Air Purifiers & Dehumidifiers for Dust Mites 2024

Dust mites like to breed in humid conditions, if your home has high humidity then these annoying pests can start to breed. Without taking control of your humidity issues it is virtually impossible to get rid of them.  

If you’re suffering from allergic reactions in your home all year round then there is a very good chance that it is caused by dust mites. Allergies from dust mites might cause symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and difficulty in breathing. Having these symptoms for extended periods can be extremely frustrating.

To get rid of dust mites, you might have considered getting an air purifier or a dehumidifier. If that’s the case, you’re definitely on the right track. Keep on reading to learn more about how using air purifiers and dehumidifiers for dust mites might be your saving grace.

Can Air Purifiers Get Rid of Dust Mites?

An Air Purifiers’ main job is to sanitise your air by removing pollutants and allergens. So, an air purifier with a high-efficiency particulate air (true HEPA) filter is able to remove all airborne particles, including dust mites, down to 0.3 microns or lower.

However, the allergies you experience are not actually from the dust mites themselves; they’re actually caused by the enzymes and waste that dust mites produce. So, even if you somehow manage to kill dust mites, you still need to remove their waste from the air before they settle into your carpets and furniture.

To do this you will need an air purifier with a true HEPA filter to guarantee that it’ll be able to get rid of dust mites and their waste. Additionally, keep in mind to size your air purifier to your room size so it can filter the entire space.

We strongly recommend starting with your bedroom because that’s where dust mites love to live and breed. The humid air of a bedroom, along with the surfaces like your bed covers and furniture are all areas that dust mites thrive.

Moreover, dust mites feed on the skin you shed throughout the day and night, and what better place to find skin cells than your bed covers?

Now you might have noticed that we mentioned humidity and that it helps dust mites live and grow, so does that mean a dehumidifier can get rid of dust mites?

Keep on reading to find out.

Can Dehumidifiers Battle Dust Mites?

Dust mites prefer humid conditions where the humidity is above 60%. That means that if you can lower your room’s humidity to 50%, most dust mites will die. Also 50% humidity is the ultimate humidity level for us humans to live in comfort, so by achieving that level, not only will dust mites hate it but you will love it.

So, yes a dehumidifier kill dust mites. 

If your room is not heated and regularly drops below 20C then you will want to consider a Desiccant Dehumidifier. If your room is heated or you live in a warmer part of the country then a compressor dehumidifier is the best option. 

Nevertheless, killing dust mites isn’t enough to cure your allergies, simply because their bodies and waste will still be in the air. And the ones that have fallen on your furniture, carpet or curtains can easily be stirred back up into your air when you move around. That’s exactly where air purifiers come back into play.

Using a Combination of Air Purifiers and Dehumidifiers for Dust Mites

Using dehumidifiers for dust mites isn’t enough because a dehumidifier might be able to kill the dust mites, but then what? You still need to get rid of their waste before it settles into your carpets, curtains and furniture. And as mentioned above these can always be re-introduced into the air when you move around your home.

So using an air purifier for dust mites’ waste is the next step after killing the microscopic pests because air purifiers absorb particles and allergens from the air. Still, they can’t kill the dust mites without the help of a dehumidifier. So using a combination of both machines to get rid of your dust mite issue can be the best way to go.

How to Get Rid of Dust Mites

As we’ve already established, the best way to get rid of dust mites is to use a dehumidifier to kill the dust mites and an air purifier with a true HEPA filter to get rid of their waste and clean out the air. However, besides combining both an air purifier and a dehumidifier, there are other ways to help reduce dust mites in your home, so let’s talk about them.

Because dust mites love your bedroom and the humid air in there, making sure to wash your bed and mattress covers often with hot water could limit the number of dust mites.

Also, if you want to reduce the humidity level at your house, you can simply do that by opening up a window and letting air flow through for about an hour a day. Make sure you’re only doing that on dry days, though. Still, it’s recommended to use an air dehumidifier if possible, especially if your live in the warmer states.

Using pillow and mattress covers can also help. These covers protect whatever’s underneath from dust mites and they are very easy to wash. Make sure you’re washing these covers often, so even if there are dust mites living there, they won’t breed as quickly.

Dust mites might be living in your carpeting, and regular vacuuming can’t get rid of them. It’s highly recommended to use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter or any similar vacuum cleaner that can get rid of tiny pests like dust mites. Vacuums without a HEPA filter can not capture the microscopic particles and will just end up blowing them into your air.

If you notice that your allergies get more severe around winter and summer, it might be due to your air conditioner! AC's can stir up the air and cause dust mites and their waste to fly around your home. This is another great reason to own an air purifier, as these airborne pollutants will get filtered right out of your air.

Using a dehumidifier can also make your AC system more efficient. By removing excess moisture it can help your system heat and cool much quicker and cover a greater area.

Lastly, if you have kids and they love their stuffed toys, try moving them off the bed, as dust mites love them as much as your kids do and they will quickly breed in and on them.

Final Words

If you are suffering from allergies caused by dust mites, there are a number of ways to get rid of them. Using dehumidifiers can kill off most of the dust mites living in your home. Additionally, air purifiers can absorb their waste by filtering them out of your air, as long as the purifier has a high quality True HEPA filter.

So, if you want to effectively get rid of dust mites, using both a dehumidifier and an air purifier will kill the pests and get rid of their waste that is hanging in the air for years to come.