You might not be aware, but every night you go to sleep, you share your bed with millions of other creatures – tiny animals called dust mites, invisible to a human eye. They feed on dust (shed pet and human skin) and can cause a wide variety of health issues. How to get rid of them? Regular cleaning of your home and preventative measures are the only way. Do not hope that you’ll manage to eliminate them all, but even reducing their numbers from time to time will help you to stay safe and healthy.
Health Issues they Cause
Research clearly shows that allergens which dust mites release increase the risk of various health issues. Although invisible, these creatures can certainly cause some serious problems and the most common are allergies (dermatitis and rhinitis). What are the symptoms to watch for? If you feel like you’re having a nonstop cold, accompanied by red, itchy eyes and runny nose, you might check your home for dust mite allergens. Have in mind that dust mites can even cause asthma in allergen-sensitive people.
Where do they Live?
Dust mites are extremely resistant creatures – they are fast and capable of traveling long distances in order to find a perfect habitat. They love the hot and humid climate. They are sensitive to cold and they’ll try to prevent their death by inhabiting a warm and cozy place such as a bed mattress. They are usually found in bedding, carpets, night clothes and upholstered furniture. This is why you need to focus on cleaning your bedroom and carpets as often as possible.
How to find Out if you have a Problem with Mites
You don’t have to wait for warning health symptoms to start looking for mites (and eliminating them). They are not visible to the naked eye, so you need to use a mite detection kit. All you need to perform the test (besides the kit) is a vacuum cleaner to get a sample of dust (you can vacuum a part of your carpet). The kit consists of reagents, sensitive to dust mite allergens, and in just 10-15 minutes you can read the results. If you find out a high level of allergens, it’s to move to the next step.
A Proper Bed and Carpet Cleaning
Dust mites can be found even in the cleanest of homes, especially in a warm and humid climate. Although if you don’t have health issues and you don’t detect mites with a kit, home should be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent mite “overpopulation”. Pay special attention to beds and carpet. We already mentioned that these are the places that mites love the most!
Make sure that you wash the bedding frequently. Also, don’t make the bed immediately after you get up – that will just increase (trap) the moisture in it. You may try this trick for killing bed mites: vacuum mattress with baking soda for 10 minutes to kill a majority of them. From time to time, take the mattress outside, leave it in the sun for a while first and then, beat it with a club. Sounds funny, but this way, you’ll physically remove the mites.
To make your home entirely safe and mite-free, don’t forget the carpets, as mites are equally fond of them. In order to keep your home clean and extend the life of your carpets, you should vacuum them at least once per week – this will also remove the most of the mites found it them. As vacuuming is not nearly enough for a good hygiene, call professional services from time to time to do a deep cleaning. Or, get a steam cleaner to easily get rid of the dust mites, bacteria and viruses that are living in your carpets.