As far as dust mites are concerned, the bedroom is always a suspect for hosting millions of them. It’s common sense to assume that washing the beddings regularly will kill the mites.

However, most people don’t realize that washing with cold water hardly has any effects on dust mites.

While dust mites aren’t visible to bare eyes, you’ll still have a good idea of what you’ve been doing has reduced the mites. If you’re still getting the sneezes or nose blocks, chances are, you’re doing laundry the wrong way.

Washing With Room Temperature Water Will Not Kill Dust Mites

Soaking dust mites infested bedsheets, towels, or pillow covers with cold tap water doesn’t kill the mites. That’s because dust mites are pretty comfortable with temperatures between 20°C – 25°C or 68F – 77F. It’s probably party time for dust mites if you’re washing with cold or room-temperature water.

Dust mites are probably enjoying their bath when you’re soaking or washing them with water. A study by the University of Sydney strongly backs the suggestion. In the study, cold cycles of laundry failed to kill the mites.

Instead, it wasn’t until the temperature is increased above 55°C (131F) that all of the mites are killed.

Another study by the American Thoracic Society’s 103rd International Conference in San Francisco also confirms the earlier findings.

Washing with hot water at 60°C (140F) destroys every single mite in the laundry. However, lowering the temperature to 30°C-40°C (86F-104F) only kills 6% of the mites.

It’s quite clear from these experiments that water temperature plays a crucial roll in removing dust mites when you’re doing laundry.

How Frequent Should You Wash Bedding With Hot Water?

Now that it’s clear that washing above 55°C kills dust mites, the next question is how often should you do it?

It’s about time that you accept the fact that dust mites prevention is a continuous effort. Even if you’ve got rid of mites in the bedding, it’ll only be a matter of time before new mites gather and grow.

When I was trying to reduce my son’s allergy, I made it a point to wash the bedding at least once a week. It’s quite tedious, but that’s what you ought to do to keep dust mites under control.

If you have a temperature-controlled washing machine, getting rid of dust mites in clothes or bedding is easy. Select a temperature above 55°C and the mites are guaranteed to be destroyed.

Alternatives To Using Hot Water To Kill Dust Mites

You’re probably limited to pouring hot water on the laundry, or getting a washing machine with temperature control to effectively kill dust mites.

The former is tedious and getting a new washing machine means spending extra money.

If you’re looking for a budget quick-fix to eradicating dust mites in clothes or bedding, I’ll suggest checking out these anti-dust mites detergents.

These detergents are effective in killing dust mites in laundry, while remaining harmless for humans and pets.

Besides, they are safe for color fabrics. They are also a good option as hot water may damage, shrink, or fade some fabrics.

Final Thoughts

You need to stop having the idea that washing with cold or room-temperature water will kill dust mites. It doesn’t.

Dust mites are only destroyed when the temperature exceeds 55°C and that applies to laundry as well.