| First: Bedrooms |
| Cover pillows and mattresses with zippered covers that trap in mites and mite allergens. These covers are made of special, tightly-woven material and should be labeled as specifically designed to block dust mites. |
| Wash sheets, pillowcases, and blankets in hot or warm water with detergent or dry in an electric dryer on the hot setting every week. If needed, replace blankets with ones that can be washed. If you must use comforters (or duvets), cover them with tightly-woven covers. |
| Use washable, vinyl, or roll-type window covers. |
| Remove clutter, soft toys, and upholstered furniture. |
| Where possible, remove carpets or replace them with area rugs that can be cleaned or washed. |
| Second: Rest of house |
| Reduce upholstered furniture, especially old sofas. |
| Where possible, replace carpets with polished flooring. Carpets on concrete slabs or stuffy crawl spaces are a problem. Those carpets especially should be replaced with polished flooring. |
| Vacuum weekly using a cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. |
| Window coverings should be washable, vinyl, or roll-type. |
| Control humidity to less than 50% relative humidity at normal temperatures (between 68 to 72°F). To check humidity levels, you can buy a humidity monitor at a hardware store. If it is too humid, you can lower humidity by using an air conditioner. |
| Third: Changing houses* |
| If you have bad allergies and live in a basement or very damp home, think about moving. |
| People who are allergic to mites (or molds) often do much better if they live in an apartment (second floor or higher) or a house with second floor bedrooms and wooden floors. |
