How to Treat Dust Mite Allergies
Dust mites are a common problem in homes. These pests survive by consuming dead skin cells. Their life span is about 19 days and a female dust mite can lay more than 100 eggs. Dust mites live in common places people frequent like couches, chairs, bedding and carpets. If you suffer from dust mite allergies, it's essential to rid your home of these pests to alleviate your symptoms.
Instructions
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Get rid of mites living in bed linens. The reason why dust mites flock to bed linens is we spend several hours a night sleeping in this area. This leaves dead skin cells, which make it an attractive place for mites. Change your sheets weekly to kill dust mites living in your bed linens.
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Get rid of dust mites living on your furniture. These pests like furniture for the same reason they like our beds -- lots of dead skin cells. Symptoms of your allergies can be greatly reduced if you kill mites living in upholstery. Simply vacuum these areas weekly, and steam clean your upholstery once a month.
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Eliminate dust mites on your carpets. Another dust mite friendly environment is your carpet. And this is especially true if you wear shoes in the house, which leaves additional "dust mite food" on your carpet. Eliminating these mites is easy; just vacuum a minimum of one to two times each week.
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Use a steam cleaner with hot water. For those dust mites that linger around after vacuuming, use your steam cleaner once a month. Use hot water and mild carpet cleaning shampoo. Even a natural alternative like vinegar and water will do the trick.
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Use flea protection on your pets. Pets can be contributing to your dust mite allergy because dust mites feed off of fleas. To eliminate this issue, put all animals in your home on flea control.
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Tips & Warnings
If your allergies don't improve, use a dust mite spray. If you're still having symptoms despite regular cleaning, consider using a dust mite spray. These can be found at home improvement stores. If you have animals or young children in the home, make sure to read directions carefully to avoid chemical exposure. After cleaning your home, test for dust mites. If your dust mite allergies are persisting, consider testing your home for these pests. Buying an inexpensive kit will allow you to test different areas in the home to see where mites are still lingering.
