Silicon Valley Allergy and Asthma
2500 Hospital Drive, Bldg 14, Mountain View, CA 94040
Anjuli Mehrotra, MD
Dust mite avoidance measures:
1) Purchase dust mite covers for your mattress and all the pillows on the bed. These go all the way around your mattress and pillows and zip closed. You can purchase them online or in person at most department stores in the bedding section.
2) Keep your bed and the area around your bed uncluttered. Keep stuffed animals off the bed. Do not keep too many pillows on the bed.
3) Wash the bedding in hot water once a week.
4) If possible, remove carpeting from the bedroom and/or family room areas. If this is not possible, vacuum once a week (with a vacuum with a HEPA filter). If the patient with dust mite allergy must do the vacuuming, he/she should wear a painter’s mask.
5) Keep the humidity level in the house <50% since increased humidity leads to dust mite growth. Do not use a humidifier. In fact, some people buy de-humidifiers to keep the humidity level lower.
* Do not waste money on chemical sprays which are supposed to kill dust mites. These don’t work. Also, tower air purifiers do not help much with dust mite allergy, but are helpful with animal dander allergy and pollen allergy. Cleaning the air ducts once every couple years is a good practice, but it may not reduce dust mite allergies.
1) Purchase dust mite covers for your mattress and all the pillows on the bed. These go all the way around your mattress and pillows and zip closed. You can purchase them online or in person at most department stores in the bedding section.
2) Keep your bed and the area around your bed uncluttered. Keep stuffed animals off the bed. Do not keep too many pillows on the bed.
3) Wash the bedding in hot water once a week.
4) If possible, remove carpeting from the bedroom and/or family room areas. If this is not possible, vacuum once a week (with a vacuum with a HEPA filter). If the patient with dust mite allergy must do the vacuuming, he/she should wear a painter’s mask.
5) Keep the humidity level in the house <50% since increased humidity leads to dust mite growth. Do not use a humidifier. In fact, some people buy de-humidifiers to keep the humidity level lower.
* Do not waste money on chemical sprays which are supposed to kill dust mites. These don’t work. Also, tower air purifiers do not help much with dust mite allergy, but are helpful with animal dander allergy and pollen allergy. Cleaning the air ducts once every couple years is a good practice, but it may not reduce dust mite allergies.
Phone (650) 701-7DOC, Fax (650) 515-3043