The bedroom is where most dust mites are found.
Dust mites are microscopic pests that live in mattresses, bedding, carpets and upholstered furniture in the home. Hundreds of thousands of these insect-like bugs feed on the dead skin cells of humans or pet dander found in common indoor dust.
Are They Harmful?
Dust mites are harmless to most people, but people with allergies or asthma should take extra precautions. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health, between 18 and 30 percent of Americans are allergic to dust mites or their feces.
Who Should Be Concerned?
People with chronic allergies to dust mites and those with asthma should try to reduce the number of mites in their home. Exposure to dust mites comes mainly when sleeping or disturbing dust when making a bed.
Where Do Dust Mites Live?
Dust mites need to absorb water to live, so homes with less humidity are most likely to have fewer dust mites. The mites are found most commonly in bedding. A University of Manchester study found that a typical mattress can contain between 100,000 and 10 million dust mites.
Detect
There are several products on the market that will test for the number of dust mites. Each includes wiping an area suspected of dust mites and allowing a chemical reaction on a test strip to reveal whether the problem is mild or severe.
Elimination
Keeping the humidity in your home below 50 percent can be helpful, but washing bedding (including dog bedding) and carpets, and cleaning upholstered furniture on a regular basis is one of the best solutions. Using dust covers on mattresses and pillows is also helpful.
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