Finding Dust Mites and Removing Them with a Dehumidifier for House Use

If your allergies or asthma always seem to hit the hardest when you’re at home, you may have a bad case of dust mites.

These tiny troublemakers love warm, humid spaces. Sneezing, itchy eyes, and stuffy noses feel like a daily battle when you have an infestation. What’s worse is that they’re hiding right where you spend most of your time: on your bed, couch, carpets, and the surrounding curtains.

The good news is that you can fight back. Controlling humidity is one of the most effective ways to keep dust mites from thriving.

A dehumidifier for house use helps with this. By keeping moisture levels low, you make your home less inviting to them and more comfortable for you. But more on that later.

First, we’ll walk you through the Top 10 places in our homes that dust mites usually inhabit. You’ll find some practical tips on how to control dust mites in your home, like using portable dehumidifiers and damp cloths for cleaning. You’ll also find unusual tricks like freezing bedding, and why they work.

What Are Dust Mites?

Dust mites are microscopic arachnids from the outdoors and are so tiny that they’re invisible to the naked eye.

They have a lifespan of up to three months. Their close-up images show terrifying creatures with eight pointed legs and thick pincers, but they actually don’t bite or sting. The American Lung Association says it's the proteins in their urine, feces, and decaying bodies that cause allergic reactions.

Dust mites feed on dead skin cells. This is why they love living indoors; people shed 30,000 dead skin cells per minute, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Another essential need for dust mites is moisture. They thrive when humidity is between 75-80%. This is because dust mites don’t drink water. Their bodies absorb water vapor directly from the air instead.

With these simple living requirements, dust mites can easily thrive indoors. These microscopic allergens can thrive in your home if your house is always dusty and humid.

Now to the more important question: Where are the most common places for dust mites?

Ten Places at Home Where the Dust Mites Thrive

People with asthma or are sensitive to most indoor allergens may have breathing and skin problems because of dust mites.

If you or someone in your family has dust mite allergies, you must know how to get rid of dust mites in your home. Mitigating dust mite allergen sources is important for your family's safety. You can start by finding their favorite dwellings.

Where do dust mites live in your house? Virtually everywhere. If they have food and moisture, they can live anywhere people are.

Here are the top ten places dust mites inhabit inside a house:

1. Pillows, Mattresses, and Beddings – People sleep an average of six to seven hours, one-fourth of a full day. Dead skin cells will no doubt accumulate on pillows, mattresses, and bed sheets. Coupled with bedroom humidity, beds and everything on them are prime spots for dust mites.
2. Carpets – Carpets catch everything: dust, pet dander, mud, food crumbs, everything that dust mites love. And if liquid spills on a carpet, it usually takes a long time to dry them. This is another win for dust mites, unless you have a dehumidifier for house running nearby.
3. Upholstered Furniture – Foam is conducive to dust mites because they can hide in the porous material and stay undisturbed.
4. Curtains – Dust mites easily latch on curtains, especially the thicker fabrics. Since they hang vertically, they give dust mites plenty of space from which to absorb humidity in a room.
5. Clothing – Seasonal clothes left untouched in cabinets for weeks or months can also become dust mite havens.
6. Books – The fibers on pages of books trap dust, which includes dead skin cells. Paper also absorbs moisture, which provides dust mites with moisture, to boot.
7. Stuffed Toys – From their fluffy faux fur, fleece, velour, and cotton casing to the fiberfill used as stuffing, plushies are inherently dust mite-friendly.
8. Pantries and Closets – Dusty, musty pantries and walk-in closets are also conducive environments for dust mites.
9. Pets and Their Beddings – Household pets are practically vehicles for dust mites to get into every corner of your home. Their sleeping spots are prime real estate for them as well.
10. Vacuums – Ironically, the appliance we use to combat dust mites can also become their ideal habitat. Dust mites can live inside vacuum dust bags and filters until you replace or wash them.

How To Tell If a House Has Dust Mites

We can safely assume that most homes have dust mites—that's a fact. Their presence can be negligible when there's only a few places where they can live in your home. If they multiply, then they become problematic.

So, to prevent dust mites from taking over your home life, keep an eye out for these signs:

1. Allergic reactions – If asthma attacks are becoming more frequent or allergies are getting worse, you may have an infestation. Examples of allergic reactions are eczema flare-ups, sneezing, coughing, red eyes, itchiness, rashes, or bumpy skin.
2. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) – ACD or simply contact dermatitis is usually a sign of significant dust mite presence. It appears as a red rash or red streak of bumpy skin, which can be like blisters in severe cases.
   ACD can happen when your skin touches fecal matter from dust mites. So, if these things live in your pillows and bed sheets, you will likely experience these symptoms.
3. Evening and early morning allergies – Many things can trigger allergies. However, if yours usually flare up when you go to sleep or just after you wake up, you might literally be sleeping with the culprit.
4. Tiny stains that look like green dots – This is the biggest tell that your house has dust mites. These stains are most likely from their dried-up feces and urine.

How To Kill Dust Mites

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), dust mites die when humidity dips below 50%. They also don’t like very high temperatures. With these facts in mind, here's what kills dust mites instantly:

1. Wash bedding in hot water. Mayo Clinic recommends setting the temperature up to 130°F (or 54.4°C) when using the washer or dryer.
2. Use a steam vacuum on infested rugs and carpets. A study in the 90s looked into the effects of steam cleaning on mite-infested carpet samples from a tenement in the UK. The researchers found that a domestic steam cleaner can kill dust mites and reduce allergens.
3. Freeze materials infested with dust mites. This may sound unusual, but a study conducted in 2018 found that freezing dust mites can kill them. Researchers placed infested clothes and stuffed toys in plastic bags and froze them at 5°F (or −15°C) for 48 hours. Adult dust mites and their eggs died during the experiment.

Long-Term Preventive Measures

No matter how well or frequently you clean your home, dust mites will inevitably find their way inside. It helps to know how to prevent dust mites at home and focus on long-term preventive measures.

Tip: Small tasks done consistently can have much better and lasting results than one-time solutions. The list below includes simple, often-overlooked tips that should help you keep your home allergen-free.

1. Use a damp or oiled rag to wipe the surfaces.
   Use a damp towel to wipe down dusty surfaces. This will also collect dust mites and prevent them from circulating further indoors. This lowers the risk of triggering an allergic reaction in other people in the house whenever you clean.
2. Keep moisture-prone rooms dry as much as possible.
   Bathrooms, kitchens, indoor pools, saunas, and laundry rooms are moisture-prone areas that increase humidity levels inside your home. The key is to keep them dry when you’re not using them. When you cook or take a shower, make sure to open a window or turn on an exhaust fan to send the steam out of the house.
3. Invest in dust mite covers for beds, pillows, and sofas.
   Studies show that dust mite covers help reduce allergy symptoms in children with asthma. They use impermeable fabrics, which prevent dust mites from burrowing through the foam of pillows or mattresses.
4. Invest in high-performance, HEPA vacuum cleaners.
   Vacuum cleaners with high efficiency particulate air or HEPA filters help for long-term dust mite prevention. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of airborne particulates, including dust mites. They have a multi-filtration system that prevents air particles, including dust mites, from escaping once they’re sucked in.
5. Get an air purifier.
   If your house has always had a problem with allergens on top of dust mites, get an air purifier. They effectively trap pollutants and dust mites, especially if they use HEPA filters. Filters in air conditioning units aren't enough for filtering dust mites, so an air filter will be better.

Dehumidifier for House: Your Best Weapon Against Dust Mites

Does a dehumidifier help with dust mites? Absolutely. Creating a hostile environment for dust mites is the best way to keep them out of your home.

Dehumidifiers reduce indoor humidity levels and absorb excess moisture in the air. By keeping indoor spaces dry, these appliances ensure that houses are non-conducive to mold growth, mildew, and yes, dust mites. Choosing the right dehumidifier for house benefits people allergic to dust mites and people with asthma.

Brands like Argendon are great for preventing dust mites at home. These are ENERGY Star dehumidifiers with ETL certifications for optimum performance. If you're looking for a low-maintenance, low-effort solution, this is the answer.

Conclusion

Dust mites may be ultra tiny, but they have a huge impact on your comfort and health.

Knowing where they hide in your house and how to keep those areas clean and dry gives you a real advantage. Cleaning regularly, washing laundry in hot water, and reducing humidity will have long-term results. Investing in the best dehumidifier for dust mites can also make a huge.

Your first steps in fighting dust mites can start here at Argendon. One of the fastest ways to keep them away is to use a dehumidifier for house with drain hose. Run it at least one hour a day, and it will make your home dry enough to repel dust mites.

Shop at Argendon today.