I have a dust mite problem and I really need help

[pennylane]

I can't stop sneezing. I went to a doctor and he said it was probably dust mites. I tried some basic stuff (washing sheets, etc) and they helped temporarily, but within a couple days it was back to normal.

I say it's centered around my bed because we have wood floors and no fabric-y furniture/upholstery. I have no problems in the living room, just in my bedroom (only things in my bedroom are bed, desk, pleather chair, books, and boxes). My symptoms are worst in the mornings and go away as I leave the apartment.

I've visited allerg.com and they seem to know what they're doing.

I need to rid the mattress of dust mites and/or encase the mattress, but I don't know which products will be effective. I need help deciding what to get and stuff. If you've had experience with dust mites, please help me.

I will also encase the pillows... probably with this.

I don't know if I want to encase the mattress because they can be expensive. A twin is still $60, and I'm not sure how effective it will be. Bed, bath, and beyond has one here. It looks similar to one recommended by allerg.com so it looks like it will work.

I also don't know how to properly clean the mattress. Can i get dust mite removal spray/powder at a place like target (or bed, bath & beyond)? I don't have a steamer thing and my vacuum is dirty underneath so I don't want to vacuum my mattress. If I get an encasing, do I need to still clean the mattress?

I'd rather not order products from that website because I can't receive packages well (I'm always out and I live in an apartment so delivery guys can't just drop stuff off. Also, I happen to actually have some free time this weekend soI want to do everything now.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

What kind of pillows do you have? Get rid of any kind of feathers, including down. Don't put them in the closet either; completely get rid of them. Even having them anywhere in your house greatly increases allergens <sp>, including dust mites.

 

[Aquaman]

Vaccum the mattress

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[pennylane]

I have 2 pillows. One is polyester-filled (synthetic). The other doesn't specify. It's a Sealy Posturepedic and says it's hypo-allergenic. It's machine washable. I'll at least toss them in the dryer, though maybe I'll wash both (I've never washed pillows before... I don't know how they handle being washed). I will also encase both no matter what.

 

[I Saw OJ]

Be careful when you wash the pillows, some dont take to washing very well. I washed all my pillows and for one thing, they took like 6 hours of them being in the dryer to get dry, and then they werent completely dry. Plus, now after I have washed them, they are all lumpy and not as soft...

 

[vegetation]

Toss your pillows. Old pillows have something like 1/5 the weight being dead mites in them.

 

[Mermaidman]

I'd ditch the mattress. If you can't afford a new mattress, sleep on some blankets! Better that than sneezing.

 

[badmouse]

First and most important, replace the pillows. Get foam ones, and don't spend much on them - you'll throw them out in a couple of months and replace them. Your head spends a lot of time on those pillows. Get covers, and change/wash the pillowcases every few days.

Second, cover the mattress. Go to Walmart/Target/whatever, find something not too expensive. Don't bother ordering from those expensive stores, they're exactly the same thing for a lot more money. Make sure it's a full cover, top bottom & sides. If it's possible to replace the mattress, it's a great idea. Don't vaccuum the bed, it just stirs up the mite population. Sprays, etc do nothing, don't waste your $.

Then, get a mattress topper and cover it with anti-allergy plastic. At least you'll have one clean layer between you and the mite-ridden mattress.

Third, wash everything in HOT water. Water has to be over 135 degrees or something to kill dust mites. It's really nice (as you've noticed) to wash everything every few days.

Fourth, never dust/vaccuum/change the sheets etc yourself. That's when all this stuff is flying around the worst. Obviously, if you live alone, you'll have trouble with this - but be aware. It helps to wear a dust mask when you're moving dust mites around.

Fifth, do you keep your clothes in your room? Moving them out would help.

Sixth, don't keep sheets/blankets/comforters very long. You can never really rid them of dust mites, and new ones are cheap these days, thank goodness. You really do have to wash the sheets/blankets/comforters often in hot water, and that will wear out the bedding. Keep an eye out for sales in Hot Deals.

Good luck.

(mom of kid with asthma)

 

[badmouse]

I just read your post again. NO. You can't clean your mattress, and you can't get rid of the dust mites in your mattress. You can encase it in covers, and the cheap anti-allergy covers at walmart are perfectly good. The cover has to COMPLETELY encase the mattress, locking the little devil-mites inside. Tip: you can use two covers, one over the other, for better protection and longer cover-life. Obviously, if the cover gets ripped or torn, it's not going to work any longer. Replace.

There may well be a spray or whatever that kills mites on mattress, but none of my co-asthmatic parents have ever found one. And we've tried them all, believe me.

Don't even THINK about steam. Dust mites thrive on dampness. Dry, dry, dry.

The most important line of your post is that washing the sheets made your problem better for a few days. That's GREAT!!!! Get a couple sets of sheets, change them every 3 days (don't leave the dirty sheets in the bedroom) and go wash them all in hot water when you do your laundry.

That, plus new pillows and a mattress cover, should go a long way. Good luck!!!!

 

[John P]

As others have said get a decent cover for your mattress and pillows. Keep anything else that can gather dust mites (stuffed animals, chair cushions, even old clothes you don't hardly ever wear-you can buy containers for) out of your bedroom and perhaps even get an air cleaner for your bedroom (not too expensive at Costco or the like). Otherwise, keep things clean (wear a dust mask or have somebody else dust) and you should be fine. Some people would freak if they knew how many lbs of dust mite carcasses an old mattress holds

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Be careful when you wash the pillows, some dont take to washing very well. I washed all my pillows and for one thing, they took like 6 hours of them being in the dryer to get dry, and then they werent completely dry. Plus, now after I have washed them, they are all lumpy and not as soft...

If you didnt know you need to put tennis balls in with your pillows so they will dry faster and fluff them up. Otherwise you get what you're saying