Getting Rid of Dust Mites

Dust mite allergies can make you miserable. They can make sleeping uncomfortable by causing congestion, itchiness, aches, migraines, and more. If you don't sleep well, it can ruin your entire day and weaken your body and immune system.

Since dust mites love to live in your bed, this is where they are most prevalent. Unfortunately, this is often the place where you spend the longest continuous single period of time. To top it off, dust mites are also one of the most common things people are allergic to.

Fortunately, you can take several non-drug, non-toxic steps to control dust mite allergies. Many of our customers report significant relief the very first night they start implementing our suggested solutions.

So What Are Dust Mites?

Dust mites are only about 100 microns long (0.1 mm), far too small to be seen by the naked eye. They are eight legged creates related to spiders and ticks. Their feet have sticky pads that help them burrow deep into mattresses, stuffed furniture, and carpets. They live primarily on shed human skin, pet dander, and pollen. Since they get their moisture from the air, they thrive best at humidity levels of 70-80% and will die at humidity levels below 40-50%.

Each egg-laying female can increase the population by about 30 mites every 3 weeks. They grow from egg to adult in only one month and live about 2-3 months. Under ideal conditions, a single egg-laying female dust mite can spawn a population of over a million dust mites in less than 1 year!

Dust mites are surprisingly tough. They cannot be killed by a normal warm wash. Only a wash in hot water above 130°F will kill dust mites. For colors and delicates, there are cold water treatments that will either kill or neutralize dust mite allergens. Vacuuming carpets will only remove the surface layer of mites; the rest will burrow deep into the carpet where only chemical treatments can kill them.

Surprisingly enough, people aren't allergic to live dust mites, but rather the proteins in the feces and the decaying corpses of dead mites. The most effective treatment, therefore, involves controlling both the live dust mite population AND their allergen particles.

Do You Have Dust Mite Allergies?

If you wake up congested, feeling itchy, or suffering from migraines, aches or other allergy related symptoms, there is a very good chance you have dust mite allergies. If you have other known allergies, the probablility jumps even higher. It is estimated that 80-90% of people who have any kind of allergy are also allergic to dust mites.

Your doctor or allergist can test you for dust mite allergies. Or you can test yourself in the comfort and privacy of your home with the MyAllergyTest.You can also simply follow the suggestions below and see if your symptoms improve.

Solutions to Dust Mite Allergies

Our suggested strategy to eliminate dust mite allergens is listed in order of priority below. 1 and 2 should be implemented simultaneously.

1. Cover your mattress, pillow, and comforter with dust mite-proof encasings.
2. Wash your bedding regularly with hot water (above 140F) or in cold water mixed with an allergen treatment.
3. Filter your air with a quality HEPA or HyperHEPA air purifier.
4. Treat carpets and all upholstered surfaces with a dust mite-killing and allergen-denaturing treatment.
5. Keep your home clean and dust-free.

Dust Mite Bedding Encasings

Many people think that simply washing their bedding regularly will get rid of dust mites. Unfortunately, this alone does NOT work. The majority of the dust mites and allergy causing particles are INSIDE your mattress, pillows, and comforter. Your bed sheets and pillow cases are made of a loose weave material which dust mites can easily pass through. Dust mite fecal particles and body parts (the stuff which actually causes your allergic reaction) are much smaller and pass through even more easily. As soon as you lie down on your mattress and put your head on the pillow, you compress your bedding and send out a puff of air -- together with a cloud of dust mites and dust mite particles. Your clean sheets are instantly re-contaminated with dust mite allergens.

Dust mite encasings are made of special materials that dust mites and their allergens cannot pass through. You should encase all your bedding -- your pillow, mattress, comforter/duvet, and box spring -- to keep your bed free of dust mites and dust mite allergens. If you use a blanket, it must be washed in hot water or with a dust mite treatment at the same frequency you wash your bedding. After fitting the encasings, you can put your freshly washed sheets over the encasing without fear of immediate recontamination. Most people do not sleep directly on the encasing. Although there is nothing wrong with doing so, it is usually not as comfortable as sleeping on your favorite bed sheets.

Choosing the Right Encasing Material

Encasing materials can be divided into 2 main categories:

• Encasings WITHOUT membranes
• Encasings WITH membranes.

Encasings WITH membranes are made of fabrics bonded to an airtight layer of water vapor-permeable urethane. Because the membrane is airtight, not even the smallest dust mite or dust mite allergen particle will pass through. They are most suitable for those who are highly allergic to dust mites.

The superior allergy protection unfortunately comes at a small cost. Compared to encasings without membranes, these encasings may feel slightly less comfortable, may feel warmer, and don't pass moisture as quickly (so heavy perspirers may find them feeling damp). You can, however, compensate for these problems by putting 2 or more layers of bedding over the encasing or by using a mattress pad to absorb excess perspiration.

On the upside, since this material is airtight it will not only keep out dust mites and their allergens. It will also block odors coming from the mattress or pillow.

Please note that our encasings use new materials formulated to be soft and flexible and that do not make the crinkly plastic sound characteristic of older technology membrane encasings. Once fitted and covered with bed sheets most people will not even notice that there is an encasing.

Encasings WITHOUT membranes have a special weave or construction that keeps the pore size so small that dust mites cannot pass through. They feel very much like regular bedding material, but if you look closely you will see that the weave is very fine. Our cotton blend material has a pore size of 4 microns (dust mites are about 100 microns long and can probably squeeze through a pore of 25-50 microns). While this fabric prevents most of the allergens from passing through, some of them may be less than 4 microns in size. Therefore, we recommend this material for those with mild to moderate dust mite allergies. You can increase the effectiveness of encasings by layering. For example, I use two cotton blend encasings on my pillow (with zippers on opposite ends of the pillow).

Encasings, even ones with membranes, will eventually develop a population of dust mites on the outside. Because of this, it is important to wash them regularly. Your bed sheets and pillowcases should be washed every 1-3 weeks.Encasings should be washed every 2-6 weeks. But use your own judgment. Keep a note of how much time passes before your freshly changed sheets start to cause you discomfort and use this to determine the frequency of your washes. Personally, since I'm very allergic, I have to wash and change my bed sheets every week and the encasings every 2-3 weeks.

Fitted vs. Zippered Mattress Encasings

Zippered mattress encasings that completely encase the mattress on all sides are without doubt best at trapping dust mites. However, they can be difficult to fit and remove, especially on larger mattresses. Fitted encasings are constructed much like fitted sheets and are very easy to fit and remove. Since regular washing is essential to overall effectiveness, consider your habits before making a choice. A regularly-washed fitted encasing is going to be more effective in the long run than a zippered encasing that is rarely washed. If you want the best of both worlds, you can also use layering. You can, for example, fit your mattress with a zippered encasing that you wash every few months and on top of that a fitted encasing that you wash every few weeks.

Dust Mite Treatments

Dust Mite Laundry Treatments

Acaril Laundry Additive Add to your laundry to kill dust mites without using hot water. Not recommended for fragrance or chemically sensitive individuals. Allersearch Anti-Allergen Laundry Detergent This laundry detergent neutralizes and removes common household allergens without damaging fabrics. Allersearch Allergen Wash is free of perfumes, dyes and other irritants. AllerSafe Allergen Neutralizing Laundry Additive Neutralize allergens in your clothing and bedding.

Laundry

In my opinion, a good, long, hot water wash with an extra rinse works best for killing dust mites and removing allergen particles. Be sure that the water is above 130° F and preferably 140° F. Remember, this is REALLY hot and will scald you if you put your hand in it, so be careful. If possible, use a thermometer to check.

When it is not possible to wash in hot water, choose one of our laundry additives. De-Mite is the only additive that actually kills dust mites in cold water. However, those who are chemically sensitive may not be able to tolerate it since it does have a Tea tree scent. If you are not chemically sensitive, try it. We have many regular customers who love it.

Our other additives neutralize the allergen, but any dust mites that are not washed away will likely survive. Since the allergen itself causes the allergic symptoms, these treatments will provide significant relief until the population of dust mites builds up again.

Furniture and Carpet

Our Dust Mite and Flea Control Spray is my favorite all around dust mite treatment. It is based on a patented non-toxic borate compound similar to borax. It slowly kills dust mites and keeps them away for up to 6 months. I say slowly because it doesn't kill instantly like pesticides. It works by coating the dust mite food source, starving and dehydrating them. Although originally developed for dust mites, the spray also proved to be effective on fleas. To use it, mix the powder with water. Apply it using a spray bottle or a steam extraction machine. Spray it on any upholstered furniture, drapes, or carpets. It is completely odorless.

For those wanting a tried and tested solution, choose the Allersearch Dust Mite & Dander Spray. Developed over a decade ago, this is one of the very first formulations to neutralize dust mite allergens and is still quite popular. The active ingredient is tannic acid -- the same thing that helps Cedar wood repel insects. It does not actually kill dust mites, but it neutralizes the allergens that cause your symptoms. Use it on furniture, drapes, and carpets. It is virtually odor-free.

For a selection of other treatments, click here.

Air Purifiers

Dust mites and their allergens are small enough to float in the air as dust particles. A good air purifier is essential for maximum removal of these allergy-causing pests. All the air purifiers we offer will do a good job of removing most dust mite particles. However, if you want the best, choose from the IQAir HealthPro line. The IQAir's HyperHepa filter removes even the smallest dust mite allergens estimated to be as small as .01 microns.

Keeping Your Home Clean

It goes without saying that frequent cleaning will help minimize the population of dust mites, their allergens, and their food supply in your home. If you have hardwood or tile floors, mop or swiffer often. If you have carpet or soft flooring, your only choice is to vacuum.

Unfortunately, many store bought vacuum cleaners -- even those claiming HEPA filtration -- will release some dust mite allergens back into your home. Why? Because dust mite allergens go below HEPA level filtration (as mentioned above). Plus, most HEPA vacuum cleaners only have theoretical HEPA filtration and not actual HEPA level filtration. It has become quite common to say HEPA filtration if the product uses HEPA-quality filter media. Unfortunately, due to leakage around the filter material, in operation very few HEPA vacuums actually come close to true HEPA filtration.

But you do have options. Try the Nilfisk vacuum cleaner if your budget can handle it. This amazing 4 stage vacuum cleaner is pricey but worth every penny. Not only does it really trap everything to HEPA level, the suction power is incredible. And, despite its power, it is by far the quietest vacuum cleaner I have ever used. Only expensive whole-house vacuum systems perform better.

Still, even the best vacuum is no use if you don't use it. We also offer easy-to-use, light weight handhelds. Our Dirttamer Deluxe and Dirttamer Ultima are the only handheld cordless vacuums in the world that have HEPA filtration. Not only does it suck up allergens, the Ultima is also the world's most powerful cordless vacuum cleaner.

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Remember, there is no black and white solution to dust mite allergies. No matter what you do there will be some dust mites and their allergens in your environment. Furthermore, depending on current weather conditions and the health of your immune system, you may have to vary your efforts to maintain the same sense of well being. The key is getting the level of allergens below the point where you body reacts to it. With a little care and a little patience, you can keep your dust mite challenges under control and start feeling great.

Good luck and be well.

David
President AlerG Inc.
A fellow allergy and chemical sensitivity sufferer