What are dust mites and how to get rid of them?

How often does a rash appear on the skin or we have difficulty breathing for no apparent reason. In fact, these may be the consequences of dust mites living in the house. In the article we will tell you in detail what these parasites are, how they are dangerous to humans and how to deal with them, and whether it is possible to get rid of them forever.

Microscopic dust mites belong to the arachnid class of arthropods. They feed on dead cells of human skin and like to live in dusty environments. These parasites are also called bed, mattress, linen or furniture - precisely because they choose places where dust accumulates.

The beginning of the heating season is the best time to increase the number of these parasites. It is important to know what the insect looks like and how to deal with it. It is simply impossible to see dust mites, they can only be seen under a microscope, because their length is only half a millimeter.

This creature, invisible to the eye, actually has a flattened body and 8 legs with suction cups, with which it tenaciously attaches to the surface. The harmful microorganism has two pairs of jaws and uses them simultaneously to eat and pierce the host's skin.

Under the microscope, you will see a parasite that looks like a tiny spider. In fact, parasitologists talk about no less than 140 species of dust mites. The group of domestic ticks includes the following species.

• Itching, or itch mite. It parasitizes exclusively on the human body, causing scabies.

• Chicken mite. He can live in bird droppings, and also feel good in bird nests, in the crevices of wooden objects. In humans, it causes skin rashes and skin irritation.

• Bird tick... Affects wild and domestic animals. Living in close proximity to a person, he is able to attack him.

• Rat mite... The main host of the parasite is considered to be rats, but in their absence it can attack other mammals, including humans, causing rat tick-borne dermatitis. Quite dangerous for humans.

• House mite (hairy). The microorganism loves to live in flour, grain residues, tobacco and even a cheese product. Causes dermatitis on human skin.

We will tell you in more detail why house dust mites appear and where they like to be more.

The bed is a favorite place for these harmful microorganisms.... And even in those houses where they maintain perfect cleanliness, there is still a small population of such dust mites. Scientists were able to establish that 1 g of dust can contain from 10 to 10 thousand such parasites.

But where cleaning is done infrequently, and dust accumulates, these rooms become an expanse for dust mites. Consider the favorite habitats of these parasitic creatures:

• pillows (especially with natural feather filling);
• old mattresses (if you do not clean the mattress for a long time, over time it will consist of 10% of linen mites);
• cotton blanket;
• natural carpets (parasites like to feed on natural pile);
• all bed linen;
• furniture upholstery (on the couch, on the bed);
• curtains and curtains;
• bookshelves and other places where dust accumulates.

So, linen parasites like to dwell in soft toys, in old (stale) clothes, in wool blankets, and so on.

Be careful: dust mites are a regular feature of low-cost hotel rooms and rental apartments... Frequent change of guests, poor-quality and untimely cleaning lead to the fact that dust mites actively multiply in these places.

However, if you do not change or wash bed linen for a long time in an ordinary dwelling, do not carry out wet cleaning, then many keratinized particles of the skin will collect on the bedding, on the floor, which will cause the appearance of microscopic dusty parasites. This is an excellent habitat for them to live and reproduce.

How to understand that these harmful invisible creatures are and are the boss on an equal basis with you in the room?

It is unrealistic to determine their presence with the naked eye: they simply cannot be detected. Therefore, watch your well-being: allergy symptoms are already a sign that the number of dust microorganisms has exceeded the permissible limits. In fact, there are no norms, they are just harmless in small quantities, and when you feel changes in the body for no apparent reason, react immediately.

First of all, in case of manifestations of allergic reactions, consult a doctor, an allergist, with the help of special tests and analyzes, will reveal whether there is a change in the state of health when reacting to this parasite. Once you are convinced that it is a dust mite - take all measures to destroy the pest.

Such parasites do not bite a person, but are harmful in their own way. If you do not identify the cause of allergies and do not begin to fight them, such a condition can turn into a chronic one, be it dermatitis on the skin or sinusitis, there are often cases when these creatures cause asthma in humans.

In addition, other diseases are provoked, for example, Quincke's edema, conjunctivitis, rhinitis and others. If the doctor talks about tick-borne sensitization, this means that you have undergone a reaction from household parasites. On contact with scabies mites scabies will begin to progress, but that's not all.

This group of parasites, living in a domestic environment, can spoil food, your clothes, shoes and furniture. Household ticks are also dangerous for pets. Moreover, the parasites themselves do not bite either humans or animals. The danger lies in their bowel movements and secretory secretions. In these waste products there are enzymes (protein compounds), they destroy the skin and give various kinds of complications.

It is almost impossible to get rid of these parasites at home completely and remove these parasites from your apartment with your own hands. But this does not mean that you do not need to do anything. It is quite possible to reduce their number and prevent them from breeding to a large scale.

Here, as they say, and a vacuum cleaner to help, and special means for processing, and other actions will help. The first step is to reduce the humidity and lower the temperature in the room.... The parasite dies at temperatures below 20 degrees.

Freezing is recommended for toys with soft stuffing, even pillows and other bedding. Freezing can be arranged in winter or directly in the freezer. The product is packed in a bag and left to freeze for 5 hours, and then the dead individuals are thoroughly wiped out from it.

Even though they are not visible you need to thoroughly shake the frozen accessories to clean them... Well, bulky items can be frozen in the winter outside in the frost, starting from -5 degrees.

You can also "bathe" them in the snow cover - from such a procedure not only pests will die, but also carpets, soft toys, blankets, blankets, mattresses will be cleaned.

Ultraviolet light will kill bed mites in just a couple of hours, and UV exposure will negatively affect enzymes - ingredients that cause allergies. Therefore, hide yourself in the strong sun, and leave the pillows and other bedding to “roast” in the sun.

Treat the affected areas in the room with an ultraviolet lamp. Lower the indoor humidity to below 40% - this can also kill microscopic mites that live in dusty environments. Finally, buy yourself a dust mite mattress topper and pillowcases, or use infusor soil.

Yes, there are such methods of destruction. In the first case, the products do not allow dust to pass through, which means that the basis for the reproduction of parasites is not created, and in the second, diatomaceous earth (only for food purposes!) Is scattered on the bedding and after 8-12 hours this infusorite earth made from single-celled skeletons is removed with a vacuum cleaner aquatic creatures.

The tiny fossilized particles of this powder are very sharp, like a blade, and have a detrimental effect on microorganisms. It is advisable to wash the textile base of bedding after such processing, but the infusorite does not harm a person.

Some indoor plants, such as dracaena, ficus, geranium and others, will help prevent the accumulation of dust and, accordingly, dust parasites. Treating with tea tree oil or ammonia will also reduce the insect population.

Of course, special means will have the greatest effect. Let's take a closer look at some of them and note what effect they have on harmful microorganisms.

This is not to say that the fight against a parasite living in the dust is useless. If it is not possible to completely destroy the parasites with the help of a spray, suspensions, acaricides and other drugs, then special means will help control their vital activity and fertility.

So, let's designate several compounds with which you can poison a dust mite, while not harming a person.

• Allergoff - spray and acaricide in nanocapsules. When treated with such a tool, not only ticks die, but their waste products are also destroyed, which causes allergies. When processing, the preparation does not leave stains, it is harmless to humans and pets.

• "Milbiol" - aerosol for processing any textile surface, including the ability to remove parasites from mattresses. The drug disrupts the nutrition of microorganisms and stops their reproduction.

• "Tsifox" - highly concentrated and toxic agent, used diluted according to the instructions. You should work with the drug only with gloves and a mask, if possible, free the room from people and pets for a day.

• Easy air - spray with organic composition. If the parasite has already caused an allergy in someone at home, this remedy will help eliminate allergic symptoms. The composition can be used to treat any surface.

• All-Rug - carpet and floor cleaner in the form of shampoo. Prevents the proliferation of mattress mites.

• Dani earth - another spray cleaner.It is used for cleaning soft surfaces (pillows, mattresses, soft toys and upholstered furniture). Due to its non-sticky consistency, the product instantly evaporates, and the products dry quickly.

With a significant accumulation of linen mites, it is necessary to take radical measures to destroy them and reduce the population. And if you carry out regular preventive measures, you will be able to avoid chemical treatments.

Some part of the parasites will still remain, but this will already be an insignificant amount that will not bother the owners. Experts recommend replacing all natural-filled mattresses, pillows and duvets with synthetic bases.

If there are many soft toys in the house, they need to be regularly vacuumed, cleaned, steamed, if there is no time for this, then it is better to get rid of them forever. Upholstered furniture also needs regular cleaning. All surfaces (floor, baseboards, cabinets, tables, and so on) are periodically treated with saline solution.

Do not forget about changing bed linen: hygienists recommend doing this at least once every 7 days. Dry all bedding in the sun during the summer, and leave it out in the cold for a while during the winter.

Do not heat the air in the room above 21-22 degrees, because heat and humidity are the main conditions under which dust mites multiply rapidly. Knowing all these nuances and observing hygienic rules, you can ensure that a small number of parasites that live in your home will remain unnoticed.