Super Fitness Health Blog10 Steps To Minimizing Dust Mites
For some people with asthma, allergies, eczema and hay fever, the home environment might be filled with hazards.
Here we explore what things you can do to minimise the amount of triggers, and in particular how to kill dust mites.
House dust mites have long been considered a trigger factor for asthma sufferers. Yet for several years, it has not been acknowledged that people with eczema may be affected by dust mites until recent research showed eczema flare ups may be triggered by them.
Dust mites are tiny, invisible to the human eye and live in mattresses, carpets and soft furnishings. They love warm, humid conditions, are located in every home and virtually impossible to get rid of. They eat skin cells which are shed daily. This is one of the explanations why dusting and vacuuming are essential in dust mite control. It isn’t the mite, but their droppings that trigger reactions.
For some people, the house dust mite is one of the key factors for making their skin worse. For others, it is just a range of triggers and for the lucky few, house dust mites allergy will play no part whatsoever.
Beds and bedding is where at least half the dust mites are normally found. We often spend at least one third of our day in bed, with them! The bed offers an ideal environment, warm, moist along with a continuous source of food (about a teaspoon of skin cells a night, per person).
To minimise dust mites, follow these simple tips:
- Hot wash sheeting every week, wash pillows and quilts every six to eight weeks at 55º – 60º C.
- Use specialized dust mite bedding that provides continuous protection. The dust mite covers prevents skin cells entering the mattress, and also protecting the individual from coming into contact with dust mite allergens in the mattress. Ensure the covers totally enclose the mattress, or quilt or pillow, with a pore size of well under 10 microns (not thread count). Those that only cover the top of the mattress or have a larger pore size, are ineffective against dust mite allergens.
- Dust with a damp cloth and vacuum carpets and soft furnishings once per week.
- Make sure you vacuum under the bed as there may be considerable amounts of skin in this area, floating down from the mattress.
- Avoid toxic dust mite spray.
- Change or clean the vacuum bag before storing it away. Dust mites love a holiday inside the cupboard!
- About a quarter of the dust mites are found in the carpet and another quarter in soft furnishings including lounges, cushions and curtains. Minimise symptoms by removing lounge and cushion covers to completely clean or replace with vinyl and leather fabrics that may be easily dusted and cleaned.
- Unless you’ve had dust mites identified as a trigger for eczema, replacing carpets with hard surfaces like wooden floor boards might not be a required option. Yet for individuals who have problems with severe dust mite related eczema, replace carpet with a different sort of flooring such as lino, very short pile synthetic carpet or cotton rugs that can be washed at high temperatures.
- Pets can trigger an eczema break out. The reaction is brought on by the pet’s fur, hair, feathers, shed skin or dander combined with the house dust. Pet dander is another dust mite food source. Avoid allowing pets in to the bedroom and living areas. Wash pets weekly and comb long haired pets to remove loose fur. Some people can manage very short haired dogs, they produce less dander. You may find you are able to live happily with your own pets but eczema flares up whenever you touch other cats and dogs.
- Good ventilation minimises moisture, dampness, relative humidity and discourages mould growth and dust mite activity that may trigger eczema outbreaks. Ventilate rooms to allow fresh air in and leave your bed unmade to air it in the daytime. If the eczema sufferer is allergic to pollens and grasses, keep windows closed in the early morning and early evening when the pollen spores are most active during summer and spring.
Understanding your own home environment is essential to understanding how to kill dust mites effectively and efficiently.
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