Although invisible to the naked eye, dust mites are small, microscopic arachnids that proliferate in our interiors. They are truly everywhere as they inhabit our beds, fabrics, and floors, mixing with dust and feeding on our dead skin. Unfortunately, they are responsible for many allergies and should therefore be avoided as much as possible. You can book handyman services or follow the below-mentioned tips for getting rid of the dust mites in your home.
Why Should You Get Rid of Dust Mites at Home?
They may be invisible, but dust mites are responsible for nearly 45% of respiratory allergies, and they can also cause skin and eye allergies, including conjunctivitis. To be more precise, you should know that these small arachnids are not themselves the cause of our allergies; in fact, our body reacts to contact with their droppings and their decomposing bodies.
Unfortunately, dust mites are everywhere and so small that they are invisible to the naked eye with their 0.10 to 0.70 mm and getting rid of them by traditional means is not an effective solution. Rugs, carpets, mattresses, curtains, sofas, cushions, sheets, upholstery, soft toys, toys, books, etc., colonize our interior with a preference for hot and humid places as well as for dusty spaces.
Dust mites are very common in our beds because they are attracted to our bodies’ heat and the little dead skin that we shed and on which they feed. If they only live six weeks, they reproduce very quickly and are problematic even when they are dead—knowing that a grain of dust can contain 10,000 and a mattress can hold up to 2 million, which means that there are many around us!
How to Get Rid of Dust Mites? Our Solutions
Tip # 1: Avoid Humidity and Heat
Dust mites like to nest in hot, humid places, so to avoid attracting them, ventilate your home for 10 to 20 minutes each day. This will naturally renew the air and remove moisture. If this persists, equip yourself with a dehumidifier and consider insulation work. Do not leave damp objects such as the clothes dryer, an aquarium, or plants in a room to limit water sources. In addition, limit the temperature of your rooms to a maximum of 19 to 21 ° C.
Also, you can book handyman services in Lahore for keeping your family safe from the health hazards posed by dust mites.
Tip # 2: Avoid Rugs and Carpets
True, they are warm and soft under our bare feet, but it is recommended to avoid rugs and carpets, especially in bedrooms, as they are perfect nests for dust mites. I prefer parquet or linoleum, easier to clean.
Tip # 3: Preserve Your Bedding
The bed is a perfect nest for the mites because they are warm there, and they can feed at will on our small flakes. Avoid buying “dust mite” bedding accessories because they are stuffed with chemicals that you breathe in while you sleep and are not effective. I prefer to invest in a slatted base and not in fabric or springs. Wash your duvets, pillows, blankets, and mattress protectors at 40 or 60 ° C to eliminate a good part of the dust mites every quarter. As for your sheets, change them at least every two weeks.
Clean and fresh bedding may give you the illusion of a clean mattress, but that is not the case. Even if you change your bedding regularly, your mattress can contain the highest amount of pollutants like dirt and dust mites
You can also invest in purchasing a medical cover to wrap your mattress, to be washed 3 to 4 times a year. In all cases, we opt for synthetic for all the bedding, and we avoid feathers and wool. However, if you are looking for a hassle-free home maintenance solution, book handyman near me.
Tip # 4: Dust Off!
You have to arm yourself with your feather duster to eliminate mites. Why? Because they are present in your dust, which is itself composed largely of your dead skin. So be careful and dust off your pieces every week, thinking of each shelf and trinket. For more efficiency, avoid conventional rags which only scatter dust. Use a damp microfiber cloth on the supporting surfaces and a dry microfiber cloth on fragile furniture, such as wood. Then vacuum, making sure not to forget anything, including under your furniture!
Dust mites live mainly in mattresses, and they are the most common triggers of allergies, including eczema, asthma, and rhinitis. More often than not, these allergy attacks occur while sleeping, indicating the presence of mites and other contaminants. Thus, many doctors recommend regular mattress cleaning for their allergic patients.
Tip # 5: Keep Clothes and Lint in Closed Containers
The mite’s nest in the tissues. So be sure to keep your clothes stored in locked cupboards. If you run out of space and put your clothes out of season, store them in airtight bags
Do the same with your children’s soft toys and fabric toys. Dust mites love to stay there. Keep those that do not play within airtight bags and only leave some out that you will make sure to wash at least every three months in the washing machine to eliminate the parasites.
Tip # 6: Wash Your Upholstery
Curtains, rugs, cushions, throws… all upholstery fabrics must be washed at least once a quarter to eliminate as many mites as possible. Ideally, avoid double curtains and thick, heavy fabrics, and prefer curtains for your windows and materials that are lighter and easier to wash.
The average adult needs around 8 hours of sleep a day, which equals 1/3 of your lifetime and provides good reasons to keep your mattress cleaned at all times. Why so? When you go to your bed at night, it stirs up dust particles from the mattress. Those dust particles can lead to health problems such as eye irritation, watery eyes, throat irritation, and fatigue.
Tip # 7: Choose Your Furniture Well
Choose closed furniture to avoid attracting dust mites. Avoid fan heaters which tend to stir up dust and therefore disperse dust mites in the room. If you have children, it is not recommended to install bunk beds because the one who sleeps in the lower part inhales mites in greater quantity.
Tip # 8: We Hunt Them with Essential Oils
Some essential oils are very effective in removing dust mites. These include anise, tea tree or “tea tree,” cedarwood, lemon, lemongrass, cloves, eucalyptus, fennel: Lavender, mint, oregano, thyme, and verbena.
Apply a few drops to your bedding and upholstery directly or using a spray bottle. You can also dilute a few drops in your laundry to remove them from your laundry. However, be careful and do not apply them to fabrics in contact with children under three years old, pregnant or breastfeeding women, pets, and people with allergies or asthma.
If you think, it is a big risk to handle the dust mites without professional help, book handyman services in Lahore online.
Tip # 9: Think About Baking Soda
Dust mites hate baking soda. Sprinkle it on your mattress, pillows, and other fabrics and brush a little to make it penetrate. Leave to act for at least two hours, then vacuum to remove the remaining powder. Your materials will be sanitized and clean.
Do the same with toys and soft toys that cannot be machine washed. It is very effective!
Mr Mahir has a skilled and experienced handyman who provide all-rounder solutions for making your life easy. If you are looking to get ceiling work, wall drilling for art hanging, curtain rod installation, drawer repairing, or wardrobe fixing done, we are just a call away.
