{"id":30559,"date":"2026-10-08T15:10:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sereni-d.com\/non-classifiee\/acariens-dans-la-maison-comment-sen-debarrasser\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T15:26:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:26:32","slug":"dust-mites-in-the-home-how-to-get-rid-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sereni-d.com\/en\/our-advice\/dust-mites-in-the-home-how-to-get-rid-of-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Dust mites in the home: where do they hide and how can you get rid of them?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although invisible to the naked eye, dust mites are nevertheless a problem in many homes. Whether in bedding, carpets or sofas, these tiny microscopic creatures are among the main allergens responsible for allergic rhinitis and asthma in France [1]. Would you like to know if there are any in your home? What are the effective ways to minimise their presence? Here are some good habits to adopt in your daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Key takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u27a1\ufe0f Dust mites mainly live in bedding, carpets, sofas and other textiles.
\u27a1\ufe0f Heat and, above all, damp encourage their growth.
\u27a1\ufe0f To reduce their numbers, wash your bedding regularly at 60 \u00b0C, vacuum your mattress and air out your home.
\u27a1\ufe0f Anti-dust mite covers can limit exposure to allergens, but they must be used in conjunction with other cleaning measures.
\u27a1\ufe0f It is virtually impossible to completely eliminate dust mites from a home: the aim is to limit their proliferation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is a mite?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Contrary to what one might think, mites are not insects<\/strong>. They are organisms belonging to the class of arachnids<\/strong>, like spiders and ticks. There are several tens of thousands of species<\/a>, with very different lifestyles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our homes, we mainly find house dust mites<\/strong>, notably Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus<\/em> and Dermatophagoides farinae<\/em>. They are tiny, measuring between 0.2 and 0.4 mm<\/strong>, and are therefore invisible to the naked eye. They feed mainly on human or animal skin flakes found in dust [2].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Good to know:<\/strong> House dust mites should not be confused with the sarcoptic mite, another type of mite that is a skin parasite and causes scabies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Where do dust mites live in the home?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

House dust mites favour places where they can find food, moisture and a suitable temperature<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In mattresses and bedding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The bed is the main habitat for dust mites. They are found in the mattress<\/strong>, pillows, duvets, sheets and sometimes in bed bases.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do they like our bedding so much? Quite simply because they find conditions there that are favourable to their growth: heat, moisture and skin flakes<\/strong>, on which they feed [3].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Key<\/strong> point to remember:<\/strong> dust mites do not stay on the surface; they can burrow deeper into fabrics. This is why simply changing your bed linen regularly is not enough.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In sofas, armchairs and textiles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dust mites also thrive in fabric sofas and armchairs, rugs, carpets and even curtains \u2013 places where many of their allergens are found<\/strong> [4].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there<\/strong> dust mites in clothes<\/strong> ?<\/strong> Yes, you may have them, and we can actually carry them from one room to another on our clothes. One study in particular showed that dust mites present on a sofa could subsequently be found on the occupants\u2019 clothes and elsewhere in the home [5]. However, there\u2019s no need to panic and throw away your entire wardrobe \u2013 it\u2019s not their main habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To summarise, here are the types of textiles that are favourable to dust mites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n