Don't turn your indoor heating on before vacuuming your mattress — dust mite expert explains why
Allergen expert Dr. George Du Toit explains why now is peak dust mite season, plus the specific way to vacuum your mattress to protect against allergy flare-ups
As winter approaches, people are tempted to turn up their indoor heating before vacuuming their mattresses to avoid dust mites. However, an expert warns that this is the wrong order. Professor George Du Toit, a Co-Founding Director at the Allergy Centre of Excellence, explains that dust mites thrive in warm, humid environments and multiply rapidly when indoor heating is turned on.
The best time to clean your mattress is before turning on the heater, as dust mites release massive amounts of allergenic particles just before they die off due to humidity changes. To reduce the dust mite population, experts recommend the 2-inch mattress rule: compress the mattress surface with a vacuum cleaner to remove the food source and embedded dust mites.
A HEPA-filtered vacuum is essential to prevent allergens from being released back into the room. Regularly cleaning the mattress with high heat (140°F/60°C) and specialized UV vacuum can also help eliminate dust mites and their fecal matter, which cause most allergic reactions.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
