How to Reduce Dust Mites in Your Home?
How to Get Rid of Dust Mites in Your Bed?
Dust mites thrive in beds—the warmth, humidity, and endless supply of dead skin flakes make your bed their number one hangout. To meaningfully reduce dust mites in your bed, you need to use several methods together:
- Use allergen-proof bedding
Switch to allergen-proof or tightly woven covers for your mattress, duvet, and pillows. The fabric weave is too small for dust mites to pass through. Allergen-proof covers won’t kill dust mites, but they create a barrier that dramatically reduces your exposure to dust mite allergens.
- Wash in hot water
Wash all bedding once a week in water that’s at least 60°C (140°F). This temperature kills dust mites and breaks down their allergens. Cold water washing won’t kill them, even if you add laundry sanitizer. After washing, dry on high heat in the dryer or hang in direct, strong sunlight.
- Vacuum thoroughly
Sun-drying your mattress and comforter is not enough on its own. After sunning, vacuum them thoroughly with a HEPA-filter vacuum cleaner to suck up the dead mite bodies and droppings—these are the real triggers of your allergy symptoms. Focus on the seams, edges, and surface of the mattress.
- Replace regularly
Pillow inserts and duvet inserts should be replaced every 2–3 years. Over time, the buildup of skin flakes and dust mites inside them reaches levels that even washing can’t fully clean out.
- Control the environment
Keep stuffed animals out of the bedroom. Choose easy-to-clean blinds or roller shades instead of fabric curtains. Keep the room ventilated and dry. Use a dehumidifier to maintain humidity below 50%. After 2–4 weeks of consistent dehumidification, dust mites die off in large numbers from dehydration, and allergy symptoms improve noticeably. Do these things and the dust mite population in your bedroom will drop significantly.
- Freeze small items
Stuffed animals, throw pillows, and other small items can be placed in a sealed plastic bag and put in the freezer (at or below -18°C / 0°F) for 24 hours. The extreme cold kills dust mites. After freezing, sun the items or shake them out thoroughly to remove the dead mites and their droppings—these still trigger allergies even after the mites are dead.