How to Deal With Dust Allergies

Causes of dust allergies

Just because a person is allergic to dust does not mean that the person lives in a dirty house. Dust is made up of microscopic substances such as fabric fibers, pet dander, bacteria, pieces of cockroaches, mold spores, food flecks, dots of human skin, dust mites, and many other items. All of these items can and do cause irritations to humans with dust mites the most common.

You may not believe this but you can clean your house from top to bottom every hour and you will not rid your home of the microscopic dust mites. In one small grain of dust there are normally between 100 to 500 of these creatures, however, there could be as many at 19,000. Okay, do not freak out. Dust mites cannot bite you and will not give you any type of disease they only cause people with allergies to go bonkers. These small creatures love to live with people, temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity at 75 to 80 percent. The dust mites will die if the humidity drops below 40 to 50 percent. The majority of individuals with allergy problems due to dust are often inhaling the fecal matter that can be found on every item in the house and even becomes airborne during vacuuming.

Symptoms of dust allergies

Most individuals with dust allergies state the symptoms are similar to those of hay fever. The most common symptoms beings runny nose, watery eyes, itchy eyes, and sneezing. Severe reactions such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, and asthma like symptoms can occur in some cases. These symptoms can become worse while cleaning the house, vacuuming, or changing the bedding.

Treatment of dust allergies

In the majority of cases, your physician will prescribe medications. The most common are the same given for allergies due to pollens, which include bronchodilators, antihistamines, and corticosteroids.

Some individuals may decide on immunotherapy, which is series of injections. This method increases the extracts of different allergens with the goal of the person developing a tolerance to the allergen.

Controlling dust allergies

In some cases, individuals do there best to control the dust mites in their home to help reduce their symptoms.

The best way to control dust allergies is by:

• Washing all bedding in hot water at 130 degrees Fahrenheit - his will kill the dust mites
• Washing clothing every week in cool water will remove particles of the skin and will ensure you are leaving food behind for those small creatures.
• Dry cleaning clothing will kill the dust mites however; this does not always work 100 percent with 20 to 70 percent of the allergen remaining.
• Place rugs and blankets in the sun for three hours. This will kill the dust mites but not the allergen.
• Keep the humidity in your home at 50% or below.
• Use cheesecloth on the vents in the bedroom to help keep the dust from blowing into the room while you are sleeping
• Purchase mite allergen-proof mattress covers
• Purchase mite allergen-proof pillow covers
• Purchase comforters that can be cleaned at high temperatures
• Wash comforters every two to four weeks
• Place upholstered box springs in mite-proof covers
• Dry clean wool pants, sweaters, and coats,
• store wool pants, sweaters, and coats in well-heated, dry areas
• place out-of-season clothes in plastic
• purchase a Hepa vacuum cleaner