First, you started sneezing about twice every ten minutes. Then, you got irritated and itchy eyes. As you started coughing uncontrollably, you know this has nothing to do with the flu virus, especially when you’re not feverish and flu medication does nothing for you.

These are likely symptoms of dust mites allergy, which affects many adults and children in the world. And if these symptoms are not treated, they could get worse and lead to asthma, especially in children.

Dust mites allergies are usually treated with antihistamines, nasal spray, and eye drops. If you or your child is suffering from any of the allergic symptoms, do get professional advice from your doctors for the right prescriptions.

Why Treating Dust Mites Allergy Is Not Enough

With medications, the symptoms may subside within a week. But that doesn’t mean you could let your guard down. As long as dust mites are still growing rapidly in your home, you risk developing the allergies again soon.

If you’re suffering from dust mites allergy, it is safe to assume that there are millions of them in your home. A majority of dust mites are usually concentrated in your bedroom. To be specific there are probably millions of dust mites in your mattress.

They grow by feeding on dead skin cells that you shed off during bedtime. Coupled with a warm and humid environment, there is no stopping the exponential growth of the dust mites. The problem is, you wouldn’t realize that they existed until you start getting the symptoms.

Are Dust Mites Visible?

Are Dust Mites Visible

If you’re cohabiting with millions of dust mites at home, why did you not spot any of them? Would you notice any if you look closely at the mattress or carpet? Unless you have supervision, the answer is no. Dust mites are just too small for your bare eyes. The chances of you spotting one are too slim.

So, what’s the size of a single dust mite?

An average dust mite will measure between 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters, or 0.008–0.012  inches. To give you a better idea of the size of dust mites, picture a typical mustard seed. A millimeter is smaller than a mustard seed and a dust mite is less than one-third of the size of mustard seed.

But your greatest worry isn’t the dust mites but the excretion produced by them. The feces of dust mites contain a type of protein that triggers allergic reactions. If dust mites are measured in millimeters, the size of the fecal pellets is expressed in micrometers. Each dropping is about 10 to 40 micrometers.

How Can You See Dust Mites?

Are Dust Mites Visible

If you’re curious about how a dust mite looks like and images on the internet could not satisfy your curiosity, the best option is to view a specimen with your bare eye. As these pests are too tiny in size, the only option is to use a microscope.

You can purchase a digital microscope with at least 40x magnification online and it will be good enough to view a dust mite. You’ll need to obtain some samples from places that are concentrated with dust mites.

This can be done easily using a clear adhesive tape. Just use the tape to collect some samples from mattresses, couch, carpet or even on your skin. When placed under the microscope, you’ll get a clear image of the dust mites.

They are recognizable by the translucent body that has eight legs but without any wings and antennae. In short, they are hideous little creatures that wreak havoc on human health with their droppings. You may also spot the tiny specks of fecal pellets discharged by the dust mites.

Controlling The Growth Of Dust Mites

It is not possible to get rid of every single dust mites in your home. But with the right steps, you can reduce the population and growth of dust mites significantly so that they stop causing the allergic symptoms.

Controlling the dust mites often boiled down to the following steps:

  • Regulating room temperature so that it is not conducive to dust mites’s growth.
  • Reducing room humidity.
  • Cutting off the food chain of dust mites a.k.a dead skin cells.
  • Killing off dust mites directly.

Check out these steps in detail to remove dust mites from your home naturally.

Dust mites may escape your sharp eyes. But they are not invincible. Instead, they are highly sensitive to the environment and can be terminated easily. When you put some of the recommended steps into practice on a regular basis, you’ll have a home that is pretty much free from dust mites, (at least on a tolerable level).

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