what do you do about the dust problems here?

[riorobc023]

i struggle with dust allergies /dust mites mainly inside houses, how can it be prevented, and what medicinal routes do you take?

do they sell dust mite covers for mattress'/pillows here in thailand?

are their any products available for dust mites or spray/additives?

thanks all

Edited April 17, 2016 by riorobc023

[DogNo1]

Although I have covers on things, I find that spraying sheets, cushions, pillows and the carpet with alcohol helps. Pratuu Naam sells me a large bottle for 30 baht. I use about three a day. I take two allergy pills a day (Xyzal) but i really need the alcohol in addition to keep from wheezing and sneezing. Good luck.

[dannoOnline]

Dust mite covers for your mattress and pillows are critical. But my wife and I find that the pollution here just adds to our troubles, so I generally take a generic claritin every day and spray my sinuses with Nasonex after irrigating with sterilized saline solution (ialumar is available locally).

[riorobc023]

@DogNo1 Do you spray the sheets with ethyl alcohol? as far as i know this is the only type of alcohol available in thailand.

@DannoOnline thank you for your suggestions, i will have to try both of those items out

Where can i buy dust mite covers for my mattress' and pillows in thailand? I know that big c did not have them

[dannoOnline]

@DogNo1 Do you spray the sheets with ethyl alcohol? as far as i know this is the only type of alcohol available in thailand.

@DannoOnline thank you for your suggestions, i will have to try both of those items out

Where can i buy dust mite covers for my mattress' and pillows in thailand? I know that big c did not have them

We brought our dust mite covers from the US. But I think Ikea or Index Living may sell mattress and pillow covers.

I found I was seriously allergic to my sofa so I ended up buying a leather sofa and that helps a lot.

[attrayant]

Wash bed linens in hot water - I know that's not easy to find here. Use a steam cleaner on the mattress while the sheets are in the laundry. Aside from fumigant insecticides like naphthalene (aka moth balls), heat is the only thing that's really effective against dust mites. Going over the mattress with a hand vac might help, too.

Alcohol sprays aren't really that effective, mainly because they evaporate almost immediately upon being atomized. Ethanol isn't the only alcohol available here; isopropanol is also available (albeit in 4 liter jugs), if you want to give it a try. Stay away from sparks and flames and make sure the room is well ventilated so all that combustible vapor has somewhere to go.

Memory foam mattresses are an inhospitable environment for dust mites and bed bugs, but that's an expensive solution and you might not like the feel of it. Probably the worst thing you could do is open your windows. Presently it's hotter outside than inside, so there's no good reason to open them anyway.

[DogNo1]

Hi. I use isopropyl because methanol is too stick. The alcohol doesn't have to temain to kill one generation of dust mites. I'm not sure that steam cleaning is any better than spraying with alcohol. Steam is water vapor after all and dust mites love humidity and dampness. There are many things that you can do but they're a lot of trouble. In Japan, most housewives air their bedding outside on sunny days. When I have my bedroom steam cleaned here in Bangkok, it makes things worse. I find Allegra, Zyrtec and Claritin hard on my kidneys. Xyzal doesn't seem to have bad side effects for me and remains effective for about 12 hours. It's a bit expensive though but it seems that all of the superior drugs are (including my new blood pressure drug -Co/Diovan.) It's wonderfully effective though and doesn't make me cough as enalapril used to do.

That said, everyone must find the right cures for their own body types and living circumstances. Good health to everyone!

[nabbie]

The wall extractor fan for each room may help to minimise the dust in the dry air environment. Also The box of ices in the room will moisturise the air in order to reduce the dust as well.

[Colabamumbai]

Wash bed linens in hot water - I know that's not easy to find here. Use a steam cleaner on the mattress while the sheets are in the laundry. Aside from fumigant insecticides like naphthalene (aka moth balls), heat is the only thing that's really effective against dust mites. Going over the mattress with a hand vac might help, too.

Alcohol sprays aren't really that effective, mainly because they evaporate almost immediately upon being atomized. Ethanol isn't the only alcohol available here; isopropanol is also available (albeit in 4 liter jugs), if you want to give it a try. Stay away from sparks and flames and make sure the room is well ventilated so all that combustible vapor has somewhere to go.

Memory foam mattresses are an inhospitable environment for dust mites and bed bugs, but that's an expensive solution and you might not like the feel of it. Probably the worst thing you could do is open your windows. Presently it's hotter outside than inside, so there's no good reason to open them anyway.

Western professional service companies use heaters in rooms to kill bed bugs where many rooms are infected.

Metal frame beds are better than wood.

[attrayant]

The alcohol doesn't have to temain to kill one generation of dust mites. I'm not sure that steam cleaning is any better than spraying with alcohol. Steam is water vapor after all and dust mites love humidity and dampness.

Alcohol works marginally at best, because mites and bedbugs have to be nearly soaked in it for it to work. That means only those critters on the surface of the bed will be affected. A bed made from natural fibers offers mites a home deep within its body, where sprays won't reach. At best, you'll reach only those who happen to be walking about on the surface of the mattress, and even then you might only kill a fraction of those. Here's a video showing dust mites still alive and kicking 30 minutes after continuous exposure to alcohol.

Steam is effective because it reaches deep into the bedding's fibers where sprays and even fumigants often won't reach. That's why medical professionals advise washing bed sheets in hot (at least 60°C) water. If you've tried steam cleaning and felt it wasn't effective, I wonder if you were doing it right? Don't just let steam roll casually over the mattress - you have to mash the steam applicator nozzle into the bedding to make sure the steam gets forced a few cm down into the fibers. Here's a video: https://youtu.be/DWTP17_9KgA

The hardest thing might be getting the mattress dry again after steaming it. Opening the windows might not be a good idea since it's often 90%+ humidity in Thailand. If you could expose the mattress to direct sunlight after vacuuming & steaming, that would probably be best - a dust might massacre trifecta.

[steven100]

spray the room with ChainDrite ...... spray all surfaces, corners, crevices, under cuboards, under beds etc ..... lock the house and leave for 3-4 hours then return and air out ...

[thaipod]

There is a service we use for deep cleaning and vacuum system to clean our mattresses on a yearly basis which removes dust and mites.

[Rosemary90]

Cover pillows, and other things..

Clean your house regularly.

I thing there is any open balcony from where dust is coming. First cover it..

[riorobc023]

Love all of the suggestions here. And appreciate everyones advice!

What are good/cheap/effective steam cleaning companies here in bangkok?

i could never find isopropyl alcohol at any pharmacy, weird..

[attrayant]

It's available in electronics supply houses as Ultracore cleaning solvent No. 2. Four liters for 590 baht. I got this jug at NPE.