12 Useful Tips for Eliminating House Mites (2024)

You may never be able to get rid of all house dust mites like the abundant Dermatophagoides farinae. However, reducing the house dust mite population can improve your allergy and asthma symptoms. Symptoms affecting airways, eyes, and skin are common, sometimes reaching systemic levels.

You can decrease your exposure to house dust mites by either decreasing the total number in your home (killing house dust mites) or making your home less hospitable to them (environmental control).

This article offers ideas on how to eliminate Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae house dust mites and improve the indoor environment of your home.

Tips for Eliminating House Dust Mites

Dust mites typically live in different kinds of fabric. They don't move easily and tend to stay where they grow. Dust mites in the home are most often found in:

• Bedding
• Carpets
• Fabric curtains
• Upholstered furniture

The bedroom is likely the most important place to remove house mites as you can have significant exposure during sleep, but it's not the only place to consider. It's also important to remember that even if you keep a clean home, you probably have house mites. Everyone does.

Managing Bedding

It's important to remember that you spend hours at a time breathing in the dust and mites while you sleep. Mites often live in bedding because it's a source of dead skin cells on which they feed.

Use Allergen-Free Casing for the Bed

In the United States, about 80% of homes have dust mite allergens in at least one bed. Encasing pillows and mattresses is one of the most effective ways to decrease house mites. These cases for pillows, mattresses, and boxsprings are an extra cover that zips up to provide a barrier against mites.

Still, some researchers report mixed results with casem*nt products, although they remain highly recommended. Large clinical trials have shown no real benefit in adults with asthma or allergic rhinitis, but studies in children found their symptoms improved when a bedding barrier is used.

Even if you buy hypoallergenic mattresses and pillows, encasem*nt may still be important to prevent house mite colonization.

Wash Bedding Often

If you cannot encase a pillow to prevent house mites, it should be washed frequently with other bedding. Current guidelines recommend washing all bedding once a week in 120°F water so that house mites are killed. Washing with cooler temperatures will remove, but not kill, house mites. Don't forget to wash stuffed animals and toys, too.

Change Bedroom Location

Moving the bedroom away from the kitchen, or from dust sources like a street-facing porch, can be particularly helpful in limiting dust mites. Some studies have found that more mites were found in bedrooms that are closer to the kitchen.

Also, avoid putting bedrooms in the basem*nt since dust mites thrive in areas with higher humidity levels and moisture.

Dusting and Floors

It's important to clean more often if you need to control house mites, with regular and frequent cleaning shown to reduce the mites. Carpets, curtains, and even kitchens play a role.

Dust and Vacuum Often

Dust your home often to improve indoor air quality. A microfiber cloth or damp dusting rag will work better to trap and remove dust rather than stirring it up and back into the air.

While vacuuming decreases household dust, it may not effectively decrease house mites. Using a quality vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter is likely to be more effective. You also should empty the dusty canisters or bags outside the home when you're done cleaning.

Regular vacuuming does seem to reduce symptoms. If your allergy to house mites is significant, though, consider wearing a face mask or leaving during vacuuming.

Remove Carpets

While not as effective as encasing bedding, removing wall-to-wall carpet may decrease exposure to house mites. The American Lung Association recommends hard-surfaced flooring when possible.

Area rugs that can be moved may be better, but be sure to clean both sides when you vacuum. You also should steam clean carpets and rugs at least once per year.

Clean Hard Surfaces

Mopping hard-surfaces floors often will help to reduce house mite populations. Wiping down other hard surfaces with a damp washcloth will remove mites. Don't forget the kitchen, even though it may not have rugs or upholstered furniture. Some studies have found high amounts of dust mites in the kitchen.

Improve Air Quality

Most studies of house dust mites find that steps to improve humidity as well as remove particles and pollution can help to reduce mite populations. A 2022 study of 290 Canadian homes found that an indoor relative humidity above 45% created conditions in which the mites can thrive.

Use a Dehumidifier

While using air-conditioning alone does not decrease levels of house mites, lowering humidity levels can help decrease house mites. Unfortunately, portable dehumidifiers may not work very well in parts of the country where humidity is already very high. For dehumidifiers to effectively lower levels of house mites, recommended humidity levels should be below 35% for at least 22 hours per day.

Try HEPA Furnace Filters

HEPA filters for your central air and heating systems can be expensive without being effective. Because house mites do not stay airborne for long periods of time, only small amounts are effectively removed in this manner, and usually not worth the cost. Talk with your healthcare provider about whether these filters make sense for you.

Use a Pesticide

Acaracides are a type of pesticide that can be used to eradicate dust mites. It can be applied to carpets, mattresses, and furniture. Researchers are looking at options that include cinnamon oil and clove bud oil to eliminate mites without the risk of synthetic chemicals to which they become resistant.

Take a Multi-Pronged Approach

When dealing with dust mites in your home, a single measure won't be enough to prevent asthma attacks in family members who are triggered by them, according to updated recommendations for asthma management issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in December 2020.

The guidelines advise that in order to effectively mitigate (reduce) household exposure to dust mites, it's key to put in place at least three measures known to help eliminate dust mites. An example of this triple strategy might be treating carpets with acaracide plus encasing mattresses and pillows with dust-mite resistant covers plus investing in a HEPA vacuum cleaner and using it regularly.

Note that the NIH does not recommend taking any measures to decrease exposure to dust mites or any allergen for people who aren't sensitive to them.

Summary

House dust mites are an important factor in the symptoms of asthma and allergic reactions. How to best control them, especially in an era of environmental change, is a key element of treatment.

There are a number of steps you can take to improve indoor air quality and limit dust mite exposure. Talk with your healthcare provider about how best fine-tune your measures so that you wind up with the most effective and efficient strategy for you.