How to Treat Dust Mite Allergies
Keeping your home environment clean and free of excess dust—on surfaces, in fabrics and carpeting, and in the air—is the long-term answer to winning the battle against allergens from dust mites and other sources. Fortunately, there are many new ways to get the job done—proven techniques, along with products designed specifically for allergen elimination.
Bedding covers or encasements
It’s important to wash bed linens frequently to keep dust mites and allergens low, but for those things you can’t wash, there are covers (or encasements). These trap dust mites and keep them and their waste materials away from you by completely encasing your pillows, mattresses, box springs, and duvets.
These encasements are manufactured using variety of materials, but their key feature is their small “pore size”—the largest opening a particle can fit through. Unlike standard sheets, encasements have pore sizes down to 5 microns and less—far smaller than the dust mites and particulates you need to block.
Air Purifiers
Air purifiers using advanced HEPA filters can remove dust and allergens from the air—including particulates down to 0.3 microns in size. Those with multi-stage filtration systems can also remove bacteria, viruses, and volatile gases.
Large systems can operate as free standing units, or can attach to your central furnace to clean the air in your entire home or office. Smaller units can be moved from room to room, and other portable units can even be used in your vehicle.
Vacuums—with HEPA/ULPA or S-Class filtration
Vacuuming your home or office more often—especially where people or pets spend a lot of time, and end up shedding more skin or dander—is an important way to keep on top of dust mite populations and those organic particles they feed on.
Vacuuming itself does tend to kick up dust, but that problem can be minimized by using a vacuum specifically designed for allergen reduction using HEPA/ULPA or S-Class filtration. Most vacuums permit large particulates—up to 50 microns—to be blown back into the air in the vacuum’s exhaust. Vacuums with ultra-fine filtration (HEPA/ULPA or S-Class filtration), however, trap up to 99.97% of all particles down to 0.3 microns.
Air conditioning and heating systems—filters and humidity reduction
Dust mites prefer a humid environment, as they absorb water from the air. Air conditioning typically removes humidity, so it’s an effective way to lower dust mite populations. Keeping indoor temperatures below 70 degrees can also help.
And, both hot air furnaces and air conditioning systems provide opportunities to filter the air coming into (and circulating within) your home or office. Numerous types of filters are available for both systems, and will lower overall allergen and particulate levels in the environment even further.
Special Techniques
Some common (and not so common) methods to battle dust mites and the allergens they create:
- Seems obvious, but wash and change linens more frequently and use hot water
- Give them the cold treatment—
- Give them the hot treatment—
- Sinus Relief Products—
