The good news is that for most people dust mites are not dangerous. Even though a main part of their diet consists of skin cells, you don't need to worry that they'll eat you alive while you're sleeping. Dust mites prefer dead skin cells and do not cause sores by gnawing on your flesh. They do not bite. They do not sting.

In extreme cases, dust mites can be dangerous but only if an individual has severe allergies and reacts badly to any irritant. This may be the case with those people who suffer from a serious form of asthma.

Dust mites have been associated with allergies because their feces and microscopic skin shedding can cause irritation in the eye, nose and throat membranes of those who are more sensitive than the average person in these areas.

Basically someone has to have a genetic predisposition to dust mite allergies for the dust mites to be an irritant. For dust mites to be really dangerous, a person needs to have a genetic allergic predisposition to them as well as other health problems.

If you do have a genetic predisposition that makes you allergic to dust mites, there are several things you can do to reduce your exposure to them. Just be realistic. It's impossible to completely remove every single dust mite from your home. But you can greatly reduce their numbers by taking special steps and being exceptionally clean.

If your allergy to dust mites is a minor one, then taking the steps to eliminate them may not be as important to you than someone who could have a severe asthmatic reaction to them. To such a person dust mites could be dangerous, but to those with only mild allergic reactions, dust mites can simply be an incovenience.