Category: Dust Mites

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Eliminate Dust Mites – Warfare Part 2

In Part 1, we talked about killing dust mites as a form of warfare.

Today, we talk about the feasibility of eliminating dust mites.  As discussed in killing dust mites, the only way to really kill the dust mites in your mattress, box spring, and pillow is to starve them to death by cutting off their food source through the use of a zippered dust mite-proof cover.

So how can you eliminate dust mites?  If you can get it in the washing machine, you can wash them away! Now, regular washing won’t eliminate dust mites and their allergens.  The water in your “hot tub” of a washing machine would have to be 140° F to kill the dust mite and eliminate the allergen.

Most hot water heaters are not set at a temperature that high for safety reasons.  At temperatures that would eliminate dust mites, you would scald yourself in the kitchen or bathroom.  Such a bad idea!

So how can you eliminate dust mites without causing bodily harm to you or your family members?  De-Mite or Allergen Wash!

De-Mite Laundry Additive contains tea tree oil, oil of wintergreen, and benzyl benzoate. It will safely eliminate dust mites from anything you can safely wash in the washing machine.  By using De-Mite you can eliminate dust mites from your bedding by washing in warm or cold water. Not only will you eliminate dust mites, but you will also save on energy costs by using cooler water temperatures.

Allersearch Allergen Wash utilizes super surfactant agents and ACARIL to eliminate all allergens from bedding, clothing, stuffed animals, towels, and rugs.  Once again, if you can get it in the washing machine, Allergen Wash will eliminate dust mites while removing soil.

The big difference between eliminating allergens and dust mites with De-Mite and eliminating them with Allergen Wash is how they work.

The Allergen Wash surfactants remove soil and allergens and the ACARIL will denature anything left behind.  The De-Mite is an additive that must be used in conjunction with your detergent to eliminate dust mites.  De-Mite does not contain surfactants (those are those soap things). It will not eliminate soil.

However, it will eliminate the dust mites, so use it with your own laundry detergent (we like the Envirorite Clearly Clean) and eliminate those dust mites!

Til next time.

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Killing Dust Mites – Warfare Part 1

If you are reading this blog, chances are you or someone you love was recently diagnosed with an allergy to dust mites.  When I talk to people that have received a recent diagnosis they have a variety of feelings. Some are in denial, (how can a bug make you sick? I keep a clean house!) some are overwhelmed, and the vast majority are mad at the dust mites and ready to declare war.

The first rule of warfare is to know your enemy.

Just to cover the basics: dust mites are microscopic creatures that feed on shed human skin cells.

  • They do not bite.
  • You cannot see them and you cannot feel them.
  • They like it dark, moist, and with a ready supply of food.

Their bodies are covered by a hard shell (like a carapace) and this shell and their feces contain a protein (Der f1 and Der p1) that is the most common household allergen.  Fiber surfaces are their favorites.

The bedroom is the most popular room in the house.  The mattress, pillow, and blanket are an environment that meets all of their needs.  We make them warm with our body heat, we exhale moisture and also sweat, and we shed our skin as we sleep.

The same environment also traps their shed carapaces and feces, making it a hotbed of allergy activity (pun intended).

Knowing this about your enemy, what good is achieved by killing the dust mites?  Aside from making you feel like you accomplished something and controlling the population you really haven’t done much.

Remember the problem is the protein in the feces and carapace.  Dead mites don’t poop, but killing mites doesn’t get rid of the existing feces.  Killing mites cause the mite body to break down and thus the carapace releases its protein.

So, killing dust mites doesn’t control dust mite allergy and could make it worse.  That is probably a good thing because no pesticide is approved in the United States as a dust mite acaracide.

I get it.  You want to kill the mite, so do it in a manner that will provide allergen relief.  Starve them to death! Yep. That’s right…..kill dust mites slowly by starvation.  The bonus to this approach to killing dust mites is that by starving dust mites you get immediate allergy relief.

So, how do you starve them?  Cut off their supply of food.

Encase your mattress, box spring, and pillows in special zippered dust mite proof covers.  This puts an allergen-proof barrier between you and the mites.  Their food supply will be limited to what is already in the bed or pillow with them. Slowly, over the years, they will die of starvation.

From the first night, you sleep on dust mite-proof covers you will get relief.  You will not be exposed to the dust mites, their shed body parts, or their feces!  And, you will also get the satisfaction of knowing that you are killing them softly and slowly…by starvation. Revenge can be sweet indeed!

Til next time
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Best Dust Mite Cover

What is the best dust mite cover?   Wow! We get that question many times a day.  It is sort of like asking “what is the best flavor of ice cream?” It is all a matter of preference.  My son loves cherry, I don’t. I love vanilla.

My daughter loves the satin feel of the fabric used to make our Bed Bug Mattress cover.  It is not my favorite. I like either the Linen or the AllergyCare  100% Cotton.

The best dust mite cover is the cover that you find the most comfortable.  If you are concerned about chemicals and want to support organic farmers, then the Certified Organic Cotton is the best dust mite cover for you.If you need something thin and lightweight that can stand up to frequent washing then the Pristine Luxury fabric is for you.

Every dust mite and bed bug proof mattress, duvet, and pillow cover we sell will give you protection against the common household allergens.  These include dust mites and their feces, animal dander, molds, pollens and cockroach bits.  If in addition to dust mite allergy protection, you need waterproof protection for the mattress, then you want a urethane coated fabric. The Linen or Bed Bug fabric would be best for you. The other fabrics do not offer waterproof protection, so they would not be the best.

When I help people choose a fabric, I ask them about the sheets that they like. If someone is an all cotton person, they won’t like the feel of the polyester fabrics. It doesn’t matter that Pristine has the smallest pore size, its not the best if you don’t like the way it feels so you take it off the bed.

Another consideration is how often you plan on washing your dust mite cover.. We recommend that you wash the covers at least once or twice a year.  Some people just like to wash more often. The more you want to wash the cover, the more polyester you need in the fabric. For such a person, the Pristine Luxury is the best dust mite cover.  If you want to wash often but need the feel of cotton, the AllerSoft Cotton Blend is the best dust mite cover.

Another consideration is fabric price. If Certified Organic Cotton is out of your price range, then it is not the best dust mite cover for you.

To sum it up, the best dust mite cover is one that meets your needs for washing, is pleasing to your touch, and fits in your budget.  As for the ice cream, I’ll take a single scoop of vanilla in a cup please.

Cheryl