No doubt you think you know all the inhabitants of your house well – family, friends, housemates, maybe a pet. But most UK homes have unseen unwelcome house guests. They are mean and ugly, they look like a science fiction film, oh and they could well be living in your bed. I’m talking of course about dust mites, the secret invaders in the home, which can’t be seen by the naked eye but manage to cause trouble wherever they go.

Aside from being thoroughly unpleasant to think they could be living in your carpets and bedding, dust mites are also among the most common triggers of asthma, eczema and an endless list of other inconvenient allergies. Technically it’s not the mites themselves but their droppings that disagree with people, as they contain an enzyme that is highly allergenic to over 20% of the population. They feast on the 50 million dead skin cells every human sheds each day, and it can be a nightmare getting rid of them completely. Tough, but not impossible. If you think there might be dust mites in your home, here are three tips that could help:

Keep it Clean – the most obvious way to get rid of dust mites is to remove the dust. They nest in ‘dust bunnies’ and in the carpet so regular hoovering, every day if necessary, will not only suck many of them out of the carpet but cut off the food supply to those that are left behind. Keep windows open where possible as they don’t like sunlight, and are so small that many of them will get blown away completely in a breeze!

Keep it Fresh –You might not think air quality would have much effect on dust mites considering they live in the carpet and furnishings, but in fact the right air conditioner could make all the difference. Even if you hoover every day the dust particles still have time to settle and for the mites to make new homes. Installing an air purifier with a HEPA filter literally removes all particles larger than 0.0003mm from the air before they get the chance to settle, meaning less food for mites.

Keep it Dry – Dust mites thrive in conditions where the relative humidity (RH) of the air is 50% or higher. Different people have different ideas of the recommended RH in a home and it varies depending on where you live, but it is usually around 45%. If humidity levels in your home are above 50% it’s worth taking steps to reduce it as this will not only stop the mites but can also improve the general health of the occupants. Basic things like keeping windows open when cooking or showering can make a difference but if the problem persists then using a dehumidifier is a quick and easy way to remove moisture from the air, maintaining the optimum RH and killing dust mites dead!

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