The symptoms of house dust mite allergy which is caused by inflammation of nasal passages may include:

-Watery, itchy or red eyes

-Itchy throat, nose or roof of mouth

-Sneezing

-Nasal congestion

-Runny nose

-Postnasal drip

-Cough

-Facial pressure and pain

-Swollen, blue-colored skin under eyes

-Frequent awakening

-In a kid – frequent upward rubbing of the nose

If together with experiencing asthma, there also might be:

-Chest pain or tightness

-Difficulty breathing

-Trouble sleeping caused by coughing, shortness of breath or wheezing

-An audible wheezing or whistling sound when exhaling

-Bouts of wheezing or coughing which are aggravated by such respiratory virus as the flu or a cold

An allergy caused by the dust mites can vary from mild to severe. The first case may result in watery eyes, occasional runny nose and sneezing. But in severe situations, the person’s condition becomes ongoing (chronic), which results in persistent cough, sneezing, congestion, severe asthma attack and facial pressure.

When it’s time to visit a doctor
Sometimes it can be difficult to recognize if you have an allergy, as it may be easily confused with the common flu. Initial symptoms and signs are similar for both dust mite allergy and flu – sneezing and a runny nose. In case of these symptoms don’t eliminate after more than 1 week, consult your doctor. Also, if your symptoms are severe right from the beginning, like difficulty sleeping, wheezing or severe pain, call your doctor right away. It is recommended to seek emergency care if your condition rapidly worsens with shortness of breath and wheezing or you are short of breath with minimal activity.

If you are a homeowner having a history of allergies, house dust mites may pose a great health concern to you. It’s impossible to completely eliminate the mites, but managing their population can decrease your risk of suffering from the health troubles that are associated with the dust mites. Below are the descriptions of measures that you can take in order to manage their population in your house.

Bedding
During the night, house dust mites lurk in your bed sheets and mattress. There are several methods aimed at reducing their population in the linen and bedding. The easiest solution to manage it is to wash all your bedding, including sheets, bed covers and blankets, at least once a week at the “Hot” setting in your washing machine.

Pillows
Consider replacing your pillows with feather and down filling with those having synthetic material. As an alternative, you can replace the usual pillow cover with the special barrier dust-proof zippered one.

Blankets
As it was mentioned above, washing blankets alongside with the rest of your bedding every week will help manage dust mites in the bed. A good idea is also to change wool blankets for nylon or cotton ones.

Mattress
One of the best ways to manage house dust mites is to do damp dusting of the plastic mattress cover placed on the bed. As an alternative, you can buy special dust-proof zipped covers for your mattress. The study also reveals that if you put fitted-sheets on your mattress, it will help reduce the concentration of skin scales over there. So using fitted-sheets is considered a low-cost alternative to buying dust-proof mattress covers.

Flooring and Carpeting
The major breeding ground for the house dust mites is of course carpeting. Potentially there can be tens of thousands of the mites living in every square yard of your carpet! The carpeted areas of your house are recommended to be vacuumed on a regular basis using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which as able to remove 99.7% of the airborne particles of the size 0.3 micrometers or bigger. A more categorical approach to fighting house dust mites is replacing the carpeting with vinyl flooring.

Air
House dust mites feel comfortable in very humid conditions, but that’s what you are able to control with air conditioners and de-humidifiers. The researchers suggest using air filtration system, particularly those having HEPA filters in order to remove the dust mite allergen from the air.

The tips presented below will help you reduce dust and clutter in your house thus significantly improving symptoms of asthma and dust allergy. However, they are for informational purposes only and shouldn’t be considered medical advice.

Dust is hard to avoid. According to the article “Indoor Air Quality and Allergies” published online by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, around 80 percent of American citizens are exposed to house dust mites in their own homes. People, allergic to dust, can suffer from perennial (all year round) allergy symptoms like coughing, nasal congestion, runny nose, watery and itchy eyes, sneezing any many others, which can even result in such infections as sinusitis. In order to manage the symptoms and probably avoid the widespread symptoms for the allergy and their complications, it is recommended to reduce the amount of dust in your house.

Clean the air
As the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America state in its online article “Air Filters,” it may be a good way to manage symptoms in people having dust allergies or asthma to clean the indoor air. The first action is managing the source of dust, like cleaning the house and removing all unnecessary clutter. However, many people may find it difficult to do, so here are some cleaning tips that would probably make it easier for you to get rid of the clutter and breathe easier.

Manage house dust mites in the bedroom
The highest percentage of the mites is usually registered in the bedroom, and especially in the bedding. Since people normally spend 1/3 of their life in the bed, they may significantly benefit from managing dust mite population in the bedroom.

The first thing that would help reduce the amount of dust mites in your bed is a specially designed zippered encasing. They can be found in speciality shops, available for the pillows, mattresses and box springs.

All the bedding, including pillows, and also soft toys are recommended to be washed every week in a hot water of at least 130oF to kill the house dust mites. You can also use a spray which can’t be washed, specifically designed to decrease allergens on soft surfaces. You will benefit from keeping your pets far from the bedroom, because pet fur and dander can worsen allergy symptoms.

Flooring Options
Carpeting trap hundreds times larger amounts of house dust mites than bare floors, so it might be a good idea to remove the carpets in order to ease dust allergy symptoms. Some finishing products, waxes and varnishes for floors may be the cause of worsening allergy symptoms as well, so be careful when choosing them. Give preference to those having low volatile organic compound (VOC) potential. Consider placing low-pile carpeting or non-slippery rugs if bare floors are unacceptable.

If you still have carpets, they should be vacuumed at least 1-2 times a week. Wash the rugs often enough. Remember that some vacuum cleaners may release much dust, containing dust mites, up into the air. Look for products labeled “Asthma and allergy friendly”, which include some vacuums – they all have been tested and approved for those having asthma and allergies.

Reduce clutter and dust mites
In order to minimize dust, you should reduce clutter in your house, but most people suffering from dust allergies tend to have such sentimental things around as photographs, which they can’t be parted with. The solution may be high tech devices – a digital photo frame, for example, or online photo collection will help get rid of many individual photos.

Another device that can help eliminate great amounts of recipes, papers and manuals is a laptop. Instead of books piling on the bookshelves there might be viewed online ones as an alternative. If the small items can’t be removed for any reason, they may be kept in storage bins with tight lids.

Regularly damp dust the surfaces in your house. Those soft surfaces that can’t be washed may be treated with allergen-reducing sprays. Very helpful will be if someone else cleans your house while you are staying away from it. If you have dust mite allergies, wear a mask during the process of cleaning and leave the house after finishing it for a few hours.

Another source of numerous dust mites is window covering. Consider having vertical blinds or shades as they trap less dust than curtains and horizontal blinds. Anyway, clean window coverings thoroughly and regularly according to the manufacturer’s directions. The best choice is tinted windows, because they offer filtered light and don’t need any shades or blinds, thus resulting in absence of added dust.

Air Filters
Air filters may be a good help for people having dust allergies. A HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter is named to be the most effective kind of air cleaner in the abovementioned article on air filters. The best solution is to install HEPA-certified central filtration units around your entire house, if possible. If not, you can use portable filters, which are able to reduce dust in a smaller area of your home. When choosing it, look for those that are considered a Class II Medical Device by the FDA.

Nevertheless, no air filter in the world is able to completely remove the smoke particles from the air. Respectively, the people are not recommended to smoke at all or at least inside the house if there lives someone suffering from allergies.

Dust Control
Dust can trigger allergy symptoms in lots of people. However, managing house dust mites in their home environment can be very useful for many of them. In order to reduce the majority of symptoms caused by dust mites, you should focus on the dust control in your bedroom, reduce clutter, clean frequently and consider air filtration. As people suffering from dust allergies are most likely allergic to other stuff like seasonal allergens, mold, cockroaches or foods, extra preventive measures will be helpful to manage symptoms as well.

House dust mite allergy is a sort of allergy to a tiny creature living in the home dust which can be found in all houses and workplaces. They are probably the most common reason for perennial allergic rhinitis. House dust mite allergy commonly shows the symptoms that are similar to pollen allergy. It can also awake the symptoms of asthma.

What is home dust?
So-called home dust is not a single substance, as you might have thought. Instead, it’s a varied mixture of a great number of potentially allergenic components. There might be found dander from your pets; fibers from various fabrics; stuffing materials like cotton lint or feathers; in damp areas – usually mold and fungus spores; bacteria; bits of plants and insects; food particles and many other allergens depending on the individual house.

Another component of a home dust is tiny mites. House dust mites, usually living in the bedding, carpeting and upholstered furniture, thrive during the warm season and die in the cold one. However, in a warm and damp home they may keep thriving even in winter. Those particles that you can see magically floating in a shaft of sunlight contain dead house dust mites and their droppings. It’s precisely their droppings, which are proteins, that in fact cause the allergic reaction.

The droppings of cockroaches can also be an important factor in provoking allergy symptoms from house allergens, especially in some US urban areas.

What is dust?

Dust is made up of molds, fungus, bacteria, pollen, dust mites, dust mite feces and particles shed by people and animals known as dander. The most damaging to our health are dust mite fecal pallets, which contain guanine. This substance is a health hazard that can trigger allergic reactions. A larger number of allergy sufferer’s react to the allergens created by dust mites. Symptoms range from itchy and watery eyes to sinus aggravations such as sneezing blocked sinuses, coughing, hay fever and skin problems such as eczema. Some people experience headaches, depression and fatigue, which can also be related to the inhalation of these organisms found in dust.

Dust mites feed on molds, bacteria, and human skin scales. Dust mites cannot feed on dander until it is partially digested by an aspergillus fungus.

Mattress environments are ideal for the perfect dust mite habitat since they are warm, moist and provide a constant daily renewable source of skin scales and moisture to feed these microscopic creatures. Humans shed about 1/5 ounce of dander weekly. Some of these allergens become airborne with movement on our beds stirring up the dust which accumulates in our mattresses and bedding.

What are dust mites?

Dust mites are related to ticks and spiders. They have 8 legs, no eyes, and a sucker for a mouth in front of their body. They have been described as walking stomachs. They are translucent and are invisible to the human eye since they measure 250 to 300 microns in length.

Optimum conditions for dust mites are temperatures of 20-25 degrees C and humidity’s over 55%. One female dust mites can lay up to 100 eggs. Highest mite densities occur in the humid weather months. Dust mites absorb water; they do not drink which is why they require moisture in their environment. Humans release up to one pint of moisture nightly providing ideal moisture for dust mite survival. It is not unusual to count up to 2,500 mites in only one tiny gram of dust. Each dust mite produces about 20 particles of feces every day. A typical double mattress can have one millions mites alive & feeding at any given time. Dust mite feces, containing a substance known as quanine, continues to cause allergic symptoms long after the mite that produced them has died.

Why so many dust mites?

Dust mites have been found throughout the world. At least 13 species have been recorded from house dust although Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (skin eating mites) makes up the majority of total house mite population. Dust mites are invisible to the naked eye. They are found mostly in moist and warm environments like our bedding, upholstery and carpets. The main sources of nutrients are flakes of skin or dander. Since humans shed large quantities of skin scales daily, mites have an abundant food supply.

We spend one third of our lives on our mattresses and pillows making this the most unsanitary environment we are in constant contact with. Our mattresses are an Ecosystem for dust mites, bacteria, viruses and fungal spores. Studies have counted up to 2,500 mites in only one gram of dust, which translates to one million mites in a double size mattress.

When we move around our beds, the fine particles created from the dust mite’s droppings become airborne which can trigger an allergic reaction. An ordinary pillow can double it’s weight every 2-3 years in dust mites, their eggs and feces.

No matter how clean is your house and how often you tidy it up, dust mites will inhabit the soft surfaces of your interior and furniture. These insects are inevitable human companions used to our comfort and inexhaustible source of food.

However, a few simple actions can significantly reduce their population in your house up to concentration safe for your health. Follow the instructions below and feel protected from these parasites.

Dust mite allergens
Dust mites are the source of severe allergic reactions and a few popular diseases like asthma. That is why it is extremely important to control their number at home. While dust mites themselves are almost harmless to human health, their excrements can cause various disorders. Due to the lack of stomach, the process of gastrointestinal digestion is held outside their bodies with the help of special enzymes and fungus that mites secrete on dust pieces before eating. These enzymes and fungus are a source of human allergic reaction. The more mites are at home, the bigger concentration of allergic trigger we have.

Prevent your home from mites’ congestion
The first step in fighting dust mites is diligent general cleaning. Pick up all your bedding, curtains, towels and other soft materials and run all this through the washing machine cycle with dryer. This may help reduce the number of mites in your bed and surrounding areas. Don’t keep the clothes you’ve already wore in the wardrobe: wash it regularly, as well as other materials that contact with your skin to limit the amount of food for mites. If your washing machine is not big enough to handle all your home stuff, go to laundries that offer proper equipment. Only a complex cleaning can really help in reducing mites population in your home.

While all bedding is washing, clean your house from dust with vacuum cleaner and wet cleaning. Clean up all the areas, including all ‘hard-to-reach’ corners and surfaces.

Next, while your bedding and draperies are in the washing machine, do a thorough vacuuming and dusting of your house. They say that cleanliness is next to godliness – well, in this case, cleanliness is vital for a home free from dust mites! Think about it – dust mites thrive off of your skin cells and other dust particles, so if you remove these items from your home, they’ll have less food to live off of. Frequent vacuuming and dusting helps to keep potential food supplies low, which keeps dust mites away from your home.

The other baneful factor for dust mites is low humidity. Dust mites can’t survive in houses with humidity of 50% and less. That is why most of mites prefer beds, where people produce enough vapors while sleeping. Keeping your home ‘dry’, periodically turning off the humidifier will help to reduce the number of parasites in the rooms, as carpets and soft furniture will become unfit for them. Of course take care of your bed, refresh the furnishing regularly, as well as the bedding.

Another important habitat of dust mites is furniture covered with soft textile. Mites are very small creatures, and due to such microscopic sizes they can easily hide deep in the sofas or arm-chairs, avoiding vacuum cleaning and other preventive procedures. Obviously we can’t clean the whole furniture in washing machines. All you can do is regular vacuum cleaning that will help to remove dust and skin flakes that attract mites.

Also there are a lot of hypoallergenic materials that are made so that dust and other snips can’t pass though them. Choose the furniture covered with such materials to avoid the ingress of mites inside the soft furniture structure.

It is impossible to get rid of all mites and keep your house sterile like operating room. The absence of dust mites is possible only if you live in an empty house without furniture and any hint of a comfort. Your warm and comfortable rooms inevitably attract mites. However you can significantly reduce their number by keeping your house clean and tidy, frequently washing all textile interior elements and cleaning all surfaces from dust.

The best strategy for managing the house dust mite allergy is to avoid exposure to mites.

Although it’s impossible to completely remove dust mites from your house, it’s still possible to considerably reduce their population, if you follow the suggestions below.

- The bedding should be chosen rationally. Down or wool bedcovers are difficult to clean regularly and attract dust.

- Use non-allergen bed covers. Enclose your pillows and mattress into allergen-blocking or dust-proof covers. They are usually made of tightly woven fabric or vinyl and are able to prevent house dust mites from settling in the pillows or mattress. Cover the box springs with vinyl or plastic case.

- Wash linen every week. Hot wash all pillowcases, sheets, bedcovers and blankets at a minimum 130oF, as this temperature will kill the mites and erase allergens. In case of linen is prohibited to be washed hot, it should be put in the drier for twenty minutes at the same temperature before washing and drying for eliminating allergens. The non-washable linen can be frozen for twenty-four hours, but it will only kill the mites, but not eliminate the allergens.

- Choose washable soft toys. Don’t put them on the bed, hot wash them frequently and dry thoroughly.

- Lower the humidity. The best rate of humidity for your house is 30-50%. You can get a hygrometer at hardware stores to measure the humidity, and an air conditioner plus dehumidifier to keep the right level.

- Do dusting. It’s better to use an oiled or wet rag for that rather than dry mop. This won’t let dust airborne and resettle.

- Remove unnecessary things. They collect dust, which means they also collect house dust mites. Take tabletop ornaments, books and different knickknacks away from your bedroom.

- Vacuum frequently. When you vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture, you eliminate the surface dust, and what is more important– the food supply for the mites. However, vacuuming is not very effective at killing most dust mites and their allergens. The best type of a vacuum cleaner is that having a HEPA filter or double-layered microfilter bag which can help reduce the dust emissions from the device. If you suffer from severe allergies, ask someone else to do the dirty work, while you are staying out of the area being vacuumed during the process and for extra twenty minutes after finishing.

- Using air purifiers will help collect airborne dust and control it if you maintain frequent cleaning practices. But they can’t remove the dust mites themselves as they are too heavy to stay up in the air and get filtered. Sometimes they may be airborne after finishing cleaning, but quickly fall back onto surfaces.

- Avoid carpets and other comfortable habitats for dust mites, especially if the carpeting is placed directly over concrete, because it easily holds moisture, thus providing a humid environment for dust mites. Remove wall-to-wall carpeting, if possible, and replace it with linoleum, tile, vinyl or wood flooring. Also think over removing such bedroom furnishings as horizontal blinds, non-washable curtains and upholstered furniture.

Description of the test
An allergy skin test identifies which substance triggers an allergic reaction. A small amount of the substance, or allergen, is introduced to the body through the skin. If the skin reddens or swells then the test is read as positive and the person is probably allergic to that substance. The reaction is due to the release of histamine, a chemical naturally found in the body, which causes swelling, redness, and itching (also known as a wheal). This test is performed by an allergist.

Allergy skin test picture, pictures os skin allergy test.

Home dust mites are very little arthropods on eight legs that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Every gram of house dust contains up to a hundred thousand mites. The common home dust mites differ from any other types of mites, as they do not bite. How do they survive? By eating dander shed from the human and animal skin. The trouble is that dust mites can cause lots of people health problems, as many humans are allergic to the mites’ droppings. It doesn’t matter whether the home mite is alive or dead – once their excretions and sloughed off skin go airborne, they may lead to some health-related conditions. Fortunately, you can control the dust mites’ effects using dust mite spray.

If you are allergic to the mites’ droppings, it can cause you allergic rhinitis or asthma attack, with symptoms of the latter being difficulty breathing, wheezing and coughing. As for allergic rhinitis, it can cause sinuses and an inflamed, swollen nose, with the symptoms including watery itchy eyes, sinus headaches, a runny nose, coughs and sneezing. Unluckily, for the person allergic to dust mites, the reaction becomes stronger with every case of exposure to mites. This means you should make every effort in order to eliminate or at least limit the exposure, using usual methods and, if needed, the house dust mite spray.

The safest way of keeping dust mites out of the house is to keep your home clean. Since the dust mites like living in carpets, bedding, clothing and upholstered furniture, you can lower the infestation chances by regular laundering and vacuuming. As the mites also propagate in very humid places, running dehumidifier or an air filter can also help decrease the dust mites’ impact.

Besides usual cleanliness, you can find helpful to use a house dust mite spray, which is able to reduce or even eliminate lots of dust mites. There’re different types of mite spray, one containing natural ingredients, while others being of the chemical insecticide sorts. Another successful method is steam cleaning, as furniture and mattresses may be treated and the steam heat is able to kill off developing colonies of house dust mites. Although using a pump sprayer with mite spray in a fine mist is usually very effective, sometimes regular applications of spray might be necessary. Finally, you may try laundering clothing with custom anti-allergen detergent, as this can be very helpful to people extremely sensitive to home dust mites.

Pictures of dust mites, house dust mites pictures.

House dust mites photos, home dust mites pictures, pictures of home dust mites.

House dust mites pictures, pictures of dust mites, photos dust mites.