DeMite is the laundry additive solution for ridding your fabrics of dust mite waste and reducing allergy triggers in your home.
A general rule of thumb is that hot water—130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher—kills dust mites*.
Results: Washing clothing and bedding in water alone, detergent, or detergent plus bleach removed 60% to 83% of the live mites. Washing removed more mites from some items than from others.
Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap – usually the Peppermint, but any one of them will be effective. Heat also kills dust mites, so with the combo of heat and Castile Soap, there's really little chance for survival. Bedding should be washed frequently because new mites take up residence regularly.
Spray Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Oil
So, once you have cleaned your bedroom, add 2 tablespoons of organic tea tree oil and 2 tablespoons of organic eucalyptus oil into 2 cups of distilled water. Pour into a bottle and spray literally everywhere in your bed and bedroom. This will kill and repel any dust mites.
Dust mites are repulsed by the smell of Clove, Eucalyptus, Lavendar, Peppermint, and Rosemary. Make your own aromatic spray by adding a few drops of one (or more) of those essential oils in a water-filled spray bottle. Lightly mist your bed and allow it to air dry.
One of the best ways to get rid of dust mites is to wash all your bedding—including sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and duvet covers—on a hot cycle of at least 130 degrees. 1 If you are unable to wash your bedding in hot water, place them in the dryer for 15 minutes at 130 degrees.
Particularly with cold or warm-water washing, many mites die by drowning or are simply washed out of the substrate while still alive. In contrast, many newer washing machines are water-conserving front-loaders, in which the item is repeatedly wetted and spun, without it staying submerged in water.
If they aren't washed frequently, sheets and towels become a breeding ground for dust mites, mold and mildew.
If you have a dust mite problem in your home, bedding—sheets, blankets, and bed covers—should be washed at least weekly in hot water (130 to 140 F) to kill the mites.
Ongoing exposure to dust mites at home can impact the health of people with asthma and those who are allergic or sensitive to mites. These allergens can trigger mild to severe allergic symptoms and can be responsible for asthma attacks. A mild case may cause an occasional runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing.
Wash with hot water.
When you wash your bedding, it's best to use hot water, which kills off dust mites and helps get everything thoroughly clean.
Steam clean
Steam cleaning the clothes will not only freshen them but the process can also kill all dust mites and other insects that have made your clothes their home.
Allergen levels are at their highest between May and October, the peak breeding season of house dust mites. Most of the mites die during the winter, but the allergen-containing dust is stirred up by heating systems. This often causes the symptoms experienced by affected patients year-round to worsen during the winter.
The symptoms are typically worse at night and in the morning because dust mites tend to live in mattresses, pillows and bedding.
Dust mites
They prefer temperatures at or above 70 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity of 75 to 80 percent. They die when the humidity falls below 50 percent. They are not usually found in dry climates. Dust mite particles are often found in pillows, mattresses, carpeting and upholstered furniture.
The predators of dust mites are other allergenic mites (Cheyletiella), silverfish and pseudoscorpions.
Dust mites eat skin cells shed by people, and they thrive in warm, humid environments. In most homes, such items as bedding, upholstered furniture and carpeting provide an ideal environment for dust mites. By taking steps to reduce the number of dust mites in your home, you may get control of dust mite allergy.
Vinegar is highly acidic and will kill just about any mite that crosses its path.
Use dust-proof pillow and mattress covers made from a tight-weave fabric that keeps out dust and mites. Use furniture made of wood, plastic, leather, or vinyl (including vinyl mattress covers) that you can wipe clean. Remove rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting.
You may be able to tell you have dust mites in the home, by a continual round of some of the following allergic symptoms: Itchy nose. Stuffy or runny nose. Facial pain due to sinus pressure.
But, unlike rodent mites, itch mites and chiggers, skin irritation is rarely caused by exposure to dust mites. Although they may “hitchhike” on clothing, dust mites do not live on people.
Showering before bedtime can also help prevent allergies and dust mites from entering your bed, especially in the summer.
Although they may “hitchhike” on clothing, dust mites do not live on people. They feed primarily on dander, flakes of dead skin that fall from people and animals.