Understanding Dust Mites: Essential Steps to Combat Their Impact

Did you know that fall is the peak season for dust mites to threaten your healthcare facility? While we often associate dust mites with neglected cleaning or assume they are a year-round nuisance, the transition between seasons is an incredibly critical time to focus on protecting your facility’s patients and staff from the dangers of these indoor air contaminants. 

Dust mites can have a significant impact on indoor air quality, and their presence is especially concerning for immunocompromised patients. In this blog, we’ll discuss dust mites' impact on air quality and provide practical solutions to help you prepare your facility for peak dust mite season.

Dust Mites 101: What Are Dust Mites and Why They Matter

So, what are dust mites? Not to be confused with dust itself, dust mites are tiny, insect-like pests that consume human skin flakes and thrive in warm, humid environments. Dust mites' invisibility to the naked eye and their knack for triggering allergic reactions makes them particularly threatening. 

While they are not the same as parasites that might bite, sting, or burrow into our skin, they can cause a major nuisance, particularly in healthcare. Have you ever experienced sneezing, coughing, or irritation because of dust? Those reactions result from inhaling dust proteins in dust mite feces, urine, or decomposing bodies. 

Dust mites make their home in beds, carpets, curtains, and upholstered furniture, which means that there is a great home for them in homes, offices, and yes, healthcare facilities. Even more shocking, according to the American Lung Association, roughly four out of five homes in the U.S. have dust mite allergens in at least one bed. Yes, you read that correctly. That’s about 80%. Imagine how many more have the potential to invade a large-scale medical center or hospital. In immunocompromised patients, these little pests can go from an annoyance to a major risk factor in no time. Worse still, because they are invisible to the naked eye, you’ll only know that you have them if you go looking — meaning the best way to minimize the risks is to keep them from making a home in your healthcare facility to begin with. 

Whether you’re well aware of dust mites and looking for how to get rid of dust mites or just beginning to explore the potential harm that they can cause, your facility must have a strategy in place to keep dust mites at bay in order to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone inside. 

5 Ways Indoor Air Can Be Compromised by Dust Mites

1. Construction and Renovation Work

Construction and renovation projects can stir up dust and debris, creating a perfect environment for dust mites to thrive. Without proper cleaning procedures, dust containment systems, and air filtration equipment, these mites can spread quickly throughout your facility compromising the health and recovery of patients in your healthcare center. Whether jackhammering, taking down walls or ceilings, pulling up flooring, or any number of more invasive construction tasks, you’ll need to be extra cognizant of the cleanup process and lingering dust after the fact to avoid dust mites settling into your facility. 

2. Poor HVAC Maintenance

Neglected HVAC systems are another prime spot for dust mites to accumulate if left unchecked. Dust mites can thrive in clogged filters, recirculating contaminated air throughout the building. This is why regular HVAC maintenance is so critically important. To avoid clogged air filters and dust mites from causing air contamination make sure to stay on top of your regular maintenance tasks including filter changes and using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems.

3. High Humidity Levels

Dust mites love warm, humid environments, and healthcare facilities that don’t manage their humidity levels effectively may struggle at a higher rate with dust mite infestations. Dehumidifiers can help create less hospitable conditions for dust mites, reducing their growth rate. Keeping tabs on the humidity level in your facility is important for a variety of other reasons, so this is typically an easy change to make for facilities looking to take extra precautions against the spread of dust mites. 

4. Room for Improvement in Cleaning and Dust Control

Even with good intentions, inconsistent cleaning routines can allow dust and dust mites to accumulate. Regular vacuuming with HEPA filters, combined with washing linens and bedding in hot water, are a few effective ways how to get rid of dust mites and/or prevent them from spreading if they do find a way to invade your healthcare center. The best way to ensure that your cleaning practices and dust control are sufficient to keep dust mites at bay is by continuing to stay up-to-date with best practices and making sure that you’re educating your staff on the same. The more people that know about cleaning and disinfecting properly, the better off your entire facility’s level of safety will be.

5. Soft Surfaces and Upholstered Furniture

Dust mites are naturally drawn to soft surfaces like carpets, curtains, and upholstered furniture, making these areas hotspots for accumulation. In healthcare environments, where air quality is critical, limiting these soft furnishings can make a noticeable difference. For surfaces that cannot be removed, such as chairs or mattresses, using mite-proof covers is an effective solution. These covers act as a barrier, preventing mites from settling into the fabric and reducing the spread of allergens. Regular deep cleaning of these areas, along with utilizing specialized cleaning tools and techniques, is a great example of what kills dust mites and can help maintain a healthier environment for patients and staff alike.

Tiny but Toxic: The Risks of Dust Mites

You already know that indoor air quality can make or break the health of those living and working in the space. But while particles like pollen, fibers, and pet dander are common culprits, dust and dust mites can often be forgotten about or overlooked in a medical setting. Dust can be particularly insidious if it is not properly dealt with promptly.

Year-round, but this time of year especially, it’s important to understand the risks of indoor dust mites so that medical facilities can better protect patients and staff. Dust mites bring many issues if not properly dealt with, including potential irritation, HVAC trouble, and decreased productivity.

Irritation and Allergies

If inhaled, dust mites can irritate the respiratory system, exacerbate allergies, and lead to long-term health conditions if not managed. While dust mites can annoy your medical teams and staff, the real danger comes when dust mites irritate already vulnerable patients with lowered immune systems.

HVAC Trouble

Accumulated dust can choke your HVAC systems with air contamination, reducing efficiency and leading to higher maintenance costs. For example, High-efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters typically require changing every 3-6 months, but if they’re clogged with dust, you’ll need to shoulder the task (and expense) of replacing them more frequently and dealing with potentially less efficiency because of the clog. You’ve taken the time, energy, and budget to put air filtration and temperature controls in place, so it’s important to ensure they’re properly maintained and protected from the damage that excessive dust and dust mites can cause. Help your maintenance budget go further by removing dust mites wherever possible, and you’ll prevent excessive wear and tear on your HVAC systems.

Decreased Productivity

Poor indoor air quality quickly hampers productivity — a critical concern for healthcare facilities where precision and focus are key. It is more difficult to focus if you’re fighting irritation or allergic reactions. Set your teams up for success by creating the healthiest work environment possible to maximize their health and productivity.

Removing Dust Mites from the Environment

We know dust mites are harmful and must be removed and prevented in a healthcare setting, but what is the best way to do it? The most effective way to rid your medical center or hospital of dust mites is by getting rid of any place they may try to settle in. Another way is to use infection control solutions to prevent and remove dust mites. Preventing dust from escaping during facility projects or using air filtration in high-risk places to remove dirty air and to push clean air into those environments is crucial for maintaining indoor air quality.

You can eliminate the issue by removing potential habitats—carpets, drapes, upholstered furniture, etc.—or covering pillows and mattresses in mite-impermeable covers. In a healthcare setting where patient well-being is a top priority, these are your best defense against dust mites.

That being said, removing absolutely every soft surface is a big ask and is often only partially realistic. Patients need a place to sleep, bedding, towels, and similar items to stay comfortable in healthcare spaces. So, what else can we do to prevent dust mites? While physical interventions like freezing and heating sound promising, there's no clinical evidence that these measures make a marked difference.

Consider trying one or more of the following methods to prevent dust mites:

• Vacuum Regularly: By removing dust and debris from surfaces, you can better control the areas where dust mites may make their home. Even better? Use a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter for maximum impact.
• Use Dust Containment and Air Filtration Equipment: Equipping your facility with dust containment equipment will provide a place to contain dust from the building while working on construction projects. Using air filtration equipment ensures your facility pumps clean air and prevents particles and pathogens from forming.
• Wash Bedding and Linens: Hot water is your best friend here. Ensure that all bedding and linens are washed regularly.
• Reduce Humidity: Dust mites hate dry air. Utilize dehumidifiers to maintain an environment where they cannot thrive.

If you are dealing with a patient who has an allergy to dust or dust mites, you’ll want to take great care to implement these preventative measures and stay on top of cleaning and humidity levels as best as possible.

Take Action Against Dust Mites Today

As we enter dust mite peak season, healthcare facility managers have an opportunity to take proactive steps to improve indoor air quality and protect their patients and staff. By implementing proper cleaning routines, maintaining HVAC systems, and managing humidity levels, you can keep dust mites in check and reduce indoor air contamination. 

Ready to take your air quality to the next level? Download our guide to HEPA and ULPA filtration today to learn more about how to protect your facility from dust mites and other indoor air contamination.