This Kitchen Staple Will Get Rid of Any Sneaky Dust Mites

We don’t blame you if you dread dusting your home every week, and we don’t blame you if you skip it every so often, either! Dusting tends to feel like a never-ending chore that just causes your allergies to act up, even if you use a dust-trapping brush. Plus, pesky dust mites are hard to get rid of completely if all you’re doing is running a brush or a microfiber towel over hard surfaces. 

Fortunately, TikTok star Chantel Mila is here to save the day with a simple dusting hack. The influencer has grown her fame by posting various home cleaning and decorating hacks that quickly go viral for their simplicity and ingenuity. One of Mila’s latest tips will help you get rid of the dust mites that hide on rugs and soft furniture.

To perform Mila’s trick, all you need is baking soda and a vacuum. Simply sprinkle it over the surface of your rugs and soft furniture, such as couches and chair cushions. Leave the powder on the surfaces for at least one hour, and then vacuum away. Voila! Your floors and lounge areas should be dust-mite free. 

Why does baking soda help ward off dust mites? While the substance does not kill dust mites, it makes the environment far more unsuitable for the microscopic pests. Dust mites thrive in areas of the home that contain moisture, dust, and dirt. Baking soda easily absorbs the moisture that soft area rugs, carpets, and furniture hold onto. Once you vacuum away the baking soda, dirt, and dust, you should be left with dry, clean floors that should harbor fewer dust mites in the future. As an added bonus, baking soda is a natural deodorizer, as it reacts with strong-smelling acidic and alkaline molecules to neutralize smells. 

It’s important to find ways to eliminate dust mites, and not just dust, whenever you do your weekly cleanings. Most people are allergic to dust mites and can develop severe allergy symptoms overtime. These pesky critters can also cause asthma symptoms when inhaled, and lead to coughing or wheezing. 

Looking for other dusting hacks? Mila offers two other tricks as well. In her first, she recommends taking off your shoes at the door before you walk into your home. This simple step is common in many parts of the world, and with good reason: Outdoor shoes bring in far more dirt, dust, and bacteria than you may realize. Asking your family to switch to indoor sandals and flip flops will help to keep your home much cleaner and healthier. It will also keep you from having to vacuum as frequently. 

In addition, Mila suggests lining tall surfaces, such as the tops of your cabinets, with old newspapers. Family members and guests will be unable to see the simple trick from the ground, and you can quickly throw away the papers when enough dust has collected on them. With a few quick changes in your dusting techniques, your cleaning routine should get easier from here.