No matter how clean your house is, dust mites are living there and they are likely making your family sick. If you or someone in your family wakes up with some congestion, a runny nose, watery eyes, itching, or sneezing, you can thank dust mites.
Even though they are smaller than a grain of sand and invisible to the naked eye, they are truly creepy little things that feed off dead the skin scales humans shed.
Keep reading because I’m going to explain why these mites are so bad for your family’s health, and how you can get rid of them using things you already have in your home.
Dust Mite Facts
Dust mites have eight legs that, to my mind, look like some sort of alien claw. They are not an insect, but rather a cousin to the spider.
Grossed out yet? Just wait. There’s more.
Multiply one of those microscopic, horrifying creatures by 10 million and depending upon the age of your mattress, that’s what you’re sleeping with every night.
That’s right. Up to TEN MILLION dust mites are potentially snuggling up with you in your bed.
They only live 80 days, but they lay eggs, with each female laying up to 30 new mites a week.
No matter how clean your home is, you have dust mites.
Dust Mites Can Make You Sick
Prepare to be grossed out.
They also poop in your bed and then their feces become airborne. That’s what causes allergic reactions in humans.
Itchy eyes, sneezing, wheezing, coughing are common when someone is sleeping with dust mites.
Even worse? They can trigger asthma attacks.
If someone in your house wakes up every day with some of these symptoms, you’ve got a problem that needs to be resolved.
How to Get Rid of Dust Mites
Thankfully, you don’t have to call an exterminator to rid your bed of the majority of these little monsters.
First, wash all your bedding in hot water and dry on medium to high heat.
Next, put your pillows in plastic bags and place them in a freezer for 48 hours. Even better? Buy new pillows.
You know how your pillows are heavier now than when you bought them? That’s because of the number of mites living in them!
Same goes with your mattress. In ten years the weight of your mattress will double due to dust mites!
Finally, mix a cup of baking soda with a few drops of a nice essential oil you find relaxing.
Sprinkle the baking soda all over your mattress, wait 15 minutes and vacuum. (Make sure your vacuum has a HEPA filter or you’re probably just spraying dust mites all over the room.)
How to Prevent Dust Mites
Repeat the baking soda mix and vacuuming process once a month.
Purchase bedding, pillow covers, and a mattress cover made of an allergen-barrier fabric.
Keep your floor swept and/or vacuumed.
Have a family member with asthma?
It would be great if you’d share your tips or experiences on how you manage all sorts of allergens. Do you think dust mites might be the cause of some of their asthma attacks?
Share your input in the comments and please share with anyone who has a family member with asthma. They’ll thank you for it.
Leave a Review!
We LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or comment here.
Your email address will not be published.