According to an article written by The Johns Hopkins Hospital the highest concentrations of dust mites can be found in our bedrooms and making some simple changes can help get rid of them. Mites feed on dead skin that we shed at all times and like all things they need food and water to live. If you take the necessary steps to separate them from their food supply they will starve and die. Removing them from our environment will help to reduce or even eliminate asthma and allergy reactions in many people.

Some steps you can take to get rid of dust mites in your mattress

• Wash all bedding in hot water every 7 to 10 days
• Dusting the furniture in your house including walls, closets and ceilings
• Use an encasing or mite free mattress covers on your bed
• Avoid down and feather pillows
• Use pillow encasements
• Manage humidity levels
• Reduce room temperatures

Washing bedding in hot water 130 degrees F or higher removes all allergens and will kill these pests. This alone will not be enough to provide any lasting benefits, you must use dust proof pillow and mattress covers. The removable mattress cover will keep the mites that are in your pillows and mattresses from getting out and reinfecting your bedding. Dust mites and their waste can account for up ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow.

A mattress can have from 100,000 to 10,000,000 mites living in it at any time. Although these pests are microscopic, imagine that many little creatures living, defecating, dying and decaying in your mattress.

Managing temperature and humidity is also an important part of dust mite control. Temperatures below 70 degrees F and humidity below 50 percent are less than desirable for dust mites and helps to reduce their populations in your home.

Getting rid of dust mites can be a daunting task and is next to impossible because they are found virtually everywhere we go. People and animals shed skin cells (dander) constantly and this is the main food source for these little creatures. Here we look at some of the most common and safest methods of controlling dust mite populations to help manage allergy and asthma symptoms so you can lead a normal life.

Like people and our pets, these pests flourish in warm humid environments. Try to maintain humidity levels in your house below 50 percent at all times. Maintaining humidity in your home below 50% has a negative impact on dust mite populations. This is much more difficult to do during the summer than in winter but using a dehumidifier will help greatly.

How to remove dust mites from your bedroom

We spend a great deal of our time sleeping which makes our beds one of the prime environments for dust mites to live and breed. Bedding should be washed in hot water above 130 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have severe reactions then every week or two may be necessary for maximum benefit.

Allergy relief bedding (dust mite covers) is also available to help rid ourselves of mites. Cover mattresses and pillows in allergen blocking dust proof covers which zipper. This provides a barrier that dust mites can’t penetrate. This prevent them from colonizing these areas and eliminates one of their primary breeding grounds.

How to remove dust mites from your carpeting

Carpets and certain types of furniture are also common places where dust mites live comfortably. Use a HEPA vacuum cleaner to clean your carpets. HEPA filtered vacuum cleaners work better than standard vacuums because of the HEPA filters that are incorporated in their design. HEPA stands for "High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance". They are the most efficient air filters available. A great deal of dust passes right through standard vacuum cleaners and gets distributed back into the environment. It is a better idea to avoid having carpets in your home at all if your allergies are particularly bad. If carpeting is a must, try to have low pile carpets.

Many sources recommend steam cleaning carpets as another means of dust mite control. The benefits of steam cleaning are twofold, the high temperature steam kills the dust mites and the water helps to wash out any mites and any other contaminants that may be contributing to your allergy symptoms.

Remove dust mites from the air you breathe

Use efficient furnace filters in your heating and air conditioning equipment. This will remove more dust from your home and reduce the distribution of dust mite excrement and pieces of their dead and decaying bodies. These are the things that cause most of the allergic reactions that most people experience.

To help children who suffer from these allergies, wash their stuffed toys in hot water. Your child’s favourite stuffed toy is also a good environment for dust mites to flourish. These toys are usually held close to children’s faces which can intensify any reactions they may have.

Managing allergies can be a daunting challenge and requires constant control and monitoring of your environment. Is it possible to get rid of dust mites entirely? Probably not but implementing some or all of these strategies will go a long way toward controlling their numbers and allow you to coexist in relative comfort without negatively effecting your health.