Dust mite killer

[foraloysius]

David,

I have the DEM10, actually it's my second one. The first stopped working after two months due to a faulty power chip. This one works exactly the same as the previous one, so I don't think it's faulty. Perhaps the capacity is too small, but then again I can't imagine it would be too small for the guestroom.

Yes, the humidity should be under 45%, dust mites can't survive under that percentage.

Louis

http://www.delonghi.co.uk/product_page.php?id=167&key=Dehumidifiers

 

[sudsmaster]

David,

When you say the crawl space is "fully damp proofed", do you mean that there is a layer of plastic or rubber membrane under the concrete? Additionally, for fully damp-proofing, I understand it's necessary to vent the area under the plastic seal up a flue to the roof level. This also safely vents any radon gas.

My understanding is that it's good to vent a crawl space, so the air bricks are probably not hurting the humidity levels.

It's possible that the house plants elsewhere in the home are raising the humidity level in your room. Keep in mind that whatever water you put into them will wind up in the home air - it has no place else to go. And humidity seeks its own level. It wants to equalize throughout the home; only a moisture barrier in the walls, ceilings, and floors will prevent it from doing that (think thick plastic sheeting).

One possible way to reduce indoor humidity is to get a dishwasher with condensation drying, like the Bosch/Asko/Miele euro designs. American style models simply vent the bulk of the moisture into the home. The euro designs send most of it down the drain.

The humidity in my home is generally around 60%. It's lower in the winter during dry spells and in the hottest days of summer. I'd like it to be lower but I don't think the dust mites bother me anyway.

Louis,

It's possible that the rate of infiltration of humidity from outside your room is equal to the rate at which the dehumidifier can remove it. But it should still be putting water in the tank no matter what. If it's not producing any water in the tank below a certain humidity level, I also would suspect that it's defective, especially since that model has a history of defects.

 

[petek]

About a month ago I spotted a Delonghi dehumidifier at Value Village, tall tower shaped rounded on top. Anyways I took it over and plugged it in and the compressor came on but there didn't seem to be any fan action. Even though it was only about $10 I decided to leave it figuring it would just end up costing more to fix plus hassles than I wanted to deal with. Wasn't very old either, looked to be a fairly new machine. Come this summer I'll be hauling that 50 year old Oasis out of moms basement over here..

 

[foraloysius]

After a bit of testing I noticed that the humidity is coming down slowly and there is indeed an increase of the water level. But it's going slowly so I guess this dehumidifier is a bit on the small side. Thing is that you need to keep the window closed to reach a significant lower humidity level than outside. Because I don't have central air heating or airconditioning it means that there is no refreshing of the air in the room. So that is not an option. And I don't feel like buying another dehumidifier right now.

Part of the problem has been solved by the way. I was so very short of breath lately that I thought it was the allergy, but it turned out to be a side effect of the new medication I was using for a few weeks now. I even ended up in the emergency room, but the medication is so new they didn't even know it. After a few hours they established there was nothing wrong with me and I was sent home. I stopped using the medication and I feel better now. Not good but at least better. Next problems is new medication again. Sigh...

 

[mickeyd]

When I saw a photo of a dust mite magnified

I knew I had to get them out of the house. When they eat soap, they die, according to an Old Kirby manual. Just to boost the power of the Kirby Rug Renovator, I add a capful of Clorox just to be sure. For the bedding, Tide, Clorox, hot water are decades-old remedies that have never failed. Also I hike up the temp control on the hot water tank to "HOT"

Dear friend, do not under any circumstances search for magnifications of the hideous dust mite.

Best to you and your health

 

[sudsmaster]

Mickey,

Then I guess you wouldn't be interested in magnified images of the microscopic mites the live on every human's skin.

 

[lederstiefel1]

dust mite problem

Hi Louis, I'm natural healer and know a bit about allergies. Thing is that your body overreacts to normal stuff that comes in contact with you. Often it is aproblem that has to do with your biggest immune-system a human being has - the intestines! Have you already tried a clearance of your body and also a changment in your food?
Concerning the terms that make mites grow:
humidity is a must as well as warmth and that CONSTANTLY! Why did people in the old days seldom had these problems? They slept in cold and dry rooms - no central heating! Also it was common even still during my childhood to pile up the triple mattresses in the morning for airing and to shake out linnens and beddings out of the window and air them well to dry them out in the sunlight before beds were rearranged! Our "modern" mattresses are much to big and heavy to do so.
You should go back to that and also hoover the mattress each time you change the linnens. Buy a new mattress as an old one is never to become really clean again or decontaminated and cover it with a dust-proof cover to avoid skin dandruff particles can go into the mattress. Best for that would be a water-bed! Do not use duvets and wash the linnens weekly at 50°-60°C. Turn off the heating in your bedroom for ever and air the room daily very well! Hoover and dust the room and do not allow carpets in it. That should help a lot!

Ralf

 

[foraloysius]

Thanks Ralf for thinking with me. I am doing part of these things already. My biggest problem is that my bedroom and study are one. Since this is a rental I can't change that. I'm even considering moving.

 

[lederstiefel1]

Louis

Yes, that is probably the main problem with your bed - it is situated in a warm place day by day.
Do move!!

Ralf