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Keeping Dust Mites Out: The Bedroom Battleground
When planning to battle the dust mite, we must concentrate on the area where our attack will be most effective. And that means protecting ourselves from the dust mite in our bedroom. It is a place where many of us spend much of our time, thinking we sleep safely and snugly—all the while not knowing what we may be actually breathing in! With our heads nestled into the pillow, we allow the dust mite relatively easy access to our respiratory passages.
There are a number of things that can be done to decrease exposure to dust mites in the bedroom. You could sleep in a hammock that is washed weekly in hot water. Although this is highly effective, it is relatively impractical and a remedy that I don't usually recommend. Fortunately, there are other, easy and practical steps that can be taken:
1. Place an impermeable dust mite encasing around the mattress , box spring and pillow. This type of encasing has vinyl on the inside and cloth on the outside to trap dust mites, but does not crinkle like plain vinyl. It also makes you sweat less than with plastic covers. One note of warning: Some of my patients have reported dramatic improvements in their allergy and asthma symptoms after the placement of the dust mite covers on their beds, while others haven't noticed a significant improvement even after a few months.
2. Wash all bedding that is placed on top of these covered items in water over 130 degrees. Achieving this temperature can be a problem in some apartment buildings where the thermostats on the hot water heaters have been lowered to prevent scalding in children and the elderly. I would recommend a pot of boiling water to be added to the hot cycle to raise the water temperature. If it is not practical to wash certain types of the bedding, like an expensive down comforter, placing it in a bag and putting in the freezer overnight is a good alternative.
3. Remove unnecessary objects from the wall and ceilings.
4. Keep stuffed animals to a minimum. If a stuffed animal can be washed weekly in hot water, then it's probably okay for your child to sleep with it. All others should be kept in a closed toy chest.
5. Use window blinds that can be wiped rather than curtains.
6. Remove carpeting, if possible. If your children are allergic to dust mites, they should be encouraged not to play on carpets.
7. Consider using products that kill dust mites, such as benzyl benzoate or tannic acid. These products have been shown to have some benefits in homes where there is wall to wall carpeting which can't be removed.
Hepa filters are also used, but I don't recommend them. These "air cleaners" don't do much. Spend your money on dust mite covers; you'll get more bang for your buck.
These steps seem like a lot of effort, but it will be worth it if you suffer from a dust mite allergy. And scientific evidence to prove it.