What can we do to remove Dust Mites from our Bedrooms?

1.Keep your bedroom well ventilated, with windows and doors ajar to encourage fresh air to circulate. If you make the environment less accommodating to the mites, they will find somewhere else to live.

2.If the lower portion of your window is misted when you wake up there's too much moisture in your bedroom so use a dehumidifier to reduce it. Dust mites are 80% water and reducing humidity will make it unpleasant for them.

3.Fresh air and sunshine getting to your mattress during the day will remove moisture that has accumulated from your body heat during the night. Leave of the covers for a few hours to dehydrate and, ultimately, kill the mites.

4.Bedding, toys and teddies that children sleep with should be aired and washed regularly at 60°C, which will kill off mites and their eggs. Avoid woollen blankets and don't use cushions or throws as they are like magnets to dust mites.

5.Mattresses and duvets contain huge amounts of dust mite droppings, which are easily transferred onto children's nightclothes and bedtime toys. An old mattress or, indeed, any old pillows should be replaced as quickly as possible because research has shown that 10 to 20% of their weight may be dead skin cells. You might even consider buying an anti allergy mattress with special coatings and hypoallergenic fillings that inhibit dust mites.

6.Consider replacing your heavy fabric curtains with blinds. They will harbour less allergen and are easier to dust!

7.For allergenic hot spots like children's cuddly toys, pillows, quilts, and children's cuddly toys, try sealing them in a plastic bag and keeping them in the freezer overnight. It's a simple and effective way of killing off dust mites and their eggs. It will also render inactive the enzymes in their droppings that cause the allergic reaction.

8.The best materials for flooring in the bedroom are wood or marmoleum. Marmoleum is a natural product, valued for its bactericidal properties, which comes with a 15-year warranty and has been awarded the ‘Seal of Approval' by the British Allergy Foundation. This kind of flooring can be damp dusted regularly when skirting boards and any other woodwork are dusted. Alternatively, if you prefer to stick with carpets, buy a powerful vacuum cleaner, preferably one with a no dust bag and with a high HEPA allergen filter, which prevents any allergenic substances leaking out of the cleaners and ideally use every day but at least twice a week.

9.Pillow fights and bouncing on the bed may be great fun for the kids but, sadly, are best avoided because the allergen is forced out of the pillows and mattress, discharged into the air and easily breathed in!

10.For allergic individuals divan beds are best avoided because there is no air circulation beneath the mattress and so dust settles under the base. Consider investing in a bedstead with a slatted or metal base as a very effective alternative. Most bedsteads have the added benefit of space underneath to allow regular vacuuming. There's a wide choice of bedsteads available, from modern leather or metal to more traditional pine and oak styles that, in addition to keeping house dust mites under control, will give your bedroom a truly individual feel. They're available in a wide choice of colours and sizes too with metal, slatted or sprung base alternatives.