How to get rid of dust mites: bedding, humidity and cleaning that work

Step by step: how to get rid of dust mites

Safety first. If you have asthma or mite allergy, wear a mask while cleaning or have someone else vacuum, and leave the room for a while afterward. Check your water heater setting: water hot enough to kill mites can scald, so use the washer’s hot cycle rather than running very hot tap water by hand. Follow labels exactly on any mite spray.

1. 1

   Encase the mattress, box spring and pillows

   Fit zippered, allergen-proof covers on the mattress, box spring and every pillow. The tightly woven fabric keeps mites and their droppings sealed in and away from your face. Wipe or vacuum the covers when you change the sheets and wash them as their label says.

2. 2

   Wash bedding hot every week

   Wash sheets, pillowcases and blankets weekly in hot water, at least 130°F if the fabric allows, and dry them completely on high heat. Cooler washes remove much of the allergen but kill fewer mites. Bedding that cannot take heat should be washed weekly anyway and dried on the hottest setting it tolerates.

3. 3

   Bring humidity down

   Put a hygrometer in the bedroom. Dust mites need humid air, so keep relative humidity below 50 percent with air conditioning or a dehumidifier, and do not run a humidifier in the bedroom. Check it in summer, when humidity is highest.

4. 4

   Vacuum with a HEPA filter every week

   Vacuum carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture weekly with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter, so fine allergen is not blown back into the room. Go slowly, and use the upholstery tool on mattresses, headboards and sofa cushions.

5. 5

   Dust with a damp cloth

   Wipe surfaces with a damp microfiber cloth instead of a dry duster or feather duster, which throw allergen into the air. Work top to bottom, then vacuum the floor last.

6. 6

   Cut down on soft surfaces in the bedroom

   Wall-to-wall carpet, heavy drapes, piles of throw pillows and stuffed toys all hold mites. Swap to washable rugs and blinds or washable curtains where you can, and keep only a few stuffed toys that can go in a hot wash.

7. 7

   Treat upholstery and rugs you keep

   Vacuum upholstered chairs and sofas weekly. For carpets and rugs that stay, regular hot water extraction removes allergen, and some allergists suggest products that kill mites or neutralize the allergen; ask before using them around children or pets.

Which dust mite treatments actually work?

Bed encasements, hot washing, low humidity and HEPA vacuuming work best, especially used together. Single products sold as dust mite fixes do far less on their own.

National Jewish Health recommends zippered encasings for mattresses, pillows and box springs, weekly hot (130°F) washing of bedding, and indoor humidity of 30 to 40 percent, and lists mite-killing and allergen-neutralizing treatments for carpets and upholstery. The American Lung Association advises keeping humidity below 50 percent, washing bedding weekly in hot water and vacuuming weekly with a HEPA filter.

What are dust mites and where do they live?

Dust mites are tiny bugs, too small to see, that feed on flakes of human skin. Every home has them. The EPA says they live in mattresses, pillows, carpets, upholstered furniture, bedcovers, clothes and stuffed toys.

It is their body parts and droppings, not the mites themselves, that trigger allergies and asthma in sensitive people. That is why cleaning matters even after mites die: the allergen stays in fabric and dust until you wash or vacuum it out. Mites do not bite, so itchy red welts usually point to something else, such as bed bugs.

What humidity kills dust mites?

Keeping relative humidity below 50 percent makes it hard for dust mites to survive and breed. They absorb water from the air, so dry air shrinks their numbers over weeks.

Cedars-Sinai suggests a dehumidifier to keep indoor moisture under 50 percent, and National Jewish Health aims lower, at 30 to 40 percent. Lower humidity also helps with mold: the EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50 percent. Very dry air can irritate skin and sinuses, so most people settle around 40 to 50 percent.

When to see an allergist

See a doctor or allergist if you have a stuffy nose, sneezing or itchy eyes that are worst in bed or first thing in the morning, or asthma that flares at home. Testing confirms whether mites are the trigger, so you do not spend money on the wrong fixes.

An allergist can also discuss medication and allergy shots or tablets, which work alongside cleaning. For the cleaning side, see our mattress cleaning guide and our carpet cleaning guide.

Mistakes to avoid

• Buying a mite spray but skipping encasements and hot washing, which do most of the work.
• Using encasements that only cover the top of the mattress instead of zipping all the way around.
• Dry dusting with a feather duster, which throws allergen into the air.
• Running a humidifier in the bedroom of someone with a mite allergy.
• Using a vacuum without a sealed HEPA filter, which blows fine allergen back out.
• Washing bedding only every few weeks.