truth

Even as a house resident, I’ve never heard of such creatures until science class in seventh grade. My parents have never heard of them, thus they were not able to teach their children.

Dust mites, or Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, eat skin cells your body sheds off every second. What makes people allergic to them is their waste (shedded skin and feces), not their bodies themselves. Dust mite waste is not only an allergen for allergies, but they cause asthma attacks to the people who have them.

Dust mites live on your clothes, in your sofa, on your carpet, in your pillow, and even in your family tapestries hanging on your house walls! They are everywhere but unfortunately invisible to the naked eye. They live in dark, humid places, especially in your pillows because of the breathing and saliva you give off when you sleep. They mostly thrive in fabrics because they can seep into the fabric to avoid hazards such as vacuuming and come out to feed on the fallen skin cells.

To get rid of them, you need to clean regularly. To keep them from your mattress, you need to incase it in an air-proof plastic covering or vacuum it weekly. You can put a plastic covering on your pillow, too, but make sure you wash the pillow case. Wash your bed sheets and pillowcases at commercial laundries or wash them at 130 degrees Fahrenheit to kill remaining dust mites. Be careful, though, because at that degree, it can really burn the skin of children if they turned on the faucet by themselves. Try to keep the humidity to a minimum with your air conditioning and have more wooden or plastic furniture. Vacuum as commonly as possible and throw the bags out right after, because dust mites can escape the bag.

If you or a household member are allergic to dust mites and don’t know what to do or you just feel uncomfortable knowing they’re around, try these actions! Please, do not be afraid of washing a mere pillow case, have good cleaning habits, and start right now!