The very words "dust mites" conjures up fear these days. Many of us are aware that their presence is associated with reduced respiratory health and can trigger asthma and other respiratory or allergic related attacks. In some countries, such as New Zealand, 70-80% of asthma is linked to dust mite allergies. Reducing the population in your home is an important task to help protect your family's health.


Steps

1. Understand the dust mite's behaviour. Dust mites need you. They eat your dead skin flakes or scales and other dead pests. They love humid environments, so using a humidifier in your home will create a more attractive environment for them. It is the feces produced by dust mites and dead dust mites that causes the allergic reaction; particles so small that they float into the air very easily and are breathed in without our knowing.
2. Change the bed regularly. Most of your dead skin build-up occurs in your bed because that is the one place where you spend the most time.
3. Add a bedding allergen barrier. There are commercial products available that can help you to reduce the ability of allergens to float from the bedding into the air. Ask at specialist Asthma societies or bedding stores for precise information on what to purchase.
4. Wash bedding at a minimum of 55ºC/131ºF or higher. The high water temperature will kill the dust mites. It is not possible to rely on detergent alone. Although this is not essential, it is preferable. If you prefer cold washes, dry in direct sunlight and wash bedding frequently.
5. Vacuum couches, mattresses and armchairs. These are places on which people spend a lot of time. Clean them regularly. Try not to sleep on your couch; it increases the problem.
6. Steam clean. Make steam cleaning of carpet a regular occurrence. Dust mites cannot survive a steam cleaning.
7. Keep the house pest free. Since dust mites feed off dead pests, it makes sense to ensure that these are not lying around your house either. Keep the cockroach, moth, silverfish, ant, flea etc. populations under control.
8. Toss the stuffed toys. Reduce your child's stuffed toy population to just one or two in order to remove homes for the dust mite population. Either keep them out of the bedroom, or remove them completely. For those that you do keep, put them in the freezer for 24 hours to kill the dust mites residing on them. This should be repeated on a three weekly basis.
9. Change the flooring. Carpet is a big culprit in creating a perfect haven for dust mite populations. If your family is suffering from dust mite allergies or asthma, removing wall-to-wall carpeting should be a number one priority, especially in the bedroom zone. Replace it with such alternatives as:
   
   
   • Anti-allergenic carpet
   • Wooden floor with rug (the rug will need to be cleaned regularly) - look for sisal etc. mats that can be cleaned by washing and/or beating outdoors and can handle being hung out in direct sunlight
   • Tile or terrazzo flooring
10. Use tannic acid. Tannic acid is a natural way to neutralise the allergens from dust mites. You can purchase tannic acid powder from health food stores and other specialist providers. Sprinkle it liberally over mattresses, couches, pet beds etc. to help reduce the allergen impacts.
11. Damp dust. Feather dusters will simply move the allergens into the air and you will breathe them in as you dust and relocate them. Damp dusting will pick up everything and you can wash it out.
12. Vacuum regularly. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean floors and mattresses regularly. Micro-filters are important because they help in ensuring that the dust is not simply recirculated in the air. Keep your vacuum serviced to maintain its condition. It is also recommended that you leave the house for half an hour after vacuuming to allow the dust to settle.[11]
13. Ventilate. Open windows to let in fresh air and to reduce humidity. Do this as often as you can.[12]

Tips

• Reduce all excess items in a bedroom - books, clothing baskets, toys, piles of clothing, etc. - anything that makes it hard to clean, difficult to dust and provides a home for dust mites. Try making a mimimalist bedroom.
• Direct sunlight kills dust mites. Make use of it and hang out bedding, clothing etc. to air and soak it up. In particular, air blankets and other heavy bedding objects and rugs as often as possible. And don't forget the curtains! Any soft furnishing item is a possible target for dust mite homes.
• If this all seems too hard, maybe you can join the legion of those who feel that overcleaning our homes may be partially to blame for our allergens and that some of our cleaning methods encourage the growth of dust mites. See, for example, Dr Spiesel, Getting Rid of Dustmites - Worthwhile?.