If you like warm and cozy places, this is one thing you have in common with dust mites. These tiny little beasts are very often the cause of allergies or asthma attacks, but also of skin or eye problems.

But how do you get rid of these little insects that you can’t see with the naked eye?

The dust mites that can be found in our mattresses are often called “house dust mites”. They only live for 6 weeks and feed on micro particles of skin and hair that we lose every day and every night. A mattress can therefore contain up to 2 million dust mites! In addition to bedding, they particularly like curtains, sofas, chairs, upholstered furniture, plush toys and, less often, carpets and rugs…

The symptoms that mites can cause are more important in winter. This is a period when homes are warmer, and rooms are less ventilated, unlike in the summer.

Summer is the breeding season. This season is conducive to this because of its higher heat and humidity.

To prevent your rooms from becoming a dust mite paradise, what should you do?

First of all, it is important to air your room every day for at least 15 minutes, even in winter! Don’t overheat your rooms because these little beasts are adept at using heat to help them multiply.

Bedding hygiene is very important.

– Remember to wash your sheets at 60 degrees once a week. If you are allergic, there are sheets, duvets, pillows but also anti-dust mite mattresses.

– Remember to wash your teddy at 60 degrees (you can also wrap them in plastic bags and leave them in the freezer for a few minutes. Dust mites hate the cold)

– Vacuum under the bed two to three times a week to remove accumulated dust, not forgetting your mattress.

– Avoid upholstered furniture and feather-based duvets and pillows;

– Replace curtains with blinds;

– Replace carpets and rugs with washable and smooth floors (linoleum or vinyl);

– Shampoo carpets;

– Machine wash drapes, cushions and carpets;

– Prefer a slatted box spring to a box spring;

– Prefer a synthetic mattress, with possibly a medical anti-dust mite cover;

– Throw away the piles of stuff that have been lying around for years and are now only for dust mites.

Natural solutions

Baking soda can also be an effective solution to control these unwanted hosts. Simply sprinkle some on your mattresses, pillows or armchairs, brush to make it penetrate, let it act for a few hours (between 2 and 8 hours) then vacuum up the excess.

There’s nothing like a good housekeeping to declare war on dust mites, those embarrassing hosts responsible for allergies. A big sweep of the vacuum cleaner, an active participation of the washing machine, some modifications in the house… and your undesirable mite colony will soon see its troops retreat.