Are the Dust Mites in Your Home Causing Health Problems?

Are the Dust Mites in Your Home Causing Health Problems?

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Although it may not be your top priority, having healthy indoor air quality is essential for a home's well-being and can be lifesaving for those with allergies, asthma, and hay fever.

The house dust mite, which contributes significantly to the allergens found in houses, is one of the main causes of poor indoor air quality, which can increase the symptoms of asthma among other respiratory health issues.

The damp environments that domestic dust mites prefer allows them to grow and devour any dust that gathers around flooring. When inhaled, the minute droppings from these small organisms can irritate and trigger allergic reactions in the airways of asthmatics because they are light enough to travel on the weakest air currents.

Allergens from house dust mites can also aggravate the eyes and cause eczema in children.

Stopp household dust mites becoming a problem in your home

Dust mites are so small that they are practically invisible to the naked eye. They are present in almost all homes, although normally their populations do not get big enough to cause problems for residents.

To control household dust mites populations in your home means you need to avoid creating situations that allow them to thrive.

Household dust mites do well in environments where there is a lot of damp. Dampness means that dust – their food and home – can build up and is less prone to being disturbed. 

Condensation from bathing, cooking and cleaning is the most common cause of damp in most UK homes.  Moisture released into the air by our daily activities collects as condensation on cool surfaces and can soak in to create damp patches that serve as homes to dust mites.

Simple steps to reduce condensation like not drying clothes indoors and keeping the bathroom and kitchen doors closed when in use is a good start towards reducing condensation, but the most effective way to reduce dust mite populations is through improved ventilation.

Extractor fans help to remove moisture from kitchens and bathrooms before it can settle, while whole house ventilation systems such as PIV take things one step further, creating a gentle and constant flow of air through your home that prevents cold and damp spots from forming while also preventing the accumulation of dust.

What You Can Do

If you have asthma, dust in your home could be making your symptoms worse! Contact us today to book a free home ventilation survey from one of our local specialists.  They will assess the levels of condensation in your home and be able to provide advice about the best way of reducing the damp that allows dust mites to thrive.