It is not until they develop allergies to dust mites that people start looking for ways of eliminating these pests from their homes. As part of learning how to eliminate dust mites from the home, they also need to learn about dust mites and their life cycles. They are miniscule insects that live in moist warm places, such as beds, carpets and upholstered furniture. One female can lay as many as 200 eggs. This will give you an idea of how many millions there could be in just one room of the home. You will not be able to see them, but you will see dust and where there's dust there's dust mites.
To eliminate dust mites from your home, start in the bedrooms. Remove all the bedding from the mattress and place a dust protective cover over it. This will keep the any further mites from getting into the layers of fabric. If possible take the mattress outdoors in the sunlight for a few hours. Sunlight will help to get rid of what is there because it does kill the mites. Wash the bedding in HOT water. If you have your boiler set at a lower temperature so children will not scald themselves when they turn it on, take your bedclothes to a Laundromat. These need to be washed at least once a week. Even when you do have dust covers on the pillows and mattresses, they need to be vacuumed at least once a week as well.
You should remove all carpeting in the home and replace it with laminate or hardwood flooring. Mites also burrow down through the layers of carpet. If your subfloor is concrete and you have the carpeting installed over it. this is the prime breeding ground for mites because the space between the carpet and the concrete is moist and warm. If this is not possible, you can spray a special solution on the carpet every two months, but you also need to be careful when using this solution,
Take rugs outside to beat and lay them in the sun or hang them on the clothesline. They do need to be vacuumed on a regular basis as well. Upholstered furniture also needs to be vacuumed, especially around the sides and the crevices.
The level of humidity in the home could also be a cause of the dust mite problem. You should not use humidifiers, only if necessary for a sick child and then only for a short time. A dehumidifier will take the moisture out of the air. Set the machine to bring the humidity to about 40% to 50%. Dust mites cannot thrive when the humidity is below 50%.
Dust mites feed on the dead skin of humans and also on pet dander. If you have furry pets in the home, you will have a hard time eliminating the problem. Another area to consider is the existence of stuffed toys. Mites also live and breed in these objects and they should never be placed in a child's room.
The rooms of your home need ventilation, such as the fresh air from an open window. When the weather is suitable, you should always open the windows to allow the air to circulate. However, you also increase the risk of pollen coming in through the windows or if the weather is hot and sticky, it will increase the level of humidity.
When you take steps to eliminate dust mites from your bedroom, you will not only enjoy a good night's sleep, but you also reduce your risk of having an allergic reaction to the waste left behind by these mites. Dust mites are known to cause allergic reactions such as nasal congestion, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose and difficulty breathing. Asthma sufferers find the presence of dust mites much worse because they do cause the symptoms of the condition to worsen.
To start eliminating dust mites from your bedroom, you might want to consider changing the flooring if you have carpeting. If this is not feasible, there is a solution you can buy and apply to the surface of the carpet every two months. To start with the rest of the room, take everything out of it. This includes dismantling the bed and removing the mattress and box spring. Clean the carpet with vigorous vacuuming or if you do not have carpeting scrub the floor so that there are no traces of dust.
When you have the floor and walls completely clean of dust, start putting the bed back together. Place a dust proof cover on the mattress and pillows. Wash the bedding in hot water to kill any dust mites that may have been there. You should wash the bedding at least once a week and vacuum the dust covers.
Furniture in a bedroom should be kept to a minimum. You should dust this furniture at least once a week and more often if you see that it is gathering dust. The dust should be dampened with a wet cloth if you don't use furniture polish. This enables the cloth to take up all the dust that is present and none of it will escape into the air. Upholstered furniture and fabric window blinds should never be used in a bedroom. If you do have toppers or draperies to the window, make sure they are washable.
Air filter controls added to a furnace will reduce the levels of allergens or dust mites in the air of a bedroom. They do remove these allergens that you can't see. A dehumidifier is also a good investment in the home because it keeps the level of humidity at just the right level where dust mites cannot survive. The proper level should be between 40% and 50%.
Children often have stuffed toys in their rooms. This is a no-no for a bedroom. These objects provide the perfect breeding ground for dust mites, not only in the layers of stuffing but because children often have them in their mouths which adds to the moisture.
Pets also pose a problem with dust mites. The dander that comes off their fur is food for the mites. They should never be allowed in a bedroom and especially they shouldn't be permitted to sleep on a bed. If you have an allergy to dust mites, you could develop an allergy to your pet.
Taking the steps to eliminate a dust mite problem does require a lot of work, but once you have it complete, managing the problem is much easier.
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