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A good number of people opt to invest in air filtration devices to aid in preventing seasonal irritations, like the springtime hay fever. These devices are able to eliminate the grains behind these allergies from your indoor environment.
However, can air purification systems be helpful regarding household dust? To be more precise, might they alleviate the indications of sensitivities triggered by dust mites?
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Dust mites represent minuscule arachnids typically living amongst everyday household dust, consuming skin flakes that drop from individuals and their domestic animals. You can often find the small creatures on soft surfaces, such as mattresses, floor coverings, or window dressings, and they could worsen a person’s allergies.
That is on the grounds that, while individuals frequently assume that dust precipitates their allergies, it’s actually contaminants abandoned by dust mites that are frequently the perpetrator. Allergy symptoms are more frequently brought on by proteins present in the waste matter of dust mites, rather than the mites themselves.
According to Dr. Jay Portnoy, head of allergy, asthma, and immunology at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, once the dust mites are done feasting on your dead skin cells, the enzymes that they utilize to breakdown what they consume come out as little fecal particles, which are tremendously potent allergens. These excrements get trapped in what you might call dust accumulating spots, like carpets, rugs, blankets, and draperies, he told Live Science.
Dust mites don’t usually waft through the atmosphere similar to small dust particulates, even though the allergens found in dust can be disturbed while sweeping or vacuuming.
Although air filtration systems can efficiently eliminate many of the troubling allergens from a given location, they aren’t able to do away with every single airborne contaminant, according to Dr. Alana Biggers-Walker, associate professor of medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago, who spoke with Live Science. They also aren’t a solution for the primary factor: the dust mites and the dusty pieces of furniture they make their homes in.
Nonetheless, according to a meta-analysis that came out in the World Allergy Organization Journal in June of 2024, air filtration devices could drastically lessen some of the indications of dust mite sensitivities, such as a dripping nose and sneezing. However, these positive outcomes are only observable if the filters are utilized overnight and within the “breathing zone,” which means very near (within a radius of about 10 inches or 30 centimeters) to a person’s mouth and nostrils.
Ultimately, however, the review suggests that this nighttime air cleaning might still be less helpful than initiating sweeping control measures concerning the tidiness of your bedroom — by utilizing mite-resistant bedding, routinely washing soft furniture, and thoroughly vacuuming carpets.
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- Related: How to get rid of dust mites?
What can be concluded? Even though there’s some substantiation that air purification systems can be helpful for easing the indications of allergies caused by dust mites, authorities have determined that they shouldn’t be considered the leading method for protection from this ubiquitous pest in homes. Live Science assessed the prime air filtration devices and suggests choosing models that feature HEPA filters due to the fact that they are generally the most effective for removing exceptionally minuscule dust mite allergens from the air.
This piece is intended purely to impart information and is not designed to act as a substitute for health advice.
Related stories:
— Do air purifiers help with allergies?
— How can air purifiers help with asthma?
— Do air purifiers help with mold?
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Katie Treharne
Katie functions as a freelance reporter, copy editor, and web content producer addressing a wide array of topics, spanning from leisure activities to upscale traveling and health. During the course of her independent profession, she’s been a regular writer for LiveScience’s associated platform, Top Ten Reviews, in addition to other publications. As a content creator for a portal specialized in travel arrangements and Assistant Editor for an elite travel journal, Katie is captivated by the realm of digital media and its capacity for educating and motivating individuals.
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