TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC NOSES: AVOIDING HOUSE DUST MITES
There are seven basic steps to take in reducing your exposure to house dust mites:
1. Put vinyl encasements around your pillow, mattress, and springs.
2. Hot water wash your bedding once a week.
3. Remove carpet from the bedroom. This is very important, as the carpet is the major nest for the house dust mite.
4. Install an air filtration system on your central system, your window air conditioner, or as a standalone unit in your bedroom.
5. Double-bag you vacuum cleaner.
6. Install a filter on the outlet port of your vacuum cleaner.
7. Wear a mask when vacuuming.
The most important of these is the removal of carpet from the bedroom. It is in the carpet where the house mites most often make their homes – it’s their nest. While removing bedroom carpet is a step many are reluctant to take, it is the best way to reduce mites. Many studies show the importance of carpet removal in limiting both your exposure to mites and the symptoms they cause. These same studies also suggest that if the carpet is not removed, your symptoms are likely to continue.
If removing your carpet is simply not an option, Acarosan powder can help. It is the droppings, not the mites themselves, to which mite-allergic people react. Acarosan powder kills house mites and clumps them together with their droppings, making removal by vacuuming effective. This product is expensive and requires application every two to three months, but it is very effective.
If you are allergic to several agents – pollens, mold spores, dogs or cats, and house mites for example – it is still best to remove the carpet. Acarosan will not help control the accumulation of pollen, dog or cat particles, or mold spores. Acarosan powder is available from your pharmacist without a prescription. A little kit for testing your dust for mites is also available so you can monitor how well your mite reduction efforts are working.
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