Mites are everywhere, even in the cleanest houses!Above all, they poison the lives of certain allergic people, because they cause various symptoms: sneezing, flowing nose, gratotes, asthma crisis....Here are all the tips of our experts to declare war on mites.
A single gram of dust can contain up to 10,000 mites.Consequence: the droppings of these tiny arachnids invisible to the naked eye cause, in some allergies, rhinitis, eyes or throat that scratches, blocked nose, flowing nose or even asthma.
What is a mite?
A mite is a microscopic arachnid living often in ectoparasitis (external parasite)) of humans, animals or plants.There are only about two or three months, but reproduce very quickly when they are in favorable conditions.
There are around thirty species of mites.House mites or domestic mites include several species living in human dwellings or on man.They do not bite, but their decomposition excrement and their bodies can be irritating.
Mites are accused of being the first providers of respiratory allergies (asthma and rhinitis)), and of causing many allergic symptoms such as conjunctivitis, eye allergies, nasal problems, respiratory...
No, domestic mites do not bite, unlike other types of mites such as ticks or aoutats.Thus, they cannot leave pimples on the skin.However, they trigger allergic symptoms such as itching.
How to naturally get rid of mites?
First, to help fight domestic mites, two solutions:
The rate of mites is three times higher in country houses than in main residences, reports a Danish study of 2005.Less ventilated, not heated in winter, they are more humid, everything that mites!To keep a fairly dry air at home, you have to ventilate every day twice 15 minutes and check that nothing is obscured the exchanges with the outside air.A good reflex: open the windows after passing the mop or putting laundry to dry.
"Having a little heating at 18-19 ° C from the first cold prevents that too wet air will settle down," adds Dr. Vervloet, allergist and president of the French Allergology Federation, co-author of allAllergic?To end a disease of civilization (new public debates)).
À lire aussiHow to eliminate mites by fighting humidity?
Mites develop when the conditions are favorable, that is to say when the humidity is between 65 and 80%.Thus, in order to avoid their proliferation, the latter must not be more than 50 to 60 %.
Mites develop more readily when humidity and heat are combined, which is frequent in housing in winter."This is why it is essential to ventilate all the parts at least 10 to 15 minutes per day, and to maintain a temperature between 19 ° C and 21 ° C", recalls Martine Ott, medical advisor in the interior environment at the University HospitalStrasbourg.
"Anything that can produce humidity must also be banished from the bedroom of an allergic person: drying linen, humidifier or saturator, plants, aquarium...", Adds Dr. Trébuchon, allergist doctor, author of defeating asthma and allergies (ed.Albin Michel)).
How to remove house mites by limiting dust?
It is important not to let the dust set up, because it can contain incredible quantities of mites, so allergens, it is necessary to hunt it wherever it is located.On the shelves, but also on the floors, which we will aspire at least once a week, preferably with a device equipped with a HEPA filter (see box below)), or will be washed with adamp and clean mop.
"Prefer a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter (" high efficiency for air particles ")), which prevents the finest particles from escaping in the air," advises Dr. Vervloet.It takes about 150 to 180 euros for a powerful vacuum cleaner (Electrolux, Rowenta, Nilfisk...)).Finally, "you have to think about washing the filter so that its effectiveness remains optimal", specifies Martine Ott.We avoid bagless vacuum cleaners, which involve contact with dust when gaps.
Machine washing: What temperature to kill mites?
"Mites die at 56 ° C, they therefore do not resist a washing at 60 ° C," said Dr. Vervloet.But, if you can only wash at low temperature, "the mechanical action of machine washing alone eliminates 95 % of mites", specifies Martine Ott, medical advisor in the interior environment.
The favorite plush of the little one does not go to the machine?Now it is a nest in mites ... So we place it for a few hours in the freezer to eradicate them, because these little animals do not survive below 0 ° C.But that is not enough, then it is necessary to “suck” the plush to properly eliminate mites and their excrement.
À lire aussiHow to remove mites in the bedroom and bed?
The bedroom is the favorite "habitat" of domestic mites which benefit from the heat and humidity released by the body at the same time as they find their food (skin squams)).
"The room of an allergic, without being monacale, must be the most sober and as refined as possible," says Martine Ott."First to avoid dust nests, then to facilitate maintenance".
Acaricide products are products containing active substances, which are supposed to kill mites, their larvae and their eggs, and even sometimes, sterilize females and fight against molds which the parasites feed.However, specialists do not recommend their use, as well as that of anti -ACR -treated bed linen."They contain chemical substances which not only have no effect on their excrement, but can be irritating for the already weakened respiratory tract", underlines Martine Ott.
How do you know if there are mites in the bed or the house?
Placing the carpet for 30 minutes allows you to recover just 30% of allergens ... and even if you often wash your textiles, mites tend to come back very quickly.Do you suspect your room or accommodation to be colonized, or just want to know if you have a lot of parasites at home?
Nothing could be simpler: there are tests that make it possible to detect the presence and quantity of mites in your home or apartment.Just place the dust extracted from the vacuum cleaner on a strip, and the test will indicate the degree of mites concentration by detecting the guanine, substance present in their excrement.There are several test brands: Acaritit ®, Acarex Test ®...
For a complete diagnosis of your interior, you can call on a medical advisor in an interior environment (CMEI)).He will carry out measures and identify the allergens and pollutants present.He intervenes at the request of a doctor (generalist, allergist or pulmonologist)).The visit is free when the CMEI is attached to a public structure (CHU, ARS ...)).
A lire aussiAuteurs : SCatherine JarrigeSEmmanuelle Blanc , Journaliste santéLaura Chatelain, journaliste spécialisée en santé, bien-être, forme et nutritionExperts : Martine Ott, conseillère médicale en environnement intérieur au CHU de Strasbourg ; Dr Florence Trébuchon, médecin allergologue, auteur de Vaincre l'asthme et les allergies (éd.Albin Michel)) ; Dr Daniel Vervloet, allergologue et président de la Fédération française d'allergologie, coauteur de Tous allergiques ? Pour en finir avec une maladie de civilisation (Nouveaux débats publics)). Article mis à jour par Mathilde Pujol, Journaliste santé
