Upholstered furniture including sofas, love seats, recliners and dining room chairs provide a cozy haven for dust mites. To reduce dust build-up, thoroughly vacuum fabric-covered furniture and wash removable upholstery covers in hot water, letting them air dry.
Use a standard bag vacuum, not a bagless sweeper, and vacuum the entire couch, including under the cushions. Use your vacuum attachments to get into the nooks and crannies of your sofa to ensure that as few mites as possible escape your sweep. After you finish, remove the bag and dispose of it.
Dust mites thrive in warm, moist places like carpets, bedding, and sofa upholstery. They absorb needed moisture from humidity in the air, and they feed on dead skin cells. Dust mites can trigger attacks in those who already have asthma, and who are sensitive to their waste.
Steam cleaning or washing items in hot water is a sure-fire way to kill and eliminate mites of all types. Use a steam cleaner to heat treat your carpeting, furniture and bedding.
Sofa dermatitis refers to a persistent skin allergy that occurs in people who have bought leather sofas, couches, and other upholstered furniture pieces containing dimethyl fumarate (DMF), an anti-molding agent. This manifests as eczematous rashes and in some cases, serious chemical burns.
Dust mites can be difficult to detect due to their small size. These microscopic arthropods are estimated to be only 1/4 to 1/3 millimeters long. You can only see them under a microscope, and even then, they only look like small white spider-like creatures.
Check the cushions, the area underneath, and the frame for bed bugs. Other signs include dead bed bugs in the couch, old shells, and feces. You can also use traps to find bed bugs in your couch. If you don't check for bed bugs in your couch, and take active steps to kill them, the infestation will spread further.
Permethrin kills the scabies mite and eggs. Permethrin is the drug of choice for the treatment of scabies. Two (or more) applications, each about a week apart, may be necessary to eliminate all mites. Children aged 2 months or older can be treated with permethrin.
Scabies mites do not survive more than 2-3 days away from human skin.
Fleas in My Couch
If you have fleas on your couch, you'll see small insects jumping around your couch. Fleas can also bite humans, resulting in small, itchy bites. Female fleas can lay up to 50 eggs a day, and when they hatch, the larvae will hide in couch cushions.
Dust Mites. This is another insect that homeowners can sometimes find both in and on their couch. The big problem with dust mites is that they're microscopic, so you have no chance at seeing them. Dust mites are commonly found in your air and on many surfaces around your home.
Besides bedbugs, numerous insects bite at night. These night biters can be mites, fleas, mosquitoes, lice, spiders, and ticks. Most of these insect bite marks look alike; hence, you should first look for bedbugs and investigate further.
Some insect invaders will crawl along easy-to-spot surfaces like kitchen counters; whereas other “sofa bugs” tend to inhabit areas where you spend your free time, including chairs, couches, and mattresses. These pesky invaders include Varied Carpet Beetles, Bed Bugs, Fleas, and House Dust Mites.
Dust mites, particularly, can burrow into and cling to fabrics like carpets, furniture and even clothing. Vacuuming and washing fabrics should take care of the problem, but to get rid of mites completely you must do it regularly. Note that you should also dust as often as you vacuum!
Dry vacuuming doesn't pick up dust mites. Consider steam cleaning carpets when possible. In addition to cleaning the carpet, the heat of the steam kills dust mites. You can buy chemicals (ascaricides) that kill dust mites and that you can use on carpeting and furniture.
While some mites—like the mostly harmless dust mite—are all but impossible to completely eliminate from your home, troublesome biting mites are comparatively easier to treat. Rat mites and bird mites, for example, can often be eradicated simply by removing any small rodents, birds and bird nests from your home.
Wash bedding in hot water (at least 120 degrees F) once a week. Reduce clutter, stuffed animals, and other places where dust mites live. If that's not possible, wash stuffed animals weekly in hot water (at least 130 degrees) to kill and wash away dust mites.
Most types of mite bites clear up on their own, so you usually won't need medical attention. Over-the-counter pain medications and anti-itch creams can help relieve itching and pain. If you keep getting bites you can't identify, you may want to see a healthcare provider.
Mite bites.
Intense itching and many small, red bumps, like pimples, are seen. Burrows may also be seen. These look like thin, wavy lines.
Killing dust mites in your curtains, clothes, and bedding
All you'll need is a washing machine, dryer, food-grade hydrogen peroxide 3%, and laundry detergent. The heat from the hot water and the antimicrobial properties of the hydrogen peroxide 3% are sure to kick those mangy mites to the curb.
Treatment can get rid of the mites, eliminate symptoms such as itch, and treat an infection that has developed. For the first few days to a week, the rash and itch can worsen during treatment. Within four weeks, your skin should heal. If your skin has not healed within 4 weeks, you may still have mites.
Do not throw away your furniture. Beds and other furniture can be treated for bed bugs. Throwing away your furniture can spread the bugs and you have to buy new furniture. Do not store things under the bed.