Are dust mites disturbing your sleep? The quality of a mattress is one of the main factors that determine the quality of your sleep. You may have acquired a hypoallergenic mattress, but if you neglect its cleanliness, the mattress will not be able to perform all its quality features for a long time.
Cleaning dust mites
Removing dust mites from your mattress and keeping them clean is a difficult task. How you clean it also depends on what your mattress is made of. For example, you cannot pour water on a memory foam mattress.
Dust mites are very small insects that hide and crawl all over the house. As their name suggests, they feed on dust and not just any dust. They eat the remaining dead cells that our skin sheds on a daily basis. They can be found on your clothes, on your carpets, in the dusty corners of your home, and anywhere else. Keeping your mattress and home especially clean of dust mites is of the utmost importance. Numerous studies have concluded that an abundance of dust mites leads to poor sleep quality.
Understandably, surfaces like our mattress, sheets, pillows and covers are likely full of the dead skin cells that are food for these parasites and can cause many problems for people who are allergic to mites.
With this in mind, follow the tips below and learn how to remove dust mites from your mattress!
- Take your mattress out into the sun
According to studies, dust mites cannot withstand extreme heat. Just as you expose your pillows and sheets to the sun, you should occasionally do the same with your mattress. It's also a good idea to leave both sides in the sun for an equal amount of time to make sure all the dust mites are gone.
Most mattresses come with a mattress cover that can be removed with zips or buttons. While the mattress itself is not primarily washable, it is worth noting that mattress covers are washable as a whole. It's usually not the inside of the mattress that gets infested with dust mites, but the cover, as both our bodies and the sheets can touch them and transfer the eggs and creepy-crawlies onto it. While washing the mattress cover, be sure to air out your mattress as mentioned above, let it get some sun and don't worry about anything. Try using steam and then let your mattress cover dry outside in the sun as well.
- Change the layout of your room
If your room has windows through which the sun comes in, you can simply place your bed near that window and let your mattress be exposed to the natural light from the window. In this way, your bed receives something… like a “spa treatment” every day and easily gets rid of persistent and annoying mites. It's a good idea to remove the sheets and pillow during the day so that your mattress gets a sufficient amount of sunlight.
Frequent vacuuming can be quite helpful when it comes to removing dust mites from your mattress. Something that could also help you get rid of mites also includes vacuuming your room at least once to twice a week. If you dust the rest of your bedroom, there will be less chance of dust mites thriving in your bed.
Baking soda is known to have antibacterial properties and helps to get rid of all kinds of germs both in your home and on your body. Bottle a mixture of water and baking soda and spray it on both sides of your mattress. Leave it on the mattress for 15 to 20 minutes and then vacuum the mattress once more. This method is not recommended for memory foam or latex mattresses.
- "Magic" blend of eucalyptus oil and tea tree
If you want a more sophisticated solution than baking soda, you should try this natural mixture, which almost "magically" removes pests and fungi from your body and furniture. Mix the two ingredients with water and bottle them. After that, you can spray it on your bed and leave it for 10 to 20 minutes to dissolve. Likewise, as with the baking soda mixture, it is essential to avoid spraying these mixtures on memory foam & latex mattresses. .
- If none of the above works, call a professional
Dust mites are persistent little insects and not being able to see them with the naked eye makes the cleaning process more difficult for many people. You should not feel bad if none of the methods work completely. You can just rely on a professional!
Article originally written for TerryCralle , official sleep information portal of Terry Cralle, Certified Nurse Practitioner & Sleep Clinician
