How To Keep From Choking On Dust Indoors
If you suffer from any symptoms indoors consistent with an allergy, such as tears in you eyes, running nose, or congestion, the first step is to get tested to see if you have a dust allergy. If you do, then there are a few things that you can do to reduce that allergy by improving the air quality of your house indoors.
Eliminate All Carpets
This may not be possible in all situations, but it is often the best solution. Dust mites can cling to carpet fibers, and you will have a hard time getting rid of them no matter what you do. The best thing to do is to take all of your carpets outside and pitch them. You'll be throwing entire colonies of dust mites out in the process.
Ideally, you should switch to hardwood floors. There are even hardwood floor options out there that are allergen-resistant. Many stand by cork as a good example of a flooring material that is effective for those with allergies.
Kill Them with Heat
Dust mites are resistant to just about everything. You can kill them with cold temperatures, but it often takes four days in subzero temperatures to do the trick. It's not like your freezer is going to be big enough to contain every single object that's potentially infested with dust mites in your house, however.
Alternatively, you can use extreme heat to do the trick. One way to do this is by using a steam cleaner. This will be hot enough to kill them, and it's easy to spray down your carpeting and other potential problem areas like bedding with the steam cleaner. This is because dust mites tend to die around 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Professional Service and HEPA Products
After you kill the dust mites, you can improve air quality in your home by vacuuming them up with HEPA products such as vacuums or air filters. Once their dead, they won't be able to hang onto fibers and a product that has a good enough filtration range, such as HEPA, will be able to get them out of the air. This should improve your allergies quickly.
You can always fall back on getting some professional help like Tailor Made Maintenance Inc if you're having trouble otherwise. They will have access to HEPA products and other equipment that you may not be able to buy as a consumer and not someone in the industry.