Dust mite allergy
A shock to the system
I remember the first time I saw a picture of a dust mite. It was enlarged countless times and looked like something from a sci-fi movie. It was in the news, I was only eight years old, and I remember running to my room afterwards and, manically, starting to change my bed sheets.
In the 1980s, however, not much information was readily available like we have today. Therefore, I went about my life as a child and adult thinking they were simply ugly creatures, not knowing I was allergic to these minuscule animals.
Dust everywhere
It is incredible to think how many carpets we had when I was a child. It was only the actual kitchen area and the bathrooms that were free from this fluffy material. The bedrooms, hallway, living room and dining area were all carpeted. Not to mention the dust accumulating in my teddy bear collection!
Symptoms
I didn't always have a runny nose and red eyes like my brother, but my eyes did itch a lot, and my throat too. I was also a weak and tired child with loads of headaches. Headaches were such a big part of my life that I thought everybody had them - all the time. But not anymore! Thankfully.
If you recognise yourself in any of this, here's what you can do:
By Laila Olsen
September 2024
So how do I get rid of these minuscule creatures?
Tip 1: Get a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA-14 filter
This ensures that all the dust mites - dead or alive, along with their droppings - get caught in the filter instead of being blown around your home. A HEPA-14 filter will also take the tiny droppings, so I recommend checking the HEPA filter number before purchasing. [1] Vacuum your entire home all at once if possible. Vacuum often, at least every week but preferably 2-3 times a week.
We have quite a big house, so we vacuum the upstairs once a week while we change the bedding in the children's bedrooms. The same day - preferably, otherwise the next day - we vacuum all the downstairs and change the bedding on our double bed and a toddler bed. During the week (once or twice) we vacuum the much-used areas downstairs again (kitchen, living room, hallway, bathrooms, and utility room, where there's usually a lot of dust from the tumble dryer).
Tip 2: Change the bedding every week
Dust mite eggs hatch in larvae after about 6-12 days, [2] so you want to try to beat them to it. Wash the bed sheets at 60°C [3] to ensure as many mites die as possible. Take the duvets, pillows, and mattress pads outside and give them a good shake to get as much dust, dead skin cells and mites out of them as possible. It's also recommended to wash your duvets and pillows every 3-6 months. [4]
On single beds, you can wash the topper covering every 3-6 months if you don't have mattress pads. We've got an extra topper covering for this purpose, which makes it easier to change. We have a mattress pad on top of our double bed as the double topper cover doesn't fit in the washing machine.
Remember: you will never get rid of all mites, but you can keep the number down, so you don't react to them.
Tip 3: Vacuum clean the beds with the upholstery tool
Once you have removed all the bedding and pads, vacuum the mattress or mattress topper thoroughly (whatever the top layer). We do this every other week. If you have a mattress topper, you need to also vacuum the mattress occasionally.
Tip 4: Get a mattress pad
No matter what kind of bed you have, it will be useful to have a mattress pad on top of your mattress or mattress topper, so you can take it off and wash it at 60°C once in a while (again recommended every 3 months - it took me 6 months last time, and we survived). Check the washing instructions before you buy a mattress pad to ensure it tolerates high heat. Some can only be washed at 30°C, which will not kill the mites. The dust mites eat our dead skin cells, and you want to minimise how many end up in the mattress.
This is especially important on mattresses without a topper and on double beds with a double mattress topper, as the double topper covering is too big for most washing machines.
Tip 5: Tumble dry to eliminate excess dust
When you fold your clothes, dust particles will fly around. When you tumble dry, the amount of dust will decrease considerably. We use a condenser tumble dryer and open the window in the utility room, while the tumble dryer is on, to minimise the amount of moisture in our home.
Tip 6: Get a hygrometer (humidity meter)
It's important to check the humidity in your home. Dust mites love humidity, and it's recommended to keep the humidity around 30-40% in the winter and between 50-60% in the summer [5] to keep them under control. It will also help prevent mould, which can be even more disruptive than dust mites.
Tip 7: Get a dehumidifier, a humidity-sensing fan, or ventilation in your home
If your home tends to be too humid, you need to be able to control the humidity somehow. Of course, you need to open your windows daily to let out excess moisture (from breathing, bathing, doing the dishes, etc.) and get new air in, but sometimes it's just not enough. Additionally, it will at times be more humid outside than inside, making opening the windows worse. If your home already has ventilation, then that should take care of it. If not, you can get small devices that will help you. We read a lot about dehumidifiers, but we ended up installing a humidity-sensing fan in the ceiling vent in the upstairs bathroom. This way, the humid, warm air that rises upstairs will be sucked out at a certain percentage that we choose. When we use the steam mop or when I wash the bathroom, I turn on the fan, so that the extra moisture will be carried out straight away. Mostly it will not turn on by itself, but sometimes it will be on for hours, because of extra humid weather conditions at certain seasons. If you choose a dehumidifier, make sure you get a new one, so that you do not carry old dust or mould into your home from elsewhere. Change the filters often. Also, the humidity should not be less than 30% as this can cause irritation. [5]
Tip 8: Get a steam mop to clean your floors
This has been a notable change for us. It's important to open windows and doors while you add all that moisture into the air, but it dries up surprisingly fast. In fact, much faster than cleaning with a traditional mop. It doesn't just kill dust mites, but also mould, bacteria, and viruses. It is so much easier to breathe afterwards and the smell inside changes for the better. It may be a little expensive, but it is worth the money. We got the Leifheit Cleantenso steam mop [6] and we are very pleased with it. The only thing it doesn't do well is getting under e.g. bathroom cupboards and beds. We have added felt to the feet of our double bed so that we can easily glide it to the side. This steam mop comes with an attachment, which also allows you to steam carpets - and they dry up a lot quicker than I expected. If you have hard water in your area, I recommend using demineralised water to prolong the life of the steam mop. Like you would in a steam iron. Some floors do not cope well with steam, such as vinyl or untreated wood, so be careful not to ruin your entire flooring by mistake. We have used the mop on click laminate, tiles, and carpet, which has worked well.
Tip 9: Only have (imitation) leather sofas and armchairs
We have had sofas in several types of upholstery fabric, because well... they are just cosier somehow. But even though we would vacuum clean them and the covers were washable; we always had a sense of them being dusty. Once we changed to leather and imitation leather - that you can wipe clean, the whole living room seemed to open, and it completely changed the indoor climate. Alternatively, you could try using an upholstery steam cleaner.
Tip 10: Get rid of all carpets
I know it's easier said than done. We had carpets in all the bedrooms upstairs, but we have managed to change them to click laminate, which has helped our health incredibly. Before that, we used the steam mop on the carpets occasionally.
We don't have 'decoration carpets' anywhere either. They simply get too dusty. In the same way, we only have blinds and roller shades, no curtains or drapes.
Really? I need to do all these things?
I know it can seem daunting and expensive to accomplish everything on this list - but start with the vacuum cleaner with HEPA-14 filter and changing and vacuuming your bed every week or every other week. It will make a huge difference! And then slowly work yourself through the rest of the list if you feel it's necessary.
Bonus tip if you have severe dust mite allergies: Vacuum your car thoroughly once a month.
References:
[1] Allergy UK (2021). Nilfisk Elite Energy Classic UK Cylinder Vacuum (Bagged).
[2] HouseDustMite.com (n.d.). House dust mite's life cycle.
https://www.housedustmite.com/r/curious/house-dust-mites-life-cycle.htm
[3] Allergy UK (2021). House Dust Mite Allergy.
https://www.allergyuk.org/resources/house-dust-mite-allergy-factsheet/
[4] Dry Cleaners Farthings (n.d.). How often should I wash my duvet and pillows?
https://www.drycleanerscambridge.co.uk/post/how-often-should-i-wash-my-duvet-and-pillow
[5] Save on Energy (n.d.). What’s my home’s humidity level – and why does it matter?
https://saveonenergy.ca/For-Your-Home/Advice-and-Tips/Home-humidity-levels
