Posts by Frank Chavez3

Patrick Young2 said:I feel like you need at least a month of vacation down in the Caribbean just to let your apartment air out from all those "bio" tons of poison. 🙂

👍

Thanks for the help, but I'm pretty sure they aren't bed bugs or even scorpions. These things are way smaller than those bugs. You can barely see them with the naked eye unless you catch them at just the right angle and really squint. Looks like I've got the situation under control for now!
I picked up some VAPE Sanit ACAROSAN at the local pharmacy and sprayed the edges of my bed where I spotted them (honestly, I'll probably spray the whole room over the next few days), and thank God, they're gone. I saw one or two here and there, but they were already dead, haha...
It seems like a great product, and it should keep working for a few months. I think it’s basically the same stuff as that ACAROSAN I mentioned earlier. That ACAROSAN is supposed to last six months, so if this stuff lasts at least three, I'll be more than happy.

The only thing left is a much tougher problem: my apartment has crazy high humidity, and I really need to figure out how to fix that eventually.

My advice to everyone:
You would be shocked by what's actually living in the spaces we call home. This was a huge wake-up call for me. Grab a flashlight and check the edges of your bed and any spots in your house where the walls feel cold or damp to see if you have mites. Really focus on the tiniest specks of dust. If you have mites, the only way to spot them is to watch them crawling. You won't see them on sheets or wallpaper—only on flat, smooth wooden surfaces or maybe the covers of books.

Susan Hall3 said:In this case, you really just need professional pest control—basically, call in a company that specializes in this sort of thing (which happens to be my line of work). If you're looking for a cheaper way to handle it yourself, here's the drill: grab a 3-liter sprayer, fill it with water, and pick up a product like K-Obiol, Neopitroid Alfa, or something similar. Mix in about 0.25, then give everything a thorough spray—focusing heavily on the hotspots, the corners, and any little cracks or crevices you can find. That should pretty much solve your problem.

Cheers!
Have you actually tried using that K-Biol or Neopitroid stuff before? I think I'll stick to Benzyl Benzoate for now since I know for a fact it kills mites dead.

Basically, they crave humidity. You won't find them in dry areas.

Hey everyone,
So, I live out in California and I honestly never noticed this before. My wife is from Washington, D.C., and she was actually the one who pointed it out to me—I was totally shocked. Our place is relatively new, maybe five or six years old. It all started when I spotted some mold buildup from moisture under the bed frame, and then we eventually realized there were dust mites. After that, I found them all over the house. I’ve also noticed they pretty much disappear in the summer, or on windy, sunny days; they seem to hide away (they definitely don't like bright light). Since I'm a photographer, I actually managed to snap a few pictures of them. You really have to catch them just right by angling a light so the shadow falls over them. They are tiny, though you can see them (at least mine) if you look really closely. They look huge in the photo because I zoomed in. I was just using a standard household bulb, by the way. I wish I had put something next to them for scale.

I've cleared out everything unnecessary from the house, even stripped the wallpaper, wrapped my mattresses in plastic, and I clean constantly... but I still see them.

Thinking back, I actually think I might be allergic to them because I keep waking up with a stuffy nose and stuff like that...

I've been doing some reading, and it seems like there isn't really a "cure" for them. They basically live with us; we can only try to minimize the damage. I picked up a VAPE spray for dust mites at the pharmacy, so I'm going to try that out this week. I also learned that the chemical Benzyl Benzoate kills them (you can find it at the drugstore). I'm planning to dilute that with alcohol and treat the whole house. I think it'll make things a lot better; honestly, I just want to get rid of them for good.

One more thing... I live on the upper floor of a house where the walls aren't insulated, so there's quite a bit of moisture. My parents live on the ground floor, and I checked, and they don't have any mites at all. 😕😕

Anyway, those are my experiences... honestly, I almost wish they weren't dust mites, because maybe they'd be easier to deal with, but I'm afraid that's exactly what they are.

Samuel Morgan40 said:Are you asking because someone is dealing with an allergy, or what?

The reality is, you can’t actually eradicate dust mites entirely—nothing can—you can only manage them.
At the end of the day, we are essentially hosting these mites (for instance, in your eyelash follicles), and you’ll find over a thousand of them just sitting in your bed

If someone is hypersensitive to mites, then by all means, you should do everything within your power to mitigate the situation. That basically means stripping away anything that acts as a dust magnet—think carpets, upholstered furniture, tablecloths, curtains, throw pillows, or even the clothes in your closet (like heavy winter coats or extra layers hanging on the rack that aren't currently in use). And, of course, there's the perennial, most difficult issue: the bed itself.

Nowadays, there is a massive variety of covers and mattresses available, and I suspect that investing in anti-allergy versions would be a wise move regardless.

There are plenty of various topical treatments on the market too, though I’d suggest consulting with a specialist before jumping into those.

Hey,

I've already done everything you mentioned. We still see them around the house, especially when it's humid. Back home in California, whenever the wind dies down and the sun is out, they seem to disappear. I'm not positive if I'm actually allergic, but lately, I've been dealing with symptoms—waking up with a scratchy throat and a stuffed-up nose and all that.

Have you tried that Acarosan spray or something similar based on Benzyl benzoate?
I haven't tried that yet, but I've been reading nothing but good reviews online. Apparently, you just spray it on the bed and around the house and it lasts for six months. They say it absolutely kills the mites.

Best!

Thanks for reaching out!🙂

I really need some advice regarding dust mites. I just discovered these disgusting little things recently. In my apartment—which is actually pretty new—we found entire colonies of them. I’ve tried everything from airing out the place constantly to cleaning almost every single day, but nothing works; I just can't shake these pests. From what I've read, there doesn't seem to be a real cure. Still, if anyone knows any other way to at least cut down their numbers, please let me know!