House Dust Mites

About dust mites

Dust mites are microscopic creatures that feed off human skin scales. They are one of the most common allergen triggers for asthma, especially in humid and coastal areas. They live in soft furnishings such as beds, bedding, carpets, upholstered furniture, soft toys and clothing, and are mostly found in people’s homes rather than public places. Dust mites usually aren’t present in the air and only become airborne during and after dust raising activities such as vacuuming and dusting.

Reducing your exposure around the house

• Use a damp or electrostatic cloth to dust hard surfaces, including hard floors.
• Vacuum carpets and soft furnishings weekly, using a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter vacuum cleaner if possible.
• Ask someone else to do the vacuuming while you leave the room, as vacuuming increases the amount of dust mite allergen in the air for up to 20 minutes.
• Reduce indoor humidity by having a dry, well-ventilated home with floor and wall insulation and no evaporative coolers or unflued gas heaters.
• Clean your blinds/curtains regularly.
  

Why a hot wash
Washing bedding in water hotter than 55°C will kill mites and wash away the allergen they produce. If you can’t wash in hot water, use a commercial product containing essential oils such as tea tree or eucalyptus, formulated to kill dust mites in cold water. Hot tumble-drying of washed items for 10 minutes after they are dry will also kill mites. Dry cleaning is not as effective, as it will kill house dust mites but won’t remove the allergen.

In the bedroom
Steps to reduce exposure should focus mainly on your bedroom, as the greatest exposure to house dust mites is from your bed. Here are some useful tips to reduce your exposure to mites in the bedroom:

• Open the curtains and air your bedding in the sun.
• Cover your mattress, quilt and pillows with miteresistant cases and remove untreated underlays.
• Wash sheets and pillow cases weekly in water hotter than 55°C.
• Remove soft toys from the bedroom, or wash them weekly in water hotter than 55°C – note: freezing soft toys overnight kills the mites but doesn’t remove the allergen.