Dust Mites

6 ways to reduce house dust mites.
(Most common trigger of asthma)

House dust mites are the most common trigger of asthma. These are the mites that live in house dust. It is the feces of the dust mite that is the actual allergen that causes breathing problems. Dust mites produce feces about 20 times a day. Aside from being an allergen, the feces of the dust mite is light enough to float in the air, so it is easily inhaled by those of us who occupy homes and buildings. Then, when you consider there are about 40,000 dust mites per speck of dust, you can imagine (even if you'd rather not) just how many of these dust mite feces enter your respiratory tract.

Your indoor environment is especially vulnerable to dust mites if you live in a humid area, or if your home is subject to humid conditions for whatever other reason. Humid environments create the ideal habitation for dust mites, primarily since they result in a greater food supply for dust mites. Staples of a dust mites diet include plant materials, molds, and fungi. All of which thrive in humid conditions.

Based on the facts mentioned above, you can see why it is so critical to take action for the specific purpose of minimizing dust mites in your home, particularly if someone in your home suffers from asthma. In which case, we have compiled a list of 6 ways you can reduce the dust mites that reside in your home.

6 ways to reduce house dust mites:

1. Encasings.
Bedding is the favorite home of the dust mite. This being the case, you should encase your bedding and pillows with impermeable rubber or vinyl plastic wrappings.

2. Washing
You should wash clothes and bedding regularly. Washing in 60^oF water is effective, but 130^oF water will kill all dust mites. Washing in cold water kills about 90% of dust mites.

3. Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning kills all dust mites.

4. Heating
Any type of heating will help minimize dust mites. Some examples include steam-cleaning carpets, tumble-drying (drying machine), direct sunlight exposure, and electric blankets.

5. Air Conditioning
Air conditioning will dry out your indoor environment, which will reduce the food supply for dust mites, resulting in reduced dust mite populations.

6. Air Purifier
Despite your best efforts to remove dust mites from your home or other indoor environment, dust mites are simply too numerous and reproduce too frequently to keep their numbers lowered without the aid of an air purifier. Keep in mind though, an air filter (e.g. HEPA) will not make much of a difference. First of all, most dust mites are too small to be captured by even the best of filters. In addition, most dust mites will not even pass through the filter's screen anyway. Despite manufacturer's claims that their units complete so many air exchanges per hour, or filter so many square feet per hour, these are mostly based on theoretical calculations. The reality is that most pollutants in a given room or home will not pass through a small, stationary filter.

My wife likes it (IPS air purifier) because she doesn't have to do as much dusting. - D. Cornett, Tennessee Not only does the house always smell clean and fresh we find that there is considerably less dust than before. - M. Demcho, Ohio

You are better off with a negative ion and ozone generator. Negative ions and ozone are much more effective at purifying air than a filter, due to the fact that they can remove pollatants from the air that are as much as 300 times smaller than the smallest particle a filter can remove. Plus, they can be emitted throughout your home, so they are more thorough in the area they cover. Negative ions and ozone are also capable of penetrating walls, furnishings, bedding, etc. to destroy dust mites and their feces.

For more information about air purifiers, see the Air Purifier Buying Guide.

Also see IPS Air Purifiers, which produce a higher density of negative ions than most home ozone/negative ion air cleaners, making them particularly effective against dust and dust mites.