Dust mites alert! If you are allergic or sensitive to dust mites this blogpost may be useful to you. Did you know that it is possible with a few simple techniques to fight these microscopic organisms that can make our lives hard and uncomfortable?

As a good night’s sleep prepares you for a good day, this article explains how to fight dust mites in your bedroom.

First thing first… What exactly is a dust mite?

It may frighten some people… and make them want to get rid of it even more… Dust mites are part of the family of arachnids… yes yes yes, the same family as spiders….

Fortunately in a way, these 8-legged micro-beasts are invisible to the naked eye and have a lifespan of only a few weeks. On the other hand, they reproduce at lightning speed… (we can understand them, a warm and cozy bed can help reproduction ). However, they reproduce everywhere as long as it is hot and humid and preferably in dust. So let me tell you that a good regular cleaning to prevent dust from accumulating will help you limit this proliferation.

But why do they especially like our bed?

Dust mites do not sting, do not bite but feed on micro-particles of dead skin, hair that is lost every day and night, animal hair, pollens and mould. So they especially love beds (up to 2 million dust mites on a mattress). However, they are also found in other household textiles: curtains, carpets, sofas, stuffed animals, plaids, cloth chairs, carpets, etc….

What makes us allergic to dust mites?

With a life span of 4 to 6 weeks, it is the bodies and faeces of dust mites that are allergenic, so the problem must be taken seriously.

10% of the population is allergic to it. More precisely between 5 to 15% depending on the country. It is children, from 8 years old, who are the most sensitive, then by growing up their respiratory system will adapt better. But the statistics are even more alarming because almost 45% of allergies are stimulated by dust mites, making it the second most common source of allergy after pollens.

Symptoms of a dust mites allergy can include asthma, unexplained cough, eczema, itching, sneezing, colds, rhinitis, sinusitis, red eyes and crying for no reason, headache, breathing difficulties, but also excessive night sweats…

Even if allergies are often stronger in autumn and winter due to lack of ventilation in homes, it is important to fight them all year round.

Allergie

So how can we fight dust mites?

There are a range of techniques and practices to fight them. Discover them below

If you are sensitive or allergic, here are 15 tips and advice to live healthier and sleep better (even):

• In the bedroom :

  • Choose your box spring: a slatted rather than sprung box spring
  • Choose your mattress: A natural latex mattress will be less susceptible to dust mites than a wool mattress. If you choose a mattress with an anti-dust mites medical cover, make sure to clean it regularly.
  • Vacuum your mattress every three months, or every week for people with severe allergies
  • Change and wash your bed linen every week
  • Choose and clean your duvets and pillows: we are particularly like natural materials, however for people who are really allergic to dust mites, it is advisable to choose synthetic materials for the filling of your pillows and duvets, shake them every week and wash them at least once a quarter also at 60°C.
  • Leave the bed open during the day: especially if you sweat at night to let the mattress remove excess moisture.
  • Do not change in the room: We prefer to change in the bathroom to avoid dropping all the micro-particles of skin and give enough to make a good feast for these little animals in the room.
  • Ventilate and have the right temperature and humidity in the room: Opening windows 15 minutes a day is ideal and try to keep the temperature between 18-19°C. It is also recommended to sleep in a room with a humidity level of 50-55%.
  • Bye bye Teddy and Kitty: we love pets, but they will sleep better in their baskets and so will you, by limiting the feeding of dust mites in your bedroom

• In the decoration

  Minimalism… the buzzword that has only virtues!

  Dare to decorate in a minimalist style without unnecessary upholstered furniture, with blinds instead of curtains, closed furniture or cupboards instead of open shelves and dressing rooms,… avoid textiles in the bedroom, (except your bed linen, of course).

  This also means that nothing is left lying around and especially not the clothes from the day before or even older. So either it’s back in the wardrobe or to the dirty laundry bin, which is best placed in the bathroom or laundry room.

• In the laundry room

  • Wash bed linen once a week (in addition to avoiding dust mites problems, they will keep their freshness longer). At 40° or 30° for non-allergic people and 60° for allergic people. For more information, see our article on natural cleaning. (Kalani bed linen made of 300 Thread count cotton sateen and 300 Thread count cotton percale can be washed at 60°C without any problem and even warmer if necessary.)
  • Avoid the softener…. Kalani sheets are so soft, that it is not necessary anyway
  • Drying laundry outside as soon as possible and use a dryer when possible. Avoid artificially increasing the humidity level in the house.
  • Cuddly toys, teddy bears, dolls and other little friends…. Hop, in the washing machine at 60° or put for 24 hours in the freezer in a bag for a small youth cure.

• At the pharmacy

  To great evils, great remedies. For those who continue to suffer very strongly from allergies to dust mites when they already apply all the traditional methods, there is a solution in pharmacies. We are particularly convinced by a solution such as the Exaller product from the Belgian company Acar’Up, which is recognised worldwide and the result of years of university research on dust mites (www.exaller.com).

  It is a natural solution that is put on the bed linen before washing it and attracts 80% of the dust mites out of the mattresses so that they can be washed away.

Cleaning, sweeping, polishing….

And above all, vacuuming (everything and everywhere)… You will have understood this, if you are allergic, the first remedy against dust mites is a regular (once a week) and effective cleaning.

Nettoyer