Dust mites in your home are pretty horrible. They have 8 legs and love to live in your soft furnishings such as your sofa, bed and carpeting. A lot of the dust in your home is actually made up of dust mite dropping. It’s a pretty horrible thing to think about but it’s a fact, which is why you want to look at dust mites removal.
What should you do with your bedding?
If you want to eradicate these little blighters from your home there are a number of different methods at your disposal. First of all you want to look into buying some dust mite proof covers for your mattress, duvet and also your pillows. When it comes to washing your bedding make sure you use hot water, 60°C is fine and you should do this each week. If you hang your bed linen out in the sun then this will also kill the mites.
If you are really serious about dust mites removal then you should think about possibly getting rid of your regular mattress and replacing it with one made from latex. Not only are they dust mite resistant but they are also mold resistant too.
Are there any chemicals you can use?
There are also chemical sprays that you can apply to your furniture which work well for the purpose of dust mites removal. Popular brands include Febreeze, Pronto and Bissell Acarosan.
What about non-chemical alternatives?
When you vacuum your home it’s a good idea to use one that has a HEPA filter included. Ever now and again you can also use a steam cleaner as they have been proven to kill dust mites along with other nasty things.
What should you do about flooring?
There are also changes that you can make in your home such as getting rid of your carpeting and laying down a hard material such as marble, slate, bamboo or even cork. They don’t create the breeding ground that carpets do.
And fabrics?
If you have fabric curtains/drapes then you ought to think about getting rid of them in favor of blinds. There are loads of different types of blinds that you can buy such as vertical, roman and roller. You can also get ones that are thermally insulated ones that do a really good job of keeping the light out.
What kind of humidity do they like?
Did you know that dust mites love humidity levels that are above 50%? This is one of the reasons you should consider buying a dehumidifier. You can buy meters to tell you what the humidity levels are in your house. If yours is above 50% then you ought to look at getting a dehumidifier. 30% to 50% is a good level to aim for.
There are also kits you can buy to test for dust mites in your home. There’s no point in going to all the effort of killing them if they aren’t even a problem in the first place. You can also use them to test whether the methods you are trying out are actually working. If you find a technique that works then you can keep doing it. You can expect to pay about $80 for one of these kits but if you are finding your or a member of your family is suffering from dust mite allergies, it’s a small price to pay.
Unfortunately no matter what you do there’s no way that you will be able to completely eliminate them from your home. There are simply too many of them.