conditioning is effective at lowering RH in the warmer months.
10. Use a pleated high efficient filter in your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system to control dust. Avoid all filters which are sold as “washable”.

WORD OF CAUTION: A common recommendation is to treat dust mite areas with a powder chemical compound. I strongly warn against using any powder chemical of any type for any reason since the chemical itself can be inhaled causing other acute or chronic respiratory problems.

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