How to bust dust mites with a deep spring clean

Your home may be clean - but is it deep clean? Whether you take care of your regular cleaning yourself or have professionals do it, like most of us you probably keep the place ‘clean enough’ throughout the year. The arrival of spring, though, with its warmer weather and sunnier days, is a good time to go a little deeper than the usual dusting, wiping, and vacuuming.

By refreshing your bedding and furniture, you can make your home a healthier and more comfortable place to live, especially if you or anyone in your family has dust mite allergies. Here’s how to get the new season off to a fittingly fresh start.

You spend around a third of your life in bed, which makes it all the more important to have clean, fresh bedding. A big reason for doing this is to get rid of dust mites that thrive in bedding, feeding on tiny skin flakes. These microscopic critters are commonplace, and their droppings can trigger dust mite allergies in sensitive individuals. Here's how to give the bedding in your home a deep spring clean.

Pick a sunny day, and begin your deep clean by washing your doona and pillows, not just the covers and pillowcases. Check that they are machine washable and, if so, select the correct cycle to ensure a thorough clean.

Washing machines generally have a duvet or quilt setting. There is some debate about the optimal temperature to kill dust mites: most experts believe that 60°C is necessary, but some suggest that 40°C will do the job. If your machine’s duvet setting is 40°C and you want to raise the temperature, you might need to switch to an alternative setting, such as Bio Care or Baby Care. If you do so, it should run for a couple of hours and allow you to adjust the spin cycle to 800.

Before washing bulky bedding loads, give your washing machine a wipe down with a clean cloth, paying special attention to the rubber door seal, where grime and buildup can accumulate. Bulky items like doonas can get pushed into this seal during the wash cycle and get grime on them, which can be a very frustrating outcome after a two-hour wash.

If you have a larger doona that doesn't fit in your washing machine, consider taking it to a laundromat for professional cleaning. Alternatively, letting it air dry in the sunshine can help freshen it up, the sun's UV rays acting as a natural disinfectant, eliminating some bacteria and dust mites.

If possible, hang the washed doona and pillows outside to air dry in the spring sunshine for the rest of the day. Alternatively, you may choose to put the washed doona in a clothes dryer (as long as it fits and is not too heavy with water after being washed) to start with, and then finish it in the sun so it can benefit from the antibacterial properties of the UV rays. As always when using a dryer, you should remove the fluff and grit from the lint trap before or after use, and also give the drum an occasional wipe down with a damp cloth.

Before, or between washes, you might also want to use a HEPA filter-equipped vacuum cleaner on your doonas and pillows. HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters are highly effective at trapping dust particles, dust mites and pet dander (animal dandruff).

While your doona is in the washing machine, you can shift your attention to your mattress. Even though it's always covered with bedsheets, you'd be surprised by the amount of dust, dead skin cells and allergens that accumulate there. Here's how to give it a thorough cleanse and refresh.

Dust mites are a common issue in mattresses and can trigger allergies. You can wage war with these pesky little blighters using a HEPA filter-equipped vacuum cleaner, which is effective at sucking up and trapping allergens, dust and dust mites.

Alternatively, if it’s not too difficult to move your mattress to an outdoor area, placing it in the sun can help to kill bacteria and lower the humidity levels that dust mites thrive in.

If the mattress has small stains and odours you want to deal with, you can try spot cleaning them with a mixture of baking soda and warm water - just be careful not to make the mattress too damp, as excess moisture can lead to mould.

If you have the time and inclination, you might also want to try deodorising your mattress with a mixture of baking soda and a few drops of essential oil. Sprinkle this mixture on the mattress, leave it for 20 minutes to absorb odours, and then vacuum it up. In addition to giving the mattress a fresh scent, it may also collect remaining dust mites.

After you’ve freshened up your bedding, you might want to turn your attention to the other furniture and soft furnishings in your home on which you spend many hours of your life, like your sofa and cushions.

Your vacuum might be more used to sucking dirt off the floor, but if you have a stick or barrel vacuum with a nozzle, that’s not where it has to stay. Begin by vacuuming upholstered furniture, such as sofas and armchairs where you likely spend several hours each week. If you work from home, the padded seat of your office chair could also benefit from a good clean.

Choose a vacuum setting that's powerful, but not so powerful that it might damage upholstery. Delicate fabrics like silk or velvet should either be cleaned using handheld tools like a lint roller or vacuumed using a gentle setting and a soft brush attachment. Suede should also be cleaned using special suede brushes, while leather can usually be vacuumed using soft brush attachments.

As with all cleaning appliances, you should regularly clean your vacuum to keep it working at its best. Specifically, this means cleaning the HEPA filter or replacing it, depending on the model of vacuum you have. A clean HEPA filter ensures the efficient capture of dust particles, pet dander, and other allergens.

We’re focusing on bedding and furniture here, but the fact is that dust and dirt can get transferred to these from the floor and other hard surfaces. For hard floors and wood furniture, use a microfibre cloth or a mop with a microfibre pad to effectively capture dust particles and allergens, and remember to get into those crevices and corners where dust tends to accumulate.

Giving your home a deep spring clean can be a wonderful thing, but regular dusting and vacuuming can significantly reduce the amount of house dust, pet dander and other allergens that accumulate in the first place.

You might also want to consider using an air purifier with a HEPA filter or dehumidifier to reduce allergens in the air, especially in rooms with air conditioning or when there are high humidity levels. When there is less dust suspended in the air, there's less opportunity for it to settle onto mattresses, bedding, and upholstered furniture - and less dust can result in fewer dust mites and allergy-triggering dust mite droppings.

A good spring clean needs more than a feather duster. By focusing on dust busting your bedding, mattresses, and furniture, you can create a healthier living space for you and your family. So, roll up your sleeves, strip the beds and grab your vacuum!

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