How To Avoid Dust Mites In Your Bed

Mites are tiny microscopic creatures that eat flakes of human skin after it falls off the body. Since much of the skin that falls off of a human occurs at night while they are in bed, the potential to have dust mites in your bed is fairly high.

The main problem with dust mites is that their feces contains DerP1, which many people find irritating and have allergic reactions toward. The main reactions to DerP1 include eczema, chronic sinus issues, asthma symptoms, or other breathing problems.

Luckily, there are a few strategies you can employ that will help you reduce your exposure to dust mites. While it is almost impossible to prevent all dust mites from taking up residence in your home, if you employ these reduction methods, you may be able to thin the population enough to reduce or eliminate your allergic reactions to the bugs. Try the following steps to keep mites out of your bed.

Install Anti-Allergy Covers

Allergen covers seal pillows and mattresses from dust mites, bed bugs, mold, and other common allergens. Make sure that the covers you get are rated for protection against dust mites, as some covers have holes that are too large to prevent the spread of dust mites. Always choose covers from a reputable allergy brand, such as Mission Allergy or National Allergy Supply. Purchase covers for your pillows, mattress, and box springs.

Wash Linens Weekly

If you remove the food that dust mites eat from your linens, they will not live in your bedding. Wash all sheets, pillowcases, and blankets once a week to remove skin flakes and other particles from the fibers that can attract dust mites. Bonus: you will feel cleaner sleeping on fresh bedding each week!

Reduce Humidity in the Home

For some reason, dust mites prefer humid environments. If your home is dry, and has static electricity build-up, then you probably have fewer dust mites in your home. If you are extremely allergic to dust mites, consider adding a dehumidifier in your home. Keep the temperature cool as well. Dust mites also prefer warmer temperatures.

Eliminate Extra Fabric

Dust mites like to live inside fabric fibres. By eliminating extra fabric in the bedroom, you can reduce the number of unfriendly creatures in your room. Eliminate extra pillows, rugs, curtains, and dust ruffles. In extreme cases, you may consider replacing carpet with a hard floor and sweeping daily.

Dust mites are no fun for anyone. If you are allergic to the creatures, you will find significant relief from implementing the above steps. If you are unsure whether you are allergic to dust mites or not, you can get tested for mite allergies in an allergen testing centre.

This can help you determine if going through the process of clearing dust mite allergens from your home is worth the expense. Make sure to test everyone in the family for allergies, in case some are allergic to dust mites and others are not.