How to Avoid Bed Bugs & Dust Mites: Types of Beds

Bed bugs are 1/5 of an inch long and live on human blood. They hide during the day and come out at night to feed. Their bite leaves an itchy welt and local swelling. Some people react more strongly to bed bug bites, with sometimes intense allergic reactions.

Dust mites feed on the dead skin cells of humans and animals. They are microscopic, spider-like insects found in virtually all bedding.

Bed bugs and dust mites live undisturbed in places that are very cluttered and rarely cleaned. Although cleaning, by itself, will not eradicate these two tiny creatures, it is the least expensive method of keeping their numbers in check.

Vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter and attachments
Micro-fiber cloths or dusters
Stiff brush
Dehumidifier
Air-conditioning

Instructions

- 1
  Remove any mattresses that are filled with down or feathers. Bed bugs and dust mites inhabit these types of beds. Also, remove any pillows that are down or feather-filled.
- 2
  
  People shed dead skin cells regularly, which is a component of house dust.
  
  Dust your entire house from top to bottom with any type of dust spray. Throw away dusters or dust cloths and remove the trash from the home. Dust mites live in dust and feed on dead skin cells, so keeping a dust-free house is one way to avoid dust mites.
- 3
  Vacuum daily, using attachments to clean corners and hard to reach places. Use brush attachments to vacuum delicate items like computers, radios, televisions, and picture frames.
- 4
  
  Dust mites and bed bugs cling to carpet fibers.
  
  Wash bedding frequently, at least once a week, in water that is 130 degrees F or higher. Remove carpet and replace flooring with tile, vinyl, wood, or other material that is not fabric. Use nylon or cotton cellulose blankets.
- 5
  Use dehumidifiers to lower the humidity in the home. Dust mites enjoy temperatures above 70 degrees and humidity between the levels of 65 to 75 percent.
- 6
  
  Bed bugs hide during the day, making them difficult for maids to find.
  
  Do not stay in hotel or motel rooms. The areas behind the bed boards and in nightstands and dressers are often infested with bed bugs. Bed bugs also live along and under the edge of carpets, behind pictures and other art mounted on the walls.
- 7
  
  Bed bugs inhabit cruise ships.
  
  Avoid traveling by air and on cruise ships. Bed bugs travel in suitcases, on clothes and in handbags. Sitting in close quarters makes it easy for bed bugs to travel from person to person.
- 8
  Scrub in corners to loosen a build-up of dust mites and/or bed bugs. Vacuum after corners have been scrubbed. Because dust mites live on the skin of humans, it is impossible to completely avoid all dust mites, but you can control the numbers in your home.

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