Dust Mite Allergies and Rambunctious Kids

Last March, I finished off my downstairs of removing all carpet... my bedroom, living area and my office. I put porcelain tile that looks like wood down and I LOVE it. I can tell a BIG difference with no carpet. My furniture is custom made leather and I have no issues with it and my 2 dogs.

I have not removed carpet from upstairs because I am rarely up there.. I live downstairs and go upstairs once a week to flush toilets and check on things.

My lower level consists of travertine tile, tile, nailed down hardwoods in formal area and porcelain tile.

I do have an air purifier in my bedroom.

It is amazing to see how quickly dust builds up on my new floor and to think... I was breathing that mess!!!

Good luck

start with the carpet. get rid of it. the furniture needs a good deep clean too but with having carpet you will always have issues no matter how well you clean it.

Given that you are stuck with the rugs for now, I suggest that everyone has to take their outdoor shoes off when they enter the house. It's not so much the dirt, but the organic matter that shoes bring into your house, which feeds the mites.

Carpet.

My son with dust mite allergies - we were told to get rid of the carpet. Huge difference. His bedroom now has laminate.

I would have done wood, but I like washing it down. I don't have rugs.

It made enormous difference.

We had done everything else you have.

We have carpet elsewhere here and there (gradually replacing with wood). Our allergist said - focus on his bedroom.

With as much vacuuming as you have going on there really shouldn't be much typical dust around to kick up. Are you also dusting surfaces that the vacuum doesn't reach, as well as keeping ceiling fixtures clear?

If people wear their outdoor shoes in your house, they are bringing in dirt, pollen, mold, etc and traipsing all over with it. In my house's entry, we have a low-pile industrial type rug as a mat that can be vacuumed and shaken, as well as a bench to sit on to put on/take off shoes, and a shoe rack.

1 - Lower the humidity level inside your house.
A dry environment reduces dust mite levels in your house.
It's a fine balance to get it dry enough so the dust mites are down but not so dry that your nose bleeds from being too dry - and everyone s comfort level is different.

2 - Bundle up the kids and have them play outside for a minimum 2 hours per day.
Rain or shine, warm or cold - unless there's lightning, a blizzard, a bad air day, a really high heat index or a really low wind chill factor - fresh air and being outdoors is good for them.

3 - Don't know if you do dust mite covers for your kids beds and do the same for their bedding /bedroom as yours but if you don't you should.
Dust mites anywhere in your home is a problem for you.

As you can get rid of the carpets and do area rugs where you need them.
With the carpets gone - swiffing the floors gives you a great idea how much dust you really have - it's always more than you think and carpet really hides it.

Additional:
Dust mite are ever present.
They are microscopic and it's not really the mites themselves people react to as it is their droppings.
Gross, I know.
They feed on shed human skin cells - house dust is a lot of things but a large component of it is human skin - like %80 of it.
So the next time you dust off a counter or table - think about it.

Moisture - mostly sweat and humidity - sets up the environment for dust mites to over populate.
And of course the more of them there are- the more droppings they make.

Frequently washing bedding helps a lot - we sweat in bed in minuscule amounts but being microscopic the buggers don't need much to get them going.

Much like mold or yeast - dust mites can be controlled by keeping the humidity low.
Keeping up with the dusting helps too.
Make sure your air vent filters are changed frequently.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dust-mites...

-I would get rid of the carpet and get big area rugs. You can find them inexpensively. You could even get a friend and pull it up yourself to save money but then you will need to pay someone to finish it off.
-dust blinds often
-keep minimal knick knacks so dusting often is easy
-keep sweeping, dusting & vacuuming often
-don't forget to dust/sweep/vacuum the kids' rooms often
-dust the tops of ceiling fans, the tops of cabinets!!!!
-get big area rugs. (you can move them, take them outside, vacuum them etc.)
-you could try slip covers to see if they help
-for now get the carpets steam cleaned but honestly....ripping up the carpet
was the best thing I ever did
-and yes....later replace the cloth furniture with leather

ooh man....the only thing I can think of is vacuum your furniture daily....

Replacing the carpet and furniture is the only thing I can think of. I'm sorry. I know that's not what you want to hear. I'd find a way to get it done. Maybe a HELOC?