Dust mites can’t bite through clothing. Their mouth parts are too weak to pass through the fabric and access your skin.
However, their presence in your clothes, and in your home, can cause allergic reactions in the elderly, children, and many young and healthy folks.
Dust mites become active during the summer months. And they can spread inside your home in places like the bed mattress, dresser drawers, curtains, rugs, carpets, couches, and even on couches.
But do dust mites even bite? And how to get rid of them from your clothes?
Keep reading to find it out.
Do Dust Mites Bite?
Dust mites don’t bite. Dust mites don’t insert their mouth into your skin.
Dust mites feed on dead, dry skin cells and dander on your body.
Also, the presence of hairy bristles on their bodies causes skin rashes. The hairy bristles on their bodies and the feeding activity causes intense itching.
It’s hard to see dust mites crawling on your skin as they’re too tiny. And when your skin itches it makes you wonder what’s biting that you can’t see.
Can Dust Mites Hide In Your Clothes?
Yes, dust mites can latch onto your clothes and remain hidden there. That’s one of the ways dust mites spread in human homes.
When you go outdoors, dust mites will hook themselves onto your clothes, and you bring them home.
And when you keep those clothes in your bed, couch, dresser drawer, closet, or wardrobe, you transfer those dust mites in these places.
End result?
Dust mites will breed and spread in your home, causing more harm.
Can Dust Mites Multiply In Your Clothing?
Yes, dust mites can multiply profusely in your clothing, bed sheets, curtains, and on soft furnishings like couches and carpets.
And their number can grow fast within a few weeks.
Initially, when their numbers are low, they’re pretty hard to detect.
But when dust mites’ numbers shoot up, you can feel their presence either by itches rashes on your skin or by allergic reactions.
A female dust mite lays three eggs in a day, and she lays the eggs continuously for 30 days. Eggs hatch after a week, and the larvae take a month to turn into an adult dust mites.
Not cleaning your clothing storage or dusty places where dust mites hide can make the dust mite visible.
In these places, dust mites look like tiny white specks of dust cluttered in one place.
If you see anything like that in your home, use your vacuum cleaner to remove them.
Can You Feel Dust Mites Crawling Onto Your Skin?
From your clothes, dust mites will crawl onto your skin. And when they crawl on your skin, you’ll feel itchy.
That’s because of the hairy bristles on their bodies. And those bristles will cause itchy red welts and rashes on the skin.
What Can You Put On Your Skin To Prevent Dust Mites? Scents That Repel Dust Mites
Scents of eucalyptus, clove, lavender, peppermint, and rosemary repel dust mites.
If you live in a dust mite-prone area, it’ll be best to pour a few drops of essential oils of these herbs on your exposed skin.
The scents will repel them. And if dust mites are hiding in your clothes, they won’t be able to access your skin.
If you’ve got dry skin then keeping your skin moist with the help of a moisture reduces the dead dry dander on your skin.
That denies dust mites the dry skin to feed on and you don’t get the itching.
How To Get Rid Of Dust Mites In Clothes?
Washing clothes in warm water (130-140 Degree Fahrenheit) eliminates dust mites hiding in your clothes.
Washing the clothes in water with an average temperature kills 60%-85% of dust mites in the fabric.
But like most tiny bugs, dust mites can’t withstand heat. So, you must wash your clothes in warm water.
Also, during the dust mite season, from May to October, regular cleaning of your closet and dresser drawers keeps dust mites away from your clothes.
Steam cleaning these places with a steam cleaner works best. It’s because the heat from the steam cleaner eliminates these dust mites.
After cleaning the clothing storage section, keeping cedar blocks in the storage repels dust mites and many other cloth bugs like moths and worms.
What Detergents Eliminates Dust Mites In Clothes?
Any anti-allergen laundry detergent that removes pollen, mold, and dander is suitable for removing dust mites in clothes.
So, detergent like Live Pure remove dust mites from your fabric and prevent dust mites bite. It also says also remove the dander or dead skin from the clothes that dust mites eat.
If you’re using a standard detergent, you can also add anti dust mite additive in the detergent to get rid of the dust mites in fabric and clothes.
Thomas Orbert is a PhD in entomology with specialization in tiny and microscopic pests. Thomas is a regular contributor to our site and shares failproof methods to get rid of small pests.