Dust Mite Busters
If you have perpetual stuffiness or the sniffles when you wake up each morning–it may be a slight allergy or reaction to the dust mites living in your pillows and mattress.
Here is a collection of home remedies and tips to try combating these mighty creatures…
- Make lavender sachets to place underneath mattresses as well as tuck inside pillows
- Try using buckwheat pillows (instructions at bottom of page), apparently dust mites don’t live in them.
- If your bed linens can take it, Hot Water Removes Allergens Best (140°F/60°C or higher)
- Launder pillows too if they can be washed without damage (even down pillows)
- On hot sunny days, lay out or line hang pillows and heavy quilts outside to soak in the sun.
- Regularly pull back the bedding to allow mattresses to air out.
- Regularly vacuum the mattress as thoroughly and deeply as you can.
Dust mites thrive in the environment provided by beds, kitchens and homes in general, where the sun’s rays do not reach them. Mites remain in mattresses, carpets, furniture and bedding, since they can climb lower down through the fabric to avoid sun, vacuum cleaners, and other hazards, and climb higher up to the surface if necessary to get another skin cell to feed on, when humidity is high. Even in dry climates, dust mites survive and reproduce easily in bedding (especially in pillows) because of the humidity generated by the human body during several hours of breathing and perspiring.
Nasty little critters. But the thing to note is they don’t actually crawl all over you and feast on your body while you’re sleeping. They just live very close to you (and off your sloughed skin cells). It’s their feces and cast skins that pile up and make us sick.
Here is some information on dust mites that you might find useful.
Dust mites feed on organic matter such as shed human skin. In nature, they are killed by micro-predators and by exposure to direct sun rays. Dust mites in bedding derive moisture from human breathing, perspiration, and saliva.
The dust mite’s partially digested food, and fecal matter, is one of the most significant sources of allergens contributing to allergic asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and dermatitis.
Mite Management Tips:
*Steam cleaners may be effective at reducing enzyme allergens since the heat of the steam breaks down the compound. The application of frequent vacuuming as a dust control measure may aggravate allergic asthmatic conditions because conventional vacuum cleaners blow some dust through the cleaner’s bag into the air. Vacuuming helps remove the residue, as does washing, however, vacuuming does not generally kill mites because they cling to the surface. Dust collection by conventional vacuums results in a significant increase in air borne concentrations. Cleaners that send dust into a “liquid medium” such as water (rather than a dust bag) best accomplish vacuuming.
* Enclose mattresses, box springs, and pillows in zippered allergen- and dust-proof covers.
* Wash bedding materials, including pillowcases, sheets, blankets, and mattress pads every other week in hot water (130 °F).
* Eliminate or reduce fabric wall hangings such as tapestries or pennants.
* Purchase stuffed toys that are machine washable.
* Avoid using curtains, drapes, or blinds on windows. Use plastic shades instead.
* Remove carpeting from the bedroom of the allergic person and replace it with tile or wooden floors.
* Replace upholstered furniture with wooden or plastic furniture.
* Vacuum often with a vacuum cleaner provided with a high efficiency purifying air (HEPA) filtration system. Throw away vacuum bags after use because dust mites can leave the bag.
Installing HEPA filters on air conditioner or heater vents is not practical or necessary, and may actually increase mite problems. Remember, dust mites cannot survive on the dust in the ducts, and the small holes of the filters will force air out of vents at a higher velocity, stirring up more dust than without filters.
Complete elimination of dust mites is unlikely. Reducing populations is the only likely way to reduce allergens in the air. Chemical control is not necessary, nor will it have a lasting effect on dust mite populations. Regular cleaning and vacuuming will have a greater impact.
I have a mattress pad that heats my bed like an electric blanket only you are lying on it easing your muscles and joints.
Machine washing is not practical on a regular basis. I just don’t know how to protect this pad with wires and avoid dust mites.
Can you advise me?