House dust mites are eight-legged microscopic creatures that are closely related to spiders and ticks, but they aren't insects. Dust mites are about 1/2 of a millimetre long and aren't visible to the naked eyes but can be viewed with a low power microscope. Dust mites develop from eggs through various larval stages and become adult at 20-30 days, after this the adult dust mites live for eight to ten weeks.
Dust mites are everywhere and are commonly found in most rooms, especially in soft furnishings, carpets, and beddings. Their presence is not a sign of poor house cleaning. They exist happily in the cleanest of homes - the main factor influencing their presence is relative humidity, so they'll be low at inland cities such as Broken Hill and Alice Springs but high in coastal cities (whichh is where most Australians live). If you have an excess of 100 dust mites per gram and upwards you will start to have allergic reactions, such as asthma.
Dust mites like temperate and humid climates. Controlling them in coastal climates is difficult, but it should help if you regularly air your house and dry out your bedding by placing it in the sun for several hours. It's the dust mite faeces that cause health effects, so you should also regularly remove this by HEPA Vacuum cleaning your mattress, bedding and soft furnishings (and kids toys) as well as the carpet.
Pillows can be easily controlled by placing them in an occlusive cover that acts as a barrier to the mites - this cover and the pillow cover can be laundered at 55C or above which kills mites.
If you don't air your house regularly, use an ordinary vacuum and don't air your mattress or wash your bedding above 55C you will be providing an ideal habitat for dust mites, which will increase in numbers and cause allergic reactions to occur, such as asthma.
Regularly air your house to prevent dust mites from growing in numbers, and regularly clean with a HEPA vacuum to remove dust mite faeces from surfaces, Otherwise, you will find that there are an increasing number of dust mites, and when increased in numbers can cause allergic reactions to occur.
Purchase a HEPA Vacuum (a high powered vacuum) and vacuum your home regularly to maintain the level of household dust and dust mites.
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