Dust mites are invisible micro-bugs that are commonly found living in carpets. Attracted by the warm, humid environment and the thick, dense fibres in a carpet, dust mite numbers can swell over time. In fact, it’s estimated that in just a single ounce of carpet, approximately 2,000 dust mites can dwell. Worryingly, when you consider the entire area of a carpet, there’s going to be a heck of a lot of dust mites living in your flooring. Nobody wants dust mites in their carpets, not least, because they are bad for your health. Our professional carpet cleaning in Colchester offers all the advice and solutions you need to send carpet dust mites packing.
The impact of dust mites
Dust mites are common household allergens that can make your life miserable. If you suffer from conditions like asthma, hay fever or eczema, for example, being exposed to dust mites in your carpets can cause all sorts of uncomfortable symptoms, ranging from breathing difficulties to wheezing, itchy skin, sneezing, coughing, a runny nose and a sore throat. You might even need to take medication to manage symptom flare-ups.
Dust mites can’t be seen, so the only tell-tale sign they’re present will be how they affect your health. Keeping your space clean is the single best thing you can do to reduce dust mite numbers, but preventing them from thriving and multiplying is also important.
Reduce humidity
Dust mites live in warm, humid conditions, so lowering the moisture levels in a room can help to keep dust mite numbers in carpets under control. Open windows and wipe condensation away, and mop up spills. Try to keep humidity in a room to less than 50%, and use a dehumidifier if possible.
Dust mites also like warmth, so maintaining a temperature of no more than 68 degrees Fahrenheit is preferable for preventing dust mite populations from exploding.
Starve dust mites of their food source
According to our carpet cleaners in Colchester, who have vast experience looking after carpets, if you want to make a big dent in dust mite numbers, you need to make sure you’re not inadvertently feeding them.
Dust is the main thing these microscopic critters like to eat, so it’s essential to vacuum your carpets regularly, using a high-filtration machine.
Experts reckon that an upright canister vacuum machine or one that comes with a powerful nozzle is the best option for keeping dust mite numbers in check.
But remember that it’s not just vacuuming your carpets regularly that you should do to keep dust away. You’ll also need to dust furniture, curtains, rugs, sofas and other items, because these are also places that dust mites like to call their home.
Regular vacuuming not only gets rid of the dust in a carpet, which dust mites feed off, but other food sources, too, such as dead skin cells, pet dander and other types of organic matter living in carpet fibres.
Dust mite sprays
Dust mite sprays can be purchased from the shops, which can be used to help control dust mite numbers in a carpet.
However, it’s worth bearing in mind that their effectiveness is limited. Whilst these sprays may kill off some of the dust mites in the carpet, they might not tackle the source of the allergens, which is the droppings and dead carcases of the mites.
It’s also important to make sure that any product you use is going to be safe for your carpets, and not cause any health issues for family members.
Some people also swear by spraying rosemary, eucalyptus or clove essential oils to a carpet to treat dust mites, as it’s thought that the scent of these oils repels the mites. However, whilst this may seem like a natural option, it’s not without its risks. Some oils can irritate skin and may be harmful to pets, for example.
If you’re unsure about using these methods, speak to a professional, such as our carpet cleaning Essex experts, for advice.
Because dust mite sprays and essential oils aren’t effective as a standalone treatment, it’s better to consider using them in conjunction with other methods, such as steam cleaning.
Steam cleaning
Steam cleaning really does come into its own for eliminating not just the dirt in a carpet, but dust mites, too. This is the top method that experts recommend for removing dust mites, and it’s what we use at our family-owned carpet cleaning in Colchester.
Steam cleaning involves heating hot water inside a machine to over boiling point. The heated vapour is then applied to the carpet, which breaks down the dirt and stains inside it. But, cleverly, the heat also destroys dust mites and their eggs, which helps to break the reproduction cycle. Crucially, this cleaning process eliminates dust mite waste, which is responsible for causing unwelcome health symptoms.
Stick to the professionals
Not all steam cleaning machines are created equally, so if you’re thinking about hiring a machine to steam clean the dust mites out of a carpet yourself, you might not get the results you were hoping for.
Machines that you can hire are not likely to be as powerful and effective as those used by professionals, like our carpet cleaners in Colchester. They might not reach the required high temperature that’s necessary to kill off dust mites properly and destroy their eggs and waste. They may also not be powerful enough to fully remove the different types of food sources from a carpet that dust mites like to eat.
If you want to be certain of the best results, and the highest levels of dust mite numbers eliminated from your carpets, it’s, therefore, always preferable to use the services of a professional, such as our award-winning carpet cleaning Essex services.
At Carpet Bright UK, for example, we can not only remove dust mites from your carpets, but also your rugs, curtains, upholstery and mattresses, helping to keep your home free of harmful allergens.
Bear in mind that you’ll need to keep on top of regular cleaning at different times of the year to stop dust mite populations from blooming again. Our expert carpet cleaning in Colchester can manage this process for you.
