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| Runny nose? You might have dust mites. |
If you suffer from allergies or asthma, you may have dust mites to blame for your symptoms.
These microscopic creatures are common house guests, and while they can thrive in any room, they particularly love bedding where they can feed on organic matter like the tiny bits skin you shed naturally every day.
Getting rid of dust mites completely isn't really an option, but you can help reduce your allergy symptoms by taking some simple steps to keep their numbers at bay.
Here's how to bust dust mites according to Austerity Housekeeping:
- Open all the windows.
- Damp dust all surfaces. One way of doing this is to use a spray bottle of water and an e-cloth, which will work on practically all surfaces if you are careful.
- Change your hoover bag and hoover every inch of your flooring. Ideally you should use a hoover with a HEPA filter, or buy one as an optional extra. This filters the air so any dust mite poo (for that is the main problem) doesn’t recirculate in your house once you have sucked it up.
- Wash all your bedding at 60C, or if you can’t, air it outside on a sunny day.
- Thoroughly hoover your mattress. Sometimes you can buy special attachments for this.
- Wipe your window frames down with a dilute solution of bleach and water to remove mould spores (another potential culprit).
- Leave your windows open as long as you can (at least an hour) after that.
Letting some fresh air into the house is a good idea for everyone, not just allergy sufferers. And regular vacuuming is key to keeping dust under control and making your house less attractive to dust mites and other pests.
Try these tips and breathe a bit easier tonight.
