Dust mites are one of the most common environmental allergens in the world. Research has shown that between 10-20% of the population in industrialised countries struggle with dust mite allergies.
Too small to see with the naked eye, dust mites commonly live in soft furnishing in your house, such as carpets, curtains, fabric sofas, cushions, mattresses and pillows.
It is a common misconception that the allergic reaction is caused by dust mites, it is actually their fecal matter, not the dust mites themselves. On average, an adult dust mite produces between 15-20 droppings daily. Once these microscopic droppings come into contact with the skin or get into the airways of a person who is allergic to dust mites, they exhibit an allergic reaction. Common allergy symptoms are congestion, runny nose, asthma and skin rashes.
If you have noticed that you feel congested upon waking after sleeping on a certain pillow or find yourself sneezing after sitting on your favourite sofa, there is a good chance you might be allergic to dust mites. If you suspect that you might have a dust mite allergy, it is recommended to consult a doctor for allergy testing.
While there’s no permanent cure for allergies, medications can ease symptoms. However, avoiding the allergen is always the most effective way to reduce allergic reactions. There are multiple ways to reduce the presence of allergens in your home and that can significantly lessen allergic reactions.
Given that up to a third of our lifetime is spent sleeping, establishing an allergen-free zone in our bedroom is an important first step in reducing exposure to allergens.
Mattresses offer an ideal environment for dust mites, providing an undisturbed haven inside the mattress with an abundant food supply from our shed skin. An average mattress can have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites.
The first thing to do is to encase the mattress, however, just a normal mattress protector won’t offer the protection you need to get allergy relief. You will need to look for a specific mattress protector for dust mites.
While regular mattress protectors have been around for a long time, dust mite mattress protectors are custom-designed products that encase the mattress and traps dust mites without a food source. Usually available in waterproof and cotton options, a good quality dust mite mattress protector also comes with a zipper that allows a complete encasement of the mattress.
A dust mite pillow protector will further ensure that you are not inhaling dust mite allergens in your sleep. These protectors are created with a pore size so small that allergens can’t get through and you can have a good night’s sleep. A zipper will ensure that nothing gets in or out of your pillow so you can sleep peacefully.
A fairly new product on the market are dust mite quilt covers. Similar to pillow and mattress covers, duvet covers will offer an encasement for your quilt so there is no cross-contamination of dust mites in your bedding.
By encasing your bedding, you will create a barrier between yourself and dust mites to ensure that you are not inhaling allergens all night long and waking up with congestion and other allergy symptoms.
Getting rid of dust mites is difficult task as they are invisible; however, making small changes can have a big impact on the overall load of allergens in your home.