Dust mites. Those nasty little microscopic critters can ruin your life when you’re allergic to them. Which is something people with atopic dermatitis experience often, including me.
There are many ways to reduce or avoid exposure to dust mites, such as special covers for mattresses and bedding, vacuuming often, avoiding carpet floors, washing fabrics weekly on at least 60°C to kill the mites, etc. But what if you have clothes that can’t be washed on high temperatures? Especially when these clothes have been in your closet for ages and probably have millions of dust mites and their feces on them?
At first, I didn’t know that dust mites were hidden in clothes that you don’t wear often and are just hanging in your closet. But apparently they do. I experienced this first hand after I tried on some cute clothes again that I didn’t wear for a few years because of how bad my skin used to be (I basically wore nothing other than cotton basics at that time). I instantly got hives when I put on these “old” clothes. I was thinking that I was perhaps allergic to the fabric or the different laundry detergent that I used at the time. But later, I realized that it must have been the dust mites. This realization happened when I discovered the multi-uses of a steam cleaner.
The benefits of a steam cleaner are that it’s a natural way to clean and sanitize, as you don’t have to use harsh chemicals or detergents. You only need water (preferably demineralized water, to avoid limescale). This makes it a good alternative to chemical cleaning agents that often irritate our already hypersensitive skin. The high temperature of steam is effective in killing 99.9% of bacteria or viruses, and apparently much more. It is said to also kill mold spores, bed bugs and…dust mites! And maybe even other pests, who knows.
I bought a hand steam cleaner, the Bissell SteamShot, hoping it would be an “easier” way to clean my shower and sinks. Turns out it was kind of a disappointment in that department (my expectations were too high), but it happened to be super useful in killing dust mites without damaging my clothes in the process! It has a steam pressure of 4.5 bar, which equals a temperature of 155.55°C. I tried my steam cleaner on those “old” delicate clothes that couldn’t be washed at 60°C, and then put them in the washing machine at a low temperature. You might wonder why you still need to wash the clothes after you’ve treated them with a shot of steam. Well, the thing is that the steam kills the dust mites, but it doesn’t get rid of their remains and feces. And in fact, it’s not the dust mites themselves we’re allergic to, but their sh*t and shed skin.
And it really worked. I can now wear those long forgotten clothes again, without even a hint of an allergic reaction! I don’t think many people are aware of this use of a steam cleaner, so I’m happy to let you guys know this is not just a cleaner, but also an effective way to kill dust mites on delicate fabrics.
My Poisoned Skin 