Keeping Dust Mites Allergies at Bay

Dust mites are microscopic creatures found in most homes. This is unfortunate since most humans are allergic to them. Symptoms include runny nose, stuffy ears, eczema, watery eyes, and respiratory issues. It can even lead to asthma. Like their name implies dust mites thrive on dust. House dust is composed mainly by dead human skin cells. Other components are animal dander, salt, cigarette ashes, sugar, glass, pollen, etc.

The best way to avoid suffering from allergies caused by dust mites is to keep the house dust-free. This might prove difficult if the house is full of wall-to-wall carpeting, heavy curtains, baroque couches, and the like. Vacuuming becomes the secret weapon in these cases. But take note: Vacuuming for 5 minutes might not do the trick.

To vacuum these kinds of fabrics it might be necessary to vacuum for up to 20 minutes. It's better to vacuum deeply and less often, than very lightly every day. Another important factor is that dust mites can't live in very dry environments, this is because they extract the water they need to survive directly from the air. Therefore using air conditioning instead of opening the windows to cool off a room is better for avoiding dust mite allergies.

Because dust mites love dead human skin cells and warm cozy environments one of their favorite places to live is inside our mattresses and pillows. The use of a special anti-dust mites mattress cover is essential for people that have allergy problems, as is the use of pillows elaborated with synthetic stuffing. Talking of which, pet hair and feathers can also attract dust mites.

Try to keep the place where your pets sleep away from your bed and the beds of your children, and use surfaces that are easy to clean for those areas. Wash bedding with hot water. If you can't do this, let them sit on the fridge overnight inside a plastic bag; the cold temperature will take care of those dust mites.

Deep vacuuming, as mentioned, is the first defense, but of you need a deeper cleaning method that doesn't aggravate allergies use steam: a cleaning method that is ruthless with dust mites and other unwanted house visitors yet contains no chemicals; perfect for the allergy prone folks.