Mites are in ALL of our houses and offices, and live in our chairs, carpet, sofas and bedding and feed on our dead skin. 

Adults shed several pounds of skin each year and your vacuum is blowing most of it back onto your carpet. A vacuum bag would explode if it didn't allow air to escape, and with the air also go tiny particles and mites.  The measure that determines the size of allowable air particles that pass through the bag is measured in microns. Two microns or less and you have a hypo-allergenic vacuum. HEPA filtered vacuums are best, but they still don't remove all of the mites, and poorer vacuums miss more and more. 

The vacuum in a truck mounted steam cleaning machine forces all particles through water, and these particles and pests are completely removed from your house. The 230 degree, steam extraction kills mites and germs.

You don't have to wait until your carpets look dirty for them to be dirty. Your carpets should be professionally steam cleaned by a truck-mounted unit once a year (minimally) and bi-yearly for maintaining a healthy environment and staving-off mites, allergens, and germs that breed in your home and office undetected until the infestation stresses your immune system. If you see them, the problem is already quite bad. Proper maintenance is the only answer.


Asthma
As there is an increasing prevalence of asthma, which is mite-related, in both adult and children not only in Western countries but also in Asia Pacific countries, and there is an urgent need for mite education. 

The fundamental thing to know is that mites are diverse, small arthropods, and mites that are particularly linked to asthma are collectively called house dust mites having their permanent residency in house dust. That house dust contains allergens causing asthmatic symptoms was first suggested in 1921. However, analysis of dust did not come about until 1964 when a group of investigators led by Voohorst suggested that a mite may be responsible for the dust allergen. 

Soon it was established that the faecal pellets that mites egest and accumulate in home fabrics are allergenic. When these become airborne following our domestic activities as well as vacuuming or dusting, we inevitably inhale these particles eliciting from some of us who are atopic, allergic reactions. Today, global studies aimed ultimately towards mite management have increased steadily. 

Results of such studies identified one mite species after another and showed variable distribution from one home to another, from one room to another of the same home, and from different home soft furnishings. Their predominance or survival depends on the richness of their diet and suitability of temperature and relative humidity of their habitats. In general, humid homes have more mites, and therefore more allergen. Uncleaned homes provide more food, more support for mite populations to flourish, providing them with the good life and become more and more difficult to control and eradicate.


Mite Management

Physical Methods
1. Encasings
Physically encasing bedding and pillows are effective and commonly recommended. Impermeable rubber or vinyl plastic and vapor-permeable material which "breathe" are commonly used.

2. Washing
a. Hot water washing:  Washing at 60 degrees C or higher is effective.  Hot water (130 degrees C) has been shown to kill all mites.
b. Cold water washing:  Cold water washing removes about 90% of the mites

3. Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning kills all mites. It is also very effective at physically removing dust from items such as bedding.

4. Heating
Heat may be applied in different ways:

• as superheated steam to treat carpets
• tumble-drying washing
• direct sunlight exposure
• autoclaving
• dry heating with electric blankets

5. Freezing
All mites are killed by treating carpets with liquid nitrogen. Most mites are killed in a few minutes at -30 degrees C with survival being longer in moist air, eggs surviving longer than adults in moist air but a shorter time in very dry air. Placing items such as stuffed toys overnight in a chest freezer has been recommended as a method to kill mites.

6. Vacuuming
Although a control measure, it has little effect on mite populations as only a low percentage are removed, which may be less than the rate of population growth.


Chemical Methods
There are concerns about the use of chemicals. However, studies are done to test them for acaricidal properties. The following are some acaricides commonly used:

1. Benzyl benzoate
This is the active ingredient of Acarosan, Allerbiocid (100) and Artilin 3A. It has also used in bed encasings or impregnated sheets and in laundry washing compound. Benzyl alcohol (the active ingredient of DMS (now DAC), because of volatility, may be highly considered because it leaves no residues.

2. Other chemicals
Other chemicals that are acaricidal are pyrethrum analogues used in Acardust and Dust Mite Patrol, perimiphos methyl, organophosphates, pyridazinones, and plant essential oils.

3. Fungicides
Fungicides such as natamycin are also used to kill mites, i.e. as mite proliferation is closely related to growth of fungi. Thus, it works on the rationale that if fungi are controlled, mites may also be controlled.