If you have a dust mite problem in your home, bedding—sheets, blankets, and bed covers—should be washed at least weekly in hot water (130 to 140 F) to kill the mites.
Conclusions: Washing clothing and bedding in cold or warm water with detergent or detergent plus bleach removed most allergen and a significant (P <. 05) portion of live mites. Repeated washing is required to further reduce mite levels.
Wash all sheets, blankets, pillowcases and bedcovers in hot water that is at least 130 F (54.4 C) to kill dust mites and remove allergens. If bedding can't be washed hot, put the items in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at a temperature above 130 F (54.4 C) to kill the mites.
A cold cycle of laundry washing with or without laundry powder did not remove most live mites from bedding, however, the allergen concentration (Der p I/gm fine dust) was reduced by more than 90%. Dry cleaning did not reduce the allergen concentration of the dust, although most, if not all, mites were killed.
Use dust-proof pillow and mattress covers made from a tight-weave fabric that keeps out dust and mites. Use furniture made of wood, plastic, leather, or vinyl (including vinyl mattress covers) that you can wipe clean. Remove rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting.
You may be able to tell you have dust mites in the home, by a continual round of some of the following allergic symptoms: Itchy nose. Stuffy or runny nose. Facial pain due to sinus pressure.
Dust mites are repulsed by the smell of Clove, Eucalyptus, Lavendar, Peppermint, and Rosemary. Make your own aromatic spray by adding a few drops of one (or more) of those essential oils in a water-filled spray bottle.
Any bedding that is certified has been tested to show that after seeding the bedding with dust mite allergen, and washing at 40 degrees Celsius, that at least 90% of the allergen is removed. They use 40 degrees because this is part of an international industry standardised test for washing items (ISO 6330).
Particularly with cold or warm-water washing, many mites die by drowning or are simply washed out of the substrate while still alive. In contrast, many newer washing machines are water-conserving front-loaders, in which the item is repeatedly wetted and spun, without it staying submerged in water.
If they aren't washed frequently, sheets and towels become a breeding ground for dust mites, mold and mildew.
If your mattress is not encased in a dust mite-proof case and you suffer from allergic reactions, you should vacuum your mattress at least monthly to reduce the number of dust mites. If the mattress has a dust-proof cover that is cleaned frequently, then a twice-yearly cleaning should be all that is needed.
Wash everything in hot water.
To get rid of dust mites, you have to wash bedding, window treatments and fabrics in water that's over 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This also applies to drying - make sure to dry on the hottest dryer setting. Wash your bedding at least once a week to reduce dust mites in your home.
Sprays and aerosols containing syngergized pyrethrins should kill mites immediately on contact, though the treatment will only remain effective for up to a few hours. Insecticide sprays containing permethrin or bifenthrin are effective against many mites and should retain their killing properties for several weeks.
How Often You Should Wash Your Sheets (And How to Get Them Really Clean) Experts recommend washing or changing sheets once a week. In this post we cover how best to do it, tips, and why it's good advice to follow.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so.
Add double-layered microfilter bags or high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to your vacuum to efficiently clean the dust off of your carpet and upholstered furniture. Steam cleaning can also kill dust mites at 200 degrees, so try using a steam cleaner on your carpet and upholstered furniture once per season.
If you have a dust mite problem in your home, bedding—sheets, blankets, and bed covers—should be washed at least weekly in hot water (130 to 140 F) to kill the mites.
Killing dust mites in your curtains, clothes, and bedding
All you'll need is a washing machine, dryer, food-grade hydrogen peroxide 3%, and laundry detergent. The heat from the hot water and the antimicrobial properties of the hydrogen peroxide 3% are sure to kick those mangy mites to the curb.
Allergen levels are at their highest between May and October, the peak breeding season of house dust mites. Most of the mites die during the winter, but the allergen-containing dust is stirred up by heating systems. This often causes the symptoms experienced by affected patients year-round to worsen during the winter.
Three of the most common allergens — house dust mites, animal dander and cockroach droppings — are worse in winter when there is less ventilation. Some common symptoms of indoor, winter allergies are sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, coughing and postnasal drip, and itchy eyes, nose and throat.
Spray Lysol on dust surfaces to kill dust mites
After cleaning dust surfaces with a vacuum, apply and spray Lysol on your furniture and fabrics.
They love to burrow in your fabric and feast on your skin cells. And, for this reason, your bed is the perfect place to make their home. Unlike bed bugs, mites don't pose any significant health risks. However, dust mite proteins can trigger congestion, a run nose, watery eyes, and other allergic reactions.
Dust mites live and multiply easily in warm, humid places. They prefer temperatures at or above 70 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity of 75 to 80 percent. They die when the humidity falls below 50 percent. They are not usually found in dry climates.
Dust mites occur naturally and can appear in nearly all homes. Humidity is the most important factor in determining whether a house has high levels of dust mites. This is because dust mites do not drink water like we do; they absorb moisture from the air.
Although they may “hitchhike” on clothing, dust mites do not live on people. They feed primarily on dander, flakes of dead skin that fall from people and animals. Upholstered furniture, pillows and mattresses typically harbor more dust mites than carpeting.