Last Updated: February 27, 2019
Description
Asthma: Dust Mites Solutions
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Big Idea: It takes regular, consistent cleaning to keep dust mite populations as low as possible.
Talking Points:
- Use mattress and pillow covers, preferably those that zip shut to provide a barrier between the person sleeping and the airborne allergens that are produced by dust mites.
- Thorough, regular cleaning of surfaces helps to eliminate normal household dust and dust mites.
- Cleaning your bedding, fabric curtains, and stuffed animals is just as important as cleaning surfaces. Heat kills dust mites, so it is recommended to wash all bedding weekly if possible, in water that is 130 degrees in temperature and dry them with heat.
- Regularly use a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, vacuum cleaner or a central vacuum. A HEPA vacuum has a filter that can capture very small particulates with greater than 99% efficiency.
Sources:
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “Indoor Allergens”
Government Publishing Office – (EPA)
James Krieger et al, “Housing Interventions and Control of Asthma-Related Indoor Biologic Agents: A Review of the Evidence,” 2010.
Portnoy et al, 2013. “Environmental Assessment and Exposure Control of Dust Mites: a Practice Parameter.”
Categories: Asthma