Stepone – reduce the dampness in your home
House dust mites prefer warm, damp homes. Dampness leads to the growth of moulds, which can cause allergic reactions. Follow these tips toavoid dampness:
- Open windows or vents in kitchens and bathrooms –during and after cooking, washing and bathing.Stop dampness spreading, and keep these doorsclosed
- Avoid drying clothes indoors (especially inbedrooms and living rooms) unless using driers which are vented outdoors
- If you have to dry clothes indoors, open a window and close the door to the room
- Leave the bed open to air before remaking it
- Open windows or vents in bedrooms
Steptwo – prevent the build up of dust
Removing dust is important in the homes of allergy sufferers –to help prevent dust building uptry the following.
- Reduce the number of items on which the dust can build-up, especially if they are difficult to clean.Store ornaments indisplay cabinets, books in closed cases, and clothes and other objects in cupboards or drawers
- Regularly clean surfaces and objects where dust collects using a damp cloth
- Regularly wipe down window blinds with a damp cloth
- Vacuum clean soft furnishings and curtains as well as carpets and floors
- Replace the air filter or dust bag in the vacuum cleaner regularly
- Vacuum clean mattresses every two weeks
Stepthree – high temperature washing
Washing fabrics at a minimum of 60 degrees C kills dust mites – so buy sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers that can be washed at high temperatures, and wash them at least every two weeks. Also get curtains that can be washed at 60 degrees C and wash regularly.
Stepfour – bedding and soft toys
House dust mites are found in large numbers of mattresses and pillows where there are lots of skin scales. To reduce the number of mites in these areas:
- regularly wash pillows at 60 degrees C or replace with new ones every six months
- replace blankets with duvets which are made of synthetic material
- cover all mattresses, duvets and pillows in the sufferer’s bedroom with micro-porous membrane covers – they need to be wiped clean with a damp cloth each time the bedding is changed
- Stuffed toys can also contain house dust mites so try to reduce the allergy sufferer’s contact with these toys. Keep the toys away from the bed if possible.
- about once a month put soft toys in the freezer for 6 hours to kill the house dust mites, then wash to remove the remaining allergen
Stepfive – carpets
Carpets also contain a lot of house dust mites. Replacing carpets can be expensive but if you are going to change your carpet anyway theseoptionswill reduce the number of mites present:
- Replace carpets with linoleum, vinyl flooring or sealed natural flooring such as cork tiles or wood –ensure that the new floor does not have cracks which enabledustto build up
- Choose very short pile synthetic carpets as they tend to hold fewer mites than long piled wool carpets
- Use cotton rugs that can be washed at high temperatures and wash them regularly
Stepsix – high efficiency filter vacuum cleaners
There are vacuum cleaners on the market which are better at collecting dust than ordinary vacuums, so consider buying a high efficiency filtered vacuum cleaner and use regularly on floors, carpets, soft toys and soft furnishings.
Stepseven – treatment of furnishings
Every three to six months treat carpets and soft furnishings with either of the following to kill mites:
- Acaricides/antigen denaturing compounds – for your own healthand safety it is very important that you follow the instructions for use and disposal
- Liquid nitrogen, which should only be applied by a specialist contractor
Stepeight – replace furnishings
When you buy new furnishings you should consider replacing woven-fabric covered chairs and sofas with cane, canvas, leather-like or leather-covered furnishings which are easy to clean and do not harbour house dust mites.
Other possible measures
Products such as air filters, ionisers, dehumidifiers and mechanical devices for ventilation with heat recovery are available. These may also help to reduce allergic symptoms, but their effectiveness has not yet been fully tested.
