Dust mites are tiny creatures that we cannot see with the naked eye. They belong to the arachnid family and are generally only 0.1-0.5mm in size. Dust mites are everywhere and feed on naturally shed human or animal skin debris.
These tiny animals that come and go without a trace thrive in our homes. They are extremely fond of warm and humid environments. Therefore, places like mattresses, beddings, sofa cushions and carpets are a paradise for dust mites, where they live and thrive happily.
It is estimated that the dander the human body sheds every day is enough to feed 1 million dust mites!
Although dust mites are very tiny, they are one of the most common causes of allergies and asthma. For those with sensitive physiques, dust mites can cause more serious health problems.
Dust mites and their excrement can cause various allergies including sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy or watery eyes and even chest tightness and difficulty breathing.
Fighting a dust mite allergy requires not only killing the mites themselves but also cleaning up their corpses and excrement. All of these are allergens.
Frequent cleaning can remove a small part of dust mites on the surface. However, it is difficult to threaten the dust mites hidden in the fibers of beds and carpets. Even ordinary vacuum cleaners can’t do much.
It is almost impossible to get rid of these nasty microorganisms completely (unless you keep yourself in a vacuum environment). However, you can still use special “weapons” to deal with them, such as a powerful anti-mite vacuum cleaner.
Can Vacuum Cleaners Remove Dust Mites?
Most vacuum cleaners can only absorb large particles of dust and debris, so they may be helpless for things as small as dust mites.
The main source of allergies is the protein in dust mites. As mentioned above, not only live mites but also their corpses and excrement can cause allergies.
Therefore, an ordinary vacuum cleaner without a special device has little effect on removing dust mites, no matter how powerful it is. When you use this ordinary vacuum cleaner, you just suck up the allergens from the bed or carpet, break them free and then spray them into the air, where they finally end up back on the carpet or bed.
So what does a vacuum cleaner that can really deal with dust mites look like?
1. It must have a HEPA filter.
The HEPA filter has an extremely fine mesh, which can capture objects as small as 0.3 µm (micrometers).
Here is the question: How small is 1 micron?
Well, there are 39 million microns in one inch.
Still no idea?
Put it this way, one human hair is about 50 microns wide. The HEPA filter can capture tiny particles that are more than 50 times smaller than hair.
With such a tightly fitted filter, dust mites, their feces and broken limbs can’t escape.
Therefore, with a HEPA filter, the small dust and mites that are sucked up will not be pushed back into the air through the exhaust pipe like with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.
2. It is best to have a vacuum bag.
Most vacuum cleaners on the market today are bagless, with only one trash collector directly connected to the vacuum hose.
Although this kind of vacuum cleaner is convenient, there is a problem. Every time you open and empty the trash collector, the dust inside can fly into the air and fall back on the floor and furniture surface.
Therefore, it is best to use a vacuum cleaner with a vacuum bag, especially when allergens are involved. In this way, when you finish the cleaning work, you can take out the bag and throw it directly into the trash barrel outside to avoid secondary pollution of your room.
Of course, the more troublesome thing about a bag vacuum cleaner is that you need to constantly replace the vacuum cleaner bag. However, for the sake of your health, it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra work.
The Most Powerful Anti-mite Vacuum Cleaner
The removal of mites requires more stringent techniques than with ordinary vacuuming. Based on the principle of special purpose, we have selected several of the best dust mite vacuum cleaners for you to choose from.
1. RAYCOP LITE UV Sanitizing HEPA Allergen Vacuum
This is a special mite-removing vacuum cleaner. It uses RayClean patented technology, which makes its functions very unique: UV disinfection, HEPA filtration and pulse dust removal.
- Ultraviolet disinfection: It can effectively kill more than 99% of bacteria and viruses on the surface of the fabric.
- HEPA filter: It can capture any particles above 0.3 microns, including dust mites.
- Pulsating dust removal: The 3300 vibrations per minute of the pulsating pad can agitate and loosen the dust, dirt and dust mites accumulated in the gaps of the fibers, making them easier to be sucked up.
This RayClean technology has passed third-party tests and proved that it can remove 3 times more allergens than ordinary vacuum cleaners.
Let’s take a look at its efficiency:
- Dust mites removal: Over 80% after 5 minutes
- Sterilization: 99.9% after 10 seconds
- Virus removal: 99.9% after 5 seconds
- Pollen removal: 97.8% after 4 minutes
As can be seen from this information, the efficiency of this dust mite vacuum is quite high.
Therefore, it is ideal for removing 99.9% of dust mites, pollen, bacteria and viruses on mattresses, pillows, blankets, upholstered furniture and other fabric surfaces.
The only drawback is that this vacuum cleaner is inconvenient to use on a carpet.
This is a high-power and high-absorption mite-removing vacuum cleaner.
It can very effectively loosen dust mites and dirt hidden in the fiber through high-frequency vibration beating up to 33,000 times per minute. It then uses three rows of S-shaped brushes to thoroughly absorb and clean them.
It uses a 6-stage filtration system, including:
- cyclone separation,
- primary cotton filtration,
- HEPA precision filtration,
- inlet cotton filtration,
- internal motor filtration,
- outlet cotton filtration.
The HEPA filter can absorb and filter out 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, including pollen and dust mites, to ensure that fresh air is released from the exhaust pipe.
It is also equipped with a 20cm long high-power 253.7 nm ultraviolet germicidal lamp. An intelligent electronic control sensor prevents ultraviolet rays from leaking.
This UV mattress vacuum cleaner weighs only 4.1 pounds. In addition, its power cord is 4.5 meters long, which allows you to easily clean all the corners of your room without worrying that the cord is too short.
Another advantage is that the dust bucket has a large capacity of 400ml, which can hold more dust at a time.
Dibea vacuum cleaner is perfect for cleaning soft materials such as mattresses, pillows and other beddings, sofas, cushions, plush toys, curtains and tapestries.
3. Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Although the first two vacuum cleaners we introduced are very effective for removing dust mites, they all have a small drawback. That is, they are not convenient for cleaning floors or carpets. They are also difficult to use to clean other hard-to-reach places in the room, such as dust on ceiling fans and closets.
If you want a dust mite vacuum cleaner that is fully functional and easy to use, you must not miss Dyson’s products.
Dyson is a home appliance design and manufacturing company established in the UK in 1991 and a pioneer of bagless vacuum cleaners. Although it has not been established for a long time, it has become the king of high-end handheld cordless vacuum cleaners.
There are several models of Dyson vacuum cleaners. The price is generally higher than most vacuum cleaners. However, they are a better high quality and high durability vacuum. Some customers reported that their Dyson products have been in use for more than 10 years and they are still working as hard as a cow.
The V11 Torque is the latest deep-cleaning cordless handheld vacuum cleaner launched by Dyson. It received very wide acclaim as soon as it went on the market. So far, it has achieved a 4.7-star rating with more than 10,000 customer reviews on Amazon.
If you have used Dyson handheld vacuum cleaners before, you may know that they are smaller, lighter and more flexible than ordinary vacuum cleaners. They can also clean all the corners of your room very easily.
Compared with the old model, the V11 Torque has a better battery life, up to 60 minutes of running time (the actual running time may vary depending on the type of floor and/or the accessories used). It also has greater suction power.
The intelligent high-torque cleaning head of V11 Torque can detect the surface of different materials and automatically adjusts the suction and power to achieve deep cleaning.
This vacuum cleaner uses a complete filter system including HEPA, which can capture 99.99% of particles, dust and allergens as small as 0.3 microns.
The filter on the older Dyson vacuum cleaner needs to be replaced regularly. However, the upgraded V11 Torque is equipped with a washable filter, which can be used all the time.
There are 6 cleaning heads that come with the box, which can clean hard floors, carpets, sofas, beds, plush toys, chandeliers, closets, corners, stairs, under the bed, or inside the car. You can use this vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean the dead corners that are difficult to reach, making your living environment spotless.
4. Shark Rotator Professional Upright Corded Bagless Vacuum
The shark vacuum cleaner has a high market share in the United States. The company focuses on high-quality, cost-effective products at relatively affordable prices.
Shark, founded in 1998, has always been Dyson’s strongest competition in the North American market. The lawsuits between the two have continued. After several rounds of competition, Shark has now become the brand with the highest market share in the domestic vacuum cleaner market in the United States.
In recent years, whenever Dyson comes out with a new model, Shark is sure to follow suit with a new one at a lower price.
The difference between Shark and the other brands is that, while pursuing product quality, they pay great attention to user feedback. Shark actually applies user feedback into product development to continuously improve the user experience.
Now, let’s take a look at this professional Rotator vacuum cleaner. It has the same function as the Dyson vacuum cleaner introduced above. The biggest difference is that the Rotator is not cordless. It is also more than twice as heavy as the Dyson V11 Torque.
Other features include three-in-one function, which can be used as a normal or portable vacuum cleaner. It also has a large dust storage box, washable filter element, anti-allergen fully sealed technology and a 5-year warranty.
Shark Rotator is the sales champion among similar products on Amazon in the United States. So far, it has more than 13,000 customer reviews and has gained a 4.6-star rating!
Its HEPA filter can absorb and capture 99.99% of dust and allergens as small as 0.3 microns, including dust mites.
Dyson V11 Torque and Shark Rotator have comparable deep cleaning capabilities. They both have ultra-quiet designs and both have the function of removing mites. They are both good choices and you won’t go wrong if you choose either of them.
If you like a cordless stick vacuum cleaner that is similar to Dyson, you can choose the Shark IZ363HT cordless light vacuum cleaner. This product also has a HEPA filter and an anti-allergen completely sealed design. However, it does not come with as many cleaning heads as Dyson’s, so it may be inconvenient to use on mattresses and sofa cushions.
How To Remove Dust Mites From Home
Dust mites have a very high reproductive ability, even more than cockroaches. Therefore, there is no way to get rid of them completely.
The only thing you can do is to keep your home as clean as possible and reduce the accumulation of dust.
In addition to regular cleaning and full vacuuming, the following methods can also help you clean away dust mites to the greatest extent.
1. Keep the room and clothes dry and clean and ventilate frequently.
Dust mites prefer a dark and damp environment. On a sunny and nice day, you should open windows for ventilation. If the humidity in your home is high, you can consider using a dehumidifier.
Dehumidifier for Medium to Large Rooms and Basements
2. Use anti-dust mite bedding.
A mattress is difficult to clean, so it is a hard-hit area where dust mites gather. However, you can use an anti-dust mite Mattress Protector and Pillow Protectors to isolate the mites.
3. Wash clothes and beddings frequently with hot water.
Mites do not like high temperatures, so using a dryer to dry clothes at high temperatures can kill mites easily. In addition, wash beddings, cushion covers, clothing and blankets with hot water. Using water above 55℃ once a week can also kill mites and remove most of their dead bodies, excrement and other allergens.
4. No carpet.
Having a carpet on the floor is nice and comfortable to step on. However, it is a place to hide dirt and it is a paradise for mites. Therefore, controlling dust mites is better without carpeting. If you already have carpet, you must remember to often deep clean your carpet with a dust mite vacuum cleaner.
5. Keep the plush toys clean.
All kinds of plush dolls, stuffed animals and puppets are indispensable for those who have babies at home. However, there are a lot of mites, dust and allergens hidden in these fluffy toys, which are a potential threat to the baby’s health. Therefore, you should wash them frequently, or use a mite removal device. Also, try not to put stuffed toys on your children’s bed.
6. Do not keep pets such as cats and dogs at home.
If you know that you or your family are allergic to dust mites, you may want to avoid having a pet at home. The bodies of small animals have the right temperature and humidity for mites. A large amount of dander produced every day is also a food source for dust mites. Therefore, pets can breed a lot of mites and other parasites and they can be carried to every corner of your room.
Summary
Although dust mites that are hard to see with the naked eye do not cause serious immediate consequences like other pests, their effect on human health cannot be ignored.
Many people often have allergic symptoms such as asthma, skin rashes and conjunctivitis, but they can’t find the cause. The fact is, however, the culprit is probably the ubiquitous dust mites.
Keeping your living environment clean is an effective way to reduce dust mites. You can always use a dust mite vacuum cleaner to keep these tiny pests away.
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