Dust regularly to reduce the amount of dust and improve overall indoor air quality in your home. Damp clean floors often, focusing on catching dirt and dust without wet mopping. If you must keep the carpet, use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter weekly. Carpeting should be replaced by hard-surfaced flooring, especially if occupants are allergic to dust mites. If that’s not possible, wash stuffed animals weekly in hot water (at least 120 degrees) to kill and wash away dust mites. Reduce clutter, stuffed animals, and other places where dust mites live. Wash bedding in hot water (at least 120 degrees F) once a week. Cover mattresses and pillows with allergen encasements. Remove upholstered furniture or use furniture with smooth surfaces. Reduce the places where dust mites can live.In humid areas, air conditioning and dehumidifiers can help to draw moisture out of the air. Keep your home below 50 percent humidity. You can take action to reduce dust mites in your home. People with asthma who are sensitive to dust mites face an increased risk of asthma attacks. In severe cases, the condition is ongoing, resulting in persistent sneezing, cough, congestion, facial pressure or even a severe asthma attack. A mild case may cause an occasional runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing. These allergens can trigger mild to severe allergic symptoms and can be responsible for asthma attacks. Ongoing exposure to dust mites at home can impact the health of people with asthma and those who are allergic or sensitive to mites. How Dust Mite Allergens Affect Healthĭust mites are one of the major indoor triggers for people with asthma. Most exposure to dust mite allergens occurs while sleeping. These allergens cling to bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpets and curtains, which also serve as nests. Instead, the allergen settles quickly into dust or fabrics. Unlike pet allergens, dust mite allergens do not usually stay in the air. In areas with low humidity, like deserts, dust mites cannot survive. This is because dust mites do not drink water like we do they absorb moisture from the air. Humidity is the most important factor in determining whether a house has high levels of dust mites. ![]() Dust mites can live in the bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpets or curtains. Dust Mite Sourcesĭust mites occur naturally and can appear in nearly all homes roughly four our of five homes in the United States have dust mite allergens in at least one bed. Any swelling (also called inflammation) of the nasal passages caused by dust mites is considered a dust allergy. Instead, people who are allergic to dust or dust mites are reacting to inhaling proteins in dust that comes from dust mite feces, urine or decaying bodies. They are not parasites that bite, sting or burrow into our bodies. Dust mites are very small, insect-like pests that feed on dead human skin cells and thrive in warm, humid settings.
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