So we continue our war on the dust mite and their allergens.
In Part 1, we killed dust mites by starving them to death through the use of dust mite-proof zippered mattress covers, pillow covers, and boxspring covers. In Part 2, we eliminated dust mites by washing them away with De-Mite or Allersearch Allergen Wash.
The War Continues! Today, we will eradicate dust mites and other allergen particles floating in our air with the use of air filters.
People have been trying to eradicate dust mites and allergens from the breathing space for years using all sorts of methods. There have been air cleaners that produce ozone (a not-so-good idea) in an effort to oxidize the dust mites, air cleaners that claimed to eradicate dust mites by the use of ions (an idea that might boost the effectiveness of a HEPA filter but useless on its own), and ultraviolet lamps that claim to eradicate dust mites all through the house by simply installing it in the AC unit.
Maybe you can tell by my skeptical tone that I don’t believe there is scientific proof to back up these claims to eradicate dust mites. Maybe you can’t tell….so I will make it clear.
Ozone machines, ionizers, and UV lights will not eradicate dust mites from your home. You aren’t going to completely eradicate dust mites from your environment.
You can however eradicate little bits and pieces of dead dust mites, their feces, and other allergens from your breathing environment while you sleep with a properly sized and situated HEPA air cleaner and purifiers
HEPA is an acronym for High-Efficiency Particulate Air and it is a measurement. Just like an hour is a measurement of time (all hours have 60 minutes, some just seem longer or shorter) HEPA is a measurement of filtering ability. It means that 99.97% of all particles as small as 0.3 microns are arrested by the filter.
Filtration that fine has the ability to eradicate dust mite particles and feces from the air that passes through the filter. Dust mite allergens are in the 8 to 10-micron range. Far larger than the HEPA definition and easy to eradicate if you can get the allergen to the filter.
HEPA filters work on the air exchange process. That means taking the air from the room, using a motor to suck the air in and then passing it through the filter, and then sending the newly cleaned air out in the room. As I type this, I can hear the low, gentle hum of the Austin Air HealthMate Junior working to eradicate the allergens from the room.
We carry many reliable and reputable brands of HEPA air cleaners to eradicate dust mites, allergens, odors, and chemicals.
I am fond of HealthMate machines because they just last and last and last. Made in the USA, they are dependable and hard workers. They are not energy hogs and when on the medium and low settings are not loud at all. I especially like that their 5-year filters last so long that I have to write the filter date on the bottom of the machine or I would forget about filter changes. I can’t honestly tell you how old the machine sitting in my office is. I can’t say that about many other small appliances..but I digress.
As we have stressed over and over, the most important room in the house is the bedroom. You want to place your HEPA air cleaner as close to the bed as possible. The air closest to the machine is the cleanest and if you are going to eradicate dust mite particles from your breathing space while you sleep, then you want it close by.
If you don’t have rugs or carpeting or heavy draperies in your living area, then chances are you don’t have as many airborne particles in those rooms. You can put your HEPA air cleaner in just about any place in those rooms.
The Allergy Store
