How Dust Mites Affect Your Health and How to Prevent Them
Dust mites are everywhere even if you can’t see them with the naked eye.
Despite that, they can have a strong impact on your body. Long-term exposure to dust mites at home can cause mild to severe cases of allergic rhinitis.
The Allergy Symptoms of Dust Mites
An occasional sneeze is normal, but what happens when you’re sneezing all the time?
There are a few telltale allergy symptoms of dust mites.
For example, you might find yourself sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and even having a serious asthma attack when you’re back home.
What Are Dust Mites?
These microscopic insect-like pests create a few of the most common indoor allergens. These allergens can set off allergic reactions and asthma, and are created from their waste pellets and body matter.
Dust mites can live in your mattress, bedding, carpet, curtains, and many more places at home, feeding on dead human skin cells in dust.
What Causes Dust Mites?
Dust mites are a natural occurrence.
However, humidity is the biggest factor that determines the concentration level of these mites in homes. Unlike us, they do not drink water like us, but absorb moisture from the air.
If there is low humidity, dust mites are unable to survive.
Unfortunately, in tropical Singapore, the high humidity level means that dust mites are prevalent. You can feel it around you - how your skin, particularly your neck and facial areas, start to feel icky and sticky when you’re not in an air-conditioned area.
You also feel stuffy and uncomfortable, and it feels vastly different when you step inside the cool confines of your air-conditioned office.
How Do You Get Rid of Dust Mites in Your House?
There are a few ways to try and reduce the amount of mites at home. Let’s check them out!
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Reduce Humidity Levels
You can rely on your powerful air conditioners and dehumidifiers to bring down humidity levels at home, or even open your windows for short periods of time. An ideal range is below 50% (typical outdoor humidity levels in Singapore are between 60% to 80%).
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Get Rid of Dust Regularly
If you want to get rid of dust mites, being lazy is not a solution. Grab a duster or damp cloth and wipe down surfaces that tend to accumulate plenty of dust, like your window grilles, furniture, and carpets.
Avoid using tools like dry brooms that can cause dust to fly and spread across the room.
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Use Special Laundry Detergents
Dust mites can breed in your clothes and other textiles. Many of us do not use hot water when washing our clothes, so an alternative is to use specially created laundry detergents that work to remove these allergens.
- Use Smart Laundry Systems With Dust Mite Elimination Functions
A quick and convenient way to get rid of dust mites in your fabrics is using a smart laundry system with an anti-dust mite function.
With GoodWife’s Premium smart laundry system, simply select the option to turn on the anti-dust mite feature and let it work its magic on your clothes.
Say Goodbye to Dust Mites for a Healthier Life
Even if you can’t see them, there are many ways to ensure that you limit your exposure to dust mites.
A smart laundry system can help to make sure that you enjoy clean and hygienic clothes and other textiles without any extra effort!
