The title is probably a bit misleading, because house dust mite is always going to be with us and we'll never truly be able to eradicate it from our homes. However with a little knowledge about them we can at least make life uncomfortable for them and keep there numbers down.
It feeds on tiny organic particles such as skin particles that we naturally shed, and is probably one of the most common factors in the causes of asthma.
A dust mite is very tiny, but can just about be seen with a strong magnifying glass well lit against a dark background and there can be a lot of dust mites in a home, as humans we shed about 1.5 grams of skin a day this is enough to feed almost a million dust mites if they are living in optimal conditions.
Outdoors it tends to die quickly due to exposure from the suns rays, cool air, and natural micro predators in the outdoors.
The home on the other hand provides a perfect enviroment for it to survive in, providing a warm, well insulated enviroment. In fact as homes insulation improves and there becomes less draughts in the house and so the house has a comfotable humidity for them to survive in, this is why dust mites are also more comfortable in bedding such as mattresses since they tend to store the humidity from human breaths and perspiration.
Because none of us want to live in draughty homes dust mites are always going to thrive, but we can make life uncomfortable for them and help keep there numbers down by occassionally opening our windows and letting our houses air once in a while, a cool fresh breeze coming through our house will kill a lot of dust mites. Likewise giving our bedding a regular airing outdoors, will kill of any dust mites that have been living in our bedding, another good thing is to buty bedding with a very fine weave anything over about 150 on a thread count should be fine enough to prevent dust mites from actually being able to penetrate into the bedding and make a home inside of it.
Author
Mark Woodley is the owner of the Sleep Experience whose duvets and bedding products can be found at
www.thesleepexperience.com
