No doubt you think you know all the inhabitants of your house well – family, friends, housemates, maybe a pet. But most UK homes have unseen unwelcome house guests. They are ugly creepy crawlies, they look like something out of a science fiction film, and they could be making their home in your bed right now. I’m talking of course about dust mites, the hidden menace in the home, which can’t be seen by the naked eye but manage to cause trouble wherever they go.
Aside from the slightly disturbing knowledge that they could be living in your carpets and bedding, dust mites are also one of the most common causes of asthma, eczema and a whole host of other recurrent allergies. Technically it’s not the mites themselves but their droppings that disagree with people, as they are coated in an enzyme that is highly allergenic to over 20% of the population. Their food is the 50 million dead skin cells every human sheds each day, and it can be a nightmare getting rid of them completely. It’s tough, but far from impossible. If you suspect mites could be living in your home, here are three tips that could help:
Keep it Clean – the most obvious way to stop dust mites is to get rid of the dust. They like to live in ‘dust bunnies’ and deep in the carpet pile so regular hoovering, daily if you have to, will help to restrict their food supply and suck them out of the carpet too. Leave windows open whenever the weather is good enough as they don’t like sunlight, not to mention a healthy breeze will literally blow them away as they are so small!
Keep it Fresh –You might not think air quality would have much effect on dust mites considering they live in the carpet and furnishings, but in fact the right air conditioner could make all the difference. Even if you hoover every day the dust particles still have time to settle and create new homes for mites. Installing an air purifier with a HEPA filter literally removes all particles larger than 0.0003mm from the air before the dust can settle, reducing the amount of easy meals for mites.
Keep it Dry – Dust mites like to live in homes where the relative humidity (RH) of the air is 50% or higher. Different people have different ideas of the recommended RH in a home and it varies depending on where you live, but the most common recommendation is somewhere around 45%. If humidity levels in your home are above 50% it’s worth taking steps to reduce it as this will not only stop the mites but can also improve the general health of people living in the house. Basic things like keeping windows open when cooking or showering can make a difference but if the problem persists then using a dehumidifier is a quick and easy way to remove moisture from the air, maintaining the optimum RH and killing dust mites dead!
