Get Rid of Dust Mites (And Dust Mite Allergies!) with Steam Cleaning

Do You Have Dust Mites?

Dust mites – they sound kind of harmless and most people think that if they keep their home relatively clean they probably don’t have them. But, dust mites are tiny bugs that live in your home, and whether you see them or not, they are probably there and they may even be the source of your allergies. FamilyDoctor explains why dust mites are a pretty gross problem that you should not ignore, “Dust mites feed off of pet and human dander (dead skin cells in the air and on surfaces in our homes). They live in every home in items such as mattresses and furniture…Dead skin and other waste from dust mites is a major cause of allergies and asthma. Symptoms of dust mite allergy include sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, and nasal congestion. If you have asthma, dust mites can cause you to wheeze more and need more asthma medicine. You may have more asthma symptoms at night, when you are lying in a bed infested with dust mites. Cutting down on the number of dust mites in the home is an important step if you or someone in your family has allergies or asthma.”

Steam Cleaning to Get Rid of Dust Mites

Now that you are more aware of that gross little (nearly invisible) problem, what do you do about it? How can you clean something you can’t really even see? The solution can be found in your handheld steam cleaner. But, it is important to note that it needs to be a high-quality, commercial-grade steam cleaner if you really want to get rid of dust mites. Not all steam cleaners heat water to the degree that a Vapamore steam cleaner does. Vapamore’s steam cleaner heats water to such high degree that the steam is capable of disinfecting up to 99% of bacteria and killing dust mites in their tracks. Dust mites love to hang out in carpeting, upholstery and mattresses so that is the area you want to concentrate on when trying to get rid of dust mites. First, vacuum the area to remove as much dirt and debris possible. Next, grab your steam cleaner and go to town. Take your time and give your steam cleaner plenty of time to kill the dust mites and disinfect the surfaces.

Is Steam Cleaning Dust Mites Really More Effective Than A Chemical Cleaner or Pesticide?

Steam cleaning to get rid of dust mites is not only effective but far safer for your health because it does not use any harsh or harmful chemicals in the process. NCBI notes that the effectiveness of steam in the battle against dust mites is scientifically proven to be incredibly effective, “Control of dust mites using extremes of temperature is an alternative to the use of acaricides. In the past we have attempted control by freezing with liquid nitrogen. The present paper deals with the opposite extreme, the use of steam…A domestic steam cleaner was used to treat carpet squares that had been seeded in the laboratory with known numbers of dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus). The number of live mites was monitored for a period of 4 months in eight treated carpet squares and eight controls…No live mites were found at any time in the treated carpet squares, whereas in the control squares geometric mean mite population density rose from 11 after 3 days to 39 after 1 month, 66 after 2, 122 after 3 and 185 after 4 months…These data indicate that steam cleaning has considerable potential as an highly effective and efficient method of killing dust mites and reducing concentrations of Der p 1 in domestic premises.”