Does dry cleaning kill dust mites?

Yes, dry cleaning kills 100% of dust mites! Having your bedding regularly cleaned by a professional dry cleaner is an effective way of removing dust mites. Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live on dead skin cells shed from people and their pets. Skin cells are often concentrated in your bedding and carpet. A typical mattress can contain tens of thousands of dust mites. Nearly 100,000 mites can live in one square yard of carpet. Fortunately, dust mites are harmless to most people and they don’t carry diseases. However, they can cause allergic reactions in people who are allergic to dust mite feces. The average dust mite produces about 20 waste droppings each day, each containing a protein to which many people are allergic. Depending on the person and exposure, reactions can range from itchy eyes to asthma attacks. To help control dust mites, frequent cleaning of bedding and carpet is highly recommended. There are also several other steps you can take. You can learn “Everything You Might Want to Know About Dust Mites” at the Environmental, Health and Safety Online (EHSO) website. For answers to more frequently asked dry cleaning questions, visit: www.olddominioncleaners.com