How do I know if my couch has dust mites?
Any household that has dust will have dust mites. Even the cleanest house might harbor them. While they’re not directly dangerous and don’t bite, dust mites can create longer-term health issues like allergies or breathing problems.
What do dust mites look like?
Dust mites are mostly invisible to the naked eye with adult dust mites measuring a tiny 0.5 millimeters long. Dust mites are related to spiders and other arthropods and under a microscope look like something like a cross between a tick and a spider.
They have no wings and their body is oval-shaped. Juvenile dust mites have only six legs while adults have eight. Dust mites are white, though some varieties have stripes.
Dust mites survive by eating flecks of skin shed by humans or pets in the household. This skin, mixed up with any other light fluff and debris, makes up the bulk of the “dust” in a household.
Can you feel dust mites crawling?
Even though the tiny dust mites are stumping around on six or eight legs they’r so small you aren’t likely to notice them directly. They also don’t bite people or pets directly.
Instead, they feed on the dried skin that exfoliates from our bodies.
The waste they create, however, can trigger allergic reactions and other breathing problems. On the whole, it’s better to be free of dust mites or to try to control the population rather than suffer from their side effects.
How to get rid of dust mites in your couch
An upholstered couch can be vacuumed or sprayed to remove dust mites. A leather couch requires a different treatment. Many kinds of spray will discolor or ruin the leather.
Some ways to get rid of dust mites in a couch include using baking soda or vinegar.
How to get rid of dust mites
Steps to use baking soda to kill dust mites
- Once you have your baking soda, sprinkle an even layer over the surface you want to treat. This will work for furniture like couches and mattresses too.
- Leave the powder to work for at least an hour but you can let it go longer if you like. Once the time is up vacuum the baking soda up. (This method works because it soaks up the moisture that dust mites thrive in. Once you take away the moisture, the dust mites will die.)
- Once you vacuum the baking soda it will take the dead mites as well and clean up their mess.
You may also sprinkle baking soda on the couch, let it sit for a while, then wipe it away with a dry cloth.
Step to use vinegar to kill dust mites
Vinegar is acidic making it an effective way to kill dust mites. You can use it diluted or undiluted vinegar if you like as well as use it on surfaces like floors and tables.
- It’ll soak into the fabric you use it on so think about that before using it on upholstered furniture. One way is to mix it with some water in a spray bottle.
- Either way, spray the vinegar where you want to treat and leave it for roughly 15-20 minutes. Afterward wipe it off and let your furniture air dry.
Will vacuuming get rid of dust mites?
Vacumming on a regular schedule will definitely help remove lots of dust mites and many other pests too. Since they can’t be seen, focus on making certain that any especially dusty places are vacuumed thoroughly.
A vacuum with a HEPA filter will prevent dust mites from getting out of the container or vacuum bag while a UV vacuum with light will make sure that any dust mites in the container are killed.
What kills dust mites on furniture?
- Regular cleaning is the most effective way to control mites. If your furniture can stand steam cleaning, the heat of the steam will kill the mites and is especially effective. Failing that, regular vacuuming of upholstered furniture will reduce the dust mite population.
- For wood or other surfaces, regular dusting and cleaning will remove dust mites. If the surface can be cleaned with vinegar, bleach, or essential oils, those chemicals will kill dust mites.
- Not all surface finishes are designed to tolerate bleach or vinegar, so check by testing an area of the furniture that is not visible.
- Borax can also be used similar to baking soda to kill them. Use it the same way and vacuum it up when you’re done.
What temperature kills dust mites?
Dust mites thrive and breed readily at temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They dislike cold temperatures but they aren’t really killed off until the temperature falls below freezing.
Dust mites can also be killed by a sustained temperature of over 131 degrees F. The problem is this isn’t easy to do and sometimes isn’t practical. A better approach is to control the humidity of your house.
Dust mites thrive in a humidity of 70% but can survive in humidity as low as 50%. Using a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity of your home to 40-45% will kill dust mites as they will lack enough moisture to survive.
What kills dust mites naturally?
Baking soda can kill dust mites. Vinegar, being acidic, can also kill dust mites and is another option for a homemade spray. Both Lysol and bleach (used alone) can kill mites but both are powerful chemicals in their own right and should be used carefully.
How do I make a dust mite spray?
There are several different formulas for home-made sprays that can kill dust mites.
Homemade dust mite spray recipes
1. Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) or essential oil sprays
One easy-to-make spray contains 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol and 1/2 cup of water, shaken in a spray bottle.
To make your own homemade dust mite spray from essential oils:
- Add 30 drops of essential oil, like lemon, eucalyptus, or cinnamon oil to water in a spray bottle. Lavender and peppermint oils would also work.
- Spray the mixture on fabric surfaces that gather dust, like pillows, chairs, or bedding. The mix should kill dust mites and help with control for about two months.
Not only does this make the room smell nicer but the aroma in the oils will also control the mites.
2. Using herbs
A third remedy is herbal. A mix of fennel, lavender, thyme, anise, and cloves, sprayed in a room, will also reduce the mite population. You can boil herbs in water as well to spray as well as sprinkle ground herbs in your room.
Be sure to give it plenty of time to work & dry before vacuuming it up later.