What Are Dust Mites?

Do you know what dust mites are? Microscopic creatures that feed of your sweat and dead skin cells, they are absolutely disgusting. And they live in your bed. We’re sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re not alone when you go to sleep. You share your bed with microscopic bugs.

Although generally harmless, the idea that mites live in your mattress isn’t a pleasant one. Apparently, they also contribute to allergy problems and asthma. The good news is that there is a way to kill them and it doesn’t involve weapons or strong chemical treatments. The only thing you need to do is be lazy and leave your bed unmade.

Leave Your Bed Unmade to Kill the Microscopic Bugs

Dr. Stephen Pretlove from the Kingston University School of Architecture proposes a simple explanation. After you rise and shine in the morning and make your bed you are trapping the body heat, the sweat, and dead skin cells all over your mattress.

If you leave your bed unmade, you will expose the sheets to light and air and dry the critters out. Don’t think you sweat when you sleep? The average individual might sweat up to one liter of liquid per night. So, this creates a perfect breeding ground for dust mites.

The good news is that you can destroy the mites easily. Scientists believe that there are around 1.5 million dust mites living in your mattress. As mentioned, they feed on your dead skin cells. Their excretions can cause asthma flare-ups and may aggravate dust allergies as well. Gross.

This is why experts recommend leaving your bed unmade. Some might call you lazy, but you know better. Leave the dust mites to dry out in the sun and you’ll get rid of them for good.

Why Are Dust Mites Such a Problem?

Don’t think of dust mites as tiny spiders living in your bed. They are microscopic and you can’t see them with a naked eye. However, that’s what makes them so dangerous.

Their excrements contain enzymes that might cause an extreme allergic reaction. Breathing them in might make you sneeze and make your eyes watery. In people with extreme allergic reactions, the whole thing could easily do a lot of damage.

Even if you’re not allergic, would you want to share your bed with thousands of bugs? Certainly not. Luckily, we have more than a few options to remove them and none includes calling the pricey exterminator.

More Scientists Chime In

Carolyn Forte from the Good Housekeeping Institute supports Dr. Pretlove’s idea. She too believes that leaving the bed unmade will expose the mites to fresh air and sunlight which would be catastrophic for them. Forte notes, however, that you should take your time making up your bed. An hour or two might not do the trick. Leave it unmade until you get back home from work and you’ll destroy colonies of the mites with ease.

Dr. Pretlove’s method is said to be working like a charm. There are other simple solutions as well – it’s not just this one. We’ll cover the most plausible below and help you get rid of dust mites for good.

Leave Your Bed Unmade

As mentioned, this is the best possible method to kill dust mites. You will leave them exposed to sunlight and air which should be more than enough to kill them in just a short time. Leave your bed unmade until you come home from work. Chances are you’ll be living with thousands of dust mites less when you go to bed later that night.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a real household champion that can help you in different ways.

Sprinkle a lot of baking soda on your mattress, leave it for 15 minutes, then vacuum your mattress to remove thousands of dust mites. You can also add a few drops of your essential oil to the mix – it will leave a wondrous aroma behind.

A vacuum with a HEPA filter might be a good idea for this one. With it, you can be sure no dust mites escape the mattress.

Wash Your Sheets in Hot Water

Dust mites don’t respond well to high temperatures. When we think of it, who does? Wash your sheets on temperature as high as 60C and you can forget all about them.

This should be done regularly – like, once a week. Not washing your sheets for months is a serious hygienic problem.

Steam Clean Your Mattress

A steam cleaner is a great way to destroy dust mites in your bed. Since the steam comes out scalding hot and can penetrate almost any fabric, it’s a good ‘weapon’ against the gnarly mites.

Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus Spray

Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties that can kill dust mites on sight. Mix it with a bit of eucalyptus oil and you’ll have a powerful natural ‘remedy’ against them.

As you can see, dust mites shouldn’t be such a big problem. Try any of the solutions above and you will get rid of them once and for all.

Here is also a video with 15 more ways to get rid of dust mites. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends.