Check out these tips.
Calling all allergy sufferers! Researchers in the U.K. have found that leaving your bed unmade during the day reduces the number of dust mites, because the mites need the moisture from the bedding to survive. Therefore - letting the bedding dry/air out will kill many of them! Who knew?
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4181629.stm
By pam munro from L.A., CA
Love it because now I feel as if my 'making the bed is only for when company comes over' has been well worth it! Thumbs up from me ;-)
When I change the sheets on my bed, I place a clothes softener sheet on each corner of the clean mattress pad. Then I put the fitted sheet over that, followed by the top sheet. Dust mites hate the smell, so they stay away!
By gridly1 born and raised in Evanston, IL
Control of dust mites can be difficult, time-consuming and expensive. For people who are extremely sensitive, the following measures should be taken:
Installing HEPA filters on air conditioner or heater vents is not practical or necessary, and may actually increase mite problems. Remember, dust mites cannot survive on the dust in the ducts, and the small holes of the filters will force air out of vents at a higher velocity, stirring up more dust than without filters.
Complete elimination of dust mites is unlikely. Reducing populations is the only likely way to reduce allergens in the air. Reducing humidity in the home by using a dehumidifier may help reduce populations, but reducing humidity levels in microclimates, such as in bed fibers or carpet fibers, is impossible. Chemical control is not necessary, nor will it have a lasting effect on dust mite populations. Regular cleaning and vacuuming will have a greater impact.
For those of you who are really paranoid and "bugged" about mites on furniture, beds, pillows, rugs, etc., purchase one of those inexpensive portable steamers that use just water and steam those areas. It kills mites deep down. Also, for those of you battling fleas, steam, let dry and vacuum to help with the eggs/larva, even in your pet's sleeping areas. I use it on my cats kitty towers. I love my steam machine! Good for cleaning and sanitizing almost anything!
By Mary Beth, Saginaw MI
To prevent dust mites, I've had great success with putting 1 cup white vinegar with several drops of tea tree essential oil in the rinse cycle. Wash on hot and dry on hot....
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do get rid of dust mites infestation, I've tried bleach, Lysol, vacuuming, Raid. I've been cleaning for the past week washing my walls mopping the floors, wash my clothes throw everything out I'm down to a couple of bags of clothes and bedding but my house hasn't changed
Source: Are There White Fleas?
It is impractical to think you can 100% rid your home of dust mites. There are ways to eliminate some, but the normal house has millions or more dust mites. Removing carpeting and throw rugs from floors, and daily vacuuming floors and upholstered furniture, using a good vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter will help. Remember to empty or replace the vacuum bag outdoors each time, so dust mites can't escape inside your home. Do a daily dusting of wood furniture too. Also, you can enclose mattress and box springs, as well as pillows, in special protective bags or cases.
I'm unsure what you mean when you say your house hasn't changed after all you've tried. Dust mites are so small, you can't see them except under magnification. Good luck, and I hope this has given you some ideas to try.
First, make life harder for dust mites: set the temperature inside your house to no higher than 70°F (21°C) and reduce the humidity to less than 50% by using vents and by frequently opening windows or by helping conditioning units and dehumidifiers. It will push them out and slow down their reproduction. Remember that dust mites love living in an environment where the relative humidity is around 70% to 80% and the temperature is between 75°F and 80°F (24°C and 27°C).
You have to clean and remove dust regularly. Use a vacuum with a sealed HEPA filter, use steam cleaner on your couch, bed and carpeting and other hard-to-reach places. After steaming, use again a vacuum to collect their droppings and dead bodies.
Use wash setting between 130° and 140°F (54° to 60°C) for washable fabrics, use heat setting in the dryer. Do this every week, especially for bedding. Dust mites do not tolerate high temperatures.
Items that can't be washed, such as stuffed animals, silk, or lace, put them in a plastic bag and then in the freezer for 24 hours. This will kill every single dust mite. Don't forget then to go outside and shake their droppings out.
Use diatomaceous earth. This is a natural fine powder made from silica rock and it's perfectly safe for both humans and pets. It killing dust mites instantly, when they crawl through it. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth anywhere you think dust mites might reside and then vacuum it up with a vacuum that doesn't have a filter because the powder can clog the filter.
Use tea tree oil. This is a natural antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal oil. Mix 2 cups of distilled water with 2 tbsp. of tea tree oil and 2 tbsp. of eucalyptus oil, pour it into a dark spray bottle and spray every day on your bed, pillows and furniture. It will keep dust mites away.
Use hypoallergenic mattress and pillow and/or a protective cover, or anti-allergen covers and protector, impermeable material. Tightly woven fabric makes it nearly impossible for mites to penetrate through.
Keep pets out of the bedroom since dust mites love pet dander. Bathe and groom your pets regularly.
Regularly clean your vents.
Don't overwater plants.
First - you will never be able to eliminate dust mites from your home as you, your pets, people will bring them in daily.
You can control them some but please do not think about using chemicals as this will just complicate your problem more.
Are you allergic to dust mites? If you do not know then you should probably see your doctor so they can order tests to find out. This will give you a base to start with.
If the tests show you are allergic to mites, your doctor will most likely provide you with instructions for how to cut down on an infestation.
www.mayoclinic.org/
In most cases, vacuuming twice weekly (maybe more if you have carpets) will be sufficient but you will have to use only HEPA filters and hopefully you can have several HEPA air filter/purifiers if you continue to have problems.
www.webmd.com/
Other members have provided numerous suggestions for ways to keep dust mites to a minimum so hopefully you will be able to complete some of these so you can have a little peace of mind.
www.conserve-energy-future.com/
I'd like to know if anyone knows how to make mattress and pillow covers at home that keep out dust mites. Every morning when I rise my eyes look and feel like I have the flu, in fact, this starts as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I am also allergic to dust mites and my allergist told me that the material "suffocates" the dust mites...the pillow cases I have seen have a plastic interior.
P.S. I was miserable like you are until I purchased a dehumidifier....Dust mites cannot live below a certain humidity. I saved up but it was worth it and now I do not buy all that allergy stuff and I feel fine.
How do you use alcohol spray for dust mites in your hair?
Alcohol is generally used to bring the mites to the surface so you can use something else to kill them.
Most likely you have them in your bed and pillows so be sure to tackle this problem at the same time you are cleaning your hair.
You can use Epsom Salt mixed with water to kill them but be careful as using too much of any product can really dry your hair and skin.
Mix Epsom Salt with water to make a past and apply it to your hair - leave on about 2 or 3 minutes and rinse out with clear water. You may have to do this several days while you are cleaning your bed and pillows.
You can vacuum your bed (both sides) with a hand held vacuum if it has strong suction.
Most pillows can be washed or throw them away and get new ones.
You will probably have to vacuum your upholstered furniture also and rugs as well. this is a very big job but if your house is infected it is the only way to eliminate them.
The more dust you have, the more mites you'll have but your mattress and pillows will contain dead skin and that is what mites love.
There are other measures you can take but you really need to do some research so you will not have to do the same cleaning over and over again.
My great grandmother got rid of a headlice infestation by dipping all her kids' hair in a vat of gasoline. Though I would not recommend that at all, from what I hear, it worked like a charm.
Face mites, or Demodex folliculorum, are apparently a fairly benign arachnid that lives on most people's faces. They are acquired shortly after birth, and live there without our even being aware of them. These are so interesting and ubiquitous that in fact studying the mites can help us track early human migration patterns: "Demodex have likely been living with us for a long, long time; as early humans walked out of Africa and found their way around the globe, they probably carried their mites with them. So we want to know if Demodex DNA can provide a reflection of our own evolutionary history by allowing us to retrace those ancient paths of human migration."
The thing is, these mites only rarely become a big infestation problem, unless your immune system is somehow compromised which makes them overbreed or something. At that point you do have to seek help, either form a dermatologist, or products.
I could not discover if dust mites are different from the average face mites, but when i google 'dust mites' I get the folliculorum, which indicates to me that these are just those benign mites we live with.
In any event, if and when the mites become a problem, washing with tea tree shampoo can help eradicate the problem, as well as some products listed below. As well wash all your bedding with hot water and dry with 'high' setting on the dryer. Throw out all your makeup, and even your old pillows. Maybe boosting your immune system in some way, through a change of diet, could help. As well consume lots of raw garlic.
SoUrces:
www.healio.com/
www.livescience.com/
www.livescience.com/
Here are a few products: www.natlallergy.com/
allergystore.com/
I read where someone was spraying alcohol to get rid of bed mites? Do they spray the bed? floor? I change and wash all bedding (sheets and pillow cases) once a week, and never heard of the alcohol treatment. Please advise.
By jeanne from Warner Robins, GA
If you mean dust mites, they thrive because of the combination of the skin we naturally shed and moisture. They are not harmful unless you happen to be allergic to them. One thing that is really helpful is to 'not' make your bed immediately upon getting up and let the moisture dissipate for a few minutes first. Shake the top sheet slightly and then wipe the bottom sheet with your hands like you're doing a quick dusting before making the bed is helpful too. I honestly don't know about using isoproyl alcohol because have never heard of using it but if using for bed mites just use it on the bed but let it dry thoroughly before placing the sheets, etc back over it.
If you're talking about bed bugs that definitely is another story. And you definitely would know if they are bed bugs because they bite, bite, bite! Those critters get absolutely everywhere and are so difficult to get rid of that even some professional exterminators won't take on the job because they can't guarantee they can get rid of them. There is a worldwide epidemic with those bugs right now and even in places you wouldn't expect them like libraries. If they are bed bugs call oodles of exterminators for ideas of what to do and lots of research via Google searches.
I went to the vet and had the cats' skin scraped and the diagnosis is Sarcoptic mites. I adopted a little dog about a month ago and it seems her former owners had a bout of mange and she was not treated, so not knowing it she must be the culprit who brought them in.
I had no idea she was infested she had no hair loss but sleeps with the cats and they look awful. Anyway, she and several of my cats sleep on the bed and pillows and with me at night at various times. I was at the vet on Thursday and dosed everyone with Revolution. Then I went to the pharmacy and got over the counter sulfur creme and perythrin shampoo for lice. I could not go to the doctor, as I have no health insurance. I have started itching and see tiny red dots on my skin so obviously I have also gotten the "bugs".
Several posts I have read have said that you cannot get mange from your animals, but my vet says different and apparently he is right. I also read that the mites on the dogs and cats will not survive very long on humans, but it is now the second day and I am seeing more bites, like a rash and they itch like hell. I have washed all the toys, clothes, bed linens, pet beds, etc. with borax and sprayed bug spray on everything. Tonight I will try the borax in the bed.
My dogs are still scratching. I must have had them for at least a month and thought it was fleas until I treated everyone for fleas and they were still scratching and losing their hair and I couldn't find a flea anywhere. I also read that Nature's Miracle was a remedy and bought a gallon of it, even sprayed it on myself. My question is: How long are these critters going to remain on me and how do I get them off of me?
I also have a baby granddaughter that I don't dare touch or hold until this is cleared up. Can my daughter or the baby get the mites if they are just near me or do they have to come into contact with my skin? Help.
By Cindi from South FL
You poor thing. I feel very bad for you. Mites hate eucalyptus. It would be great if you could purchase some eucalyptus essential oil at a health food or vitamin store that sells essential oils. And purchase some jojoba or almond or olive oil to go with it.
For yourself, in one ounce of olive oil (or the jojoba/almond oil) place 1 tsp. of eucalyptus essential oil.
Rub this on the itchy affected skin. Add a lot of eucalyptus essential oil drops to a bunch of baking soda. Use this for sprinkling on carpet and furniture and let it sit for 10-30 minutes and vacuum. Add eucalyptus essential oil drops to the laundry wash and rinse cycles when you do the wash.
Add eucalyptus essential oil drops to cotton ball and place throughout your home (out of pets reach). Add eucalyptus essential oil drops to your light bulbs when you turn on the lights. Add eucalyptus essential oil drops to your pets collars. Boil some water on the stove with eucalyptus essential oil drops added.
Brewers Yeast Flakes for your pets. Any pests don't like brewers yeast flakes. Add 1 tsp. to your pets food daily until the mites are cleared up. I truly hope this helps.
Can you put pillows in the microwave to kill Dust Mites? Down? How long would I leave it in and at what heat?
By Shirley Townsend from Columbia, SC
Put them in the freezer for 24 hours. I saw this on a cleaning show on TV.
Can anybody help? Dust mites bother me all the time. I've tried sprays and I keep my home dust free. What else can I do?
By Jackie
My house gets cleaned everyday, I use organic everything however I cant have dust mites around me so I had to invest in Hunter Air machines which have a filter and a pre filter. I know its money but in my case well worth it (I was able to pay mine off in 4 flex pays on HSN) Once you see how much "yuck" is in the air it amazing. I have black furniture which shows everything, the dust was almost totally unable to be seen by the eye.The air is so clean, I clean everyday no pets I cant imagine what that filer would look like when that isn't the case. Even on a fixed income I would never be without mine was worth the sacrifice I made. I have heard you can find some at yard sales,you may check Craig s List also.In my case I'm very happy I purchased brand new ones, since you can buy the filters if you find used one make sure the filters are available, then you will see a big difference immediately. You can call the company, or check where I purchased mine;only reason I like the "new" in this case, I wanted the way I could return them if it didn't work like I had heard.Since then I do have a used on I got for 7 dollars,use Hunter pre filters on that one that I make myself(from the scrapes of the other ones) they can be washed out and reused a couple of times also. The main filter they have one that can be vacuumed (say it goes back to 95%) original working condition, mine I have to change every 3-6 months.If you get the one which can be cleaned its only one time price and well worth it.
Sorry if this isn't what you had in mind. I tried everything, dust in am and by noon back;when I heard dust mites are alive, use the bathroom like flies, any other animal I couldn't stand it. I have lupus also and dust isn't good for your immunity system.
What kills mites on the human body and clothing?
By cindy44 from Oroville, CA
Try bathing in a solution of bleach and hot water. As for your clothing try fabric safe bleach washed in hot water.
This may sound weird but my husband gets mites on him all the time and this is what he does. It is harmless to the skin if used in minute amounts and yet effective.
Also you might try skin so soft from avon to deter the mites.
Good luck.
Gem
I just wanted to know what they are and if that's what I see floating around in the air inside and outside. My lampshades have a crusty dust. I normally live in Alaska. So just trying to figure it out.
Thanks.
There are all kinds of mites. You could have dust or bird mites. An exterminator would be a big help identifying it
You could also be seeing mold spores. If the bug people don't pan out, contact a mold expert in your town and have them check it out.
Blessings and prayers!
I suspect that what you see in the air is just dust. I think dust mites are invisible to the naked eye, and I don't believe they bite or anything. They live in sheets and bedding, and are pretty harmless.
Mysterious bites can sometimes be scabies. Most doctors don't have any trouble diagnosing this, but if you aren't a kid coming home from camp, they tend not to think of it for older women. I had scabies for months, had allergy tests and all sorts of things, but the skin specialist diagnosed it in a second.
My house is full of these mites, but I dont know what they are. They are not scabbie mites or dog mites. They are driving me mad.
By annette from Scotland, UK
Annette, what do they look like, So they fly In the Air??? Do they land on your skin??? What color and shape are they........I have Big peoplencomming today so If we're about the same on size and shape Hopefully I can help you out Kim....
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
How do I get rid of dust mites?
Shorty from Columbia, MO
Obviously you cannot put a mattress in a freezer, but you can put everything else in there, enclosed in a plastic bag (baggie). Leave in there for at least 48 hours and you will have frozen to death all of the parasites/dust mites. And best of all no chemicals. Works every time. (05/23/2006)
By Ang
Washing things in "hot" water gets rid of dust mites. Also, consider an air filter. If you have carpets in your home, the only way to get rid of them is to get rid of the carpet. Good luck. (05/23/2006)
By Patsy
My husband is allergic to dust mites, and for large things (like the couch and mattress), vacuuming seems to do the trick. We have a Dyson, which is supposed to have great suction. I don't know if that has a huge impact, but it might. (05/23/2006)
By Marisa
You can't get rid of dust mites. The most important place to protect yourself from them is your bed because you spend most of your time there. Buy hypoallergenic protectors for your mattress and all of your pillows. Once a week you must wash your bedding, everything, including the mattress pad, blankets, pillow covers, and cases in the hottest water possible. The hot water kills dust mites. No amount of vacuuming will kill them. But regular washing with detergent and very hot water will kill them until you need to do it the next week. Also, if you have carpeting in your home, especially in your bedroom, have it removed. (05/24/2006)
By Carol in PA
