Does Lysol Kill Dust Mites? (Plus Natural Killing Tips)

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If you have a dust mite problem you need to get rid of them. But where do you begin?

Does Lysol kill dust mites? Lysol is a versatile spray that cleans and disinfects surfaces of all kinds but is it the right choice for dust mites in the house?

In this article I’ll answer the question and provide you with reasons for and against its use. We’ll also suggest a few other options to get rid of the pesky dust mite and protect your family from allergy.

Background Info on Dust Mite Allergy

A few years ago, I thought I might be suffering from dust mite allergy symptoms. My symptoms were:

Fatigue (from lack of quality sleep)
Eczema around my eyes, lips, and occasionally neck
Itchy ears
Stuffy/congested nose
Mental fogginess

I decided to visit an allergist to be tested. I was tested for a spectrum of potential allergens and sure enough, many of the tests came back positive. My reactions to dust mites were strong.

The strangest part of being tested was that I had never heard of dust mites, or seen them. How could I be allergic to something I’d never seen?

From that moment on, I’ve been learning more about dust mites. I’ve even learned some facts I wish I didn’t know!

Dust Mite Spray to Kill Dust Mites

Dust mites live in virtually all homes across the world. Our homes make the perfect home for dust mites because households are warm and provide the perfect source of food, our dead skin.

It sounds gross right?

Well, the majority of the dust in our homes originate from our body. My mind was blown when I thought about that fact.

We shed skin constantly but never notice it. Dust mites actually do us a favor by processing our waste.

The most popular place dust mites are found is in our bed because we spend so much time there and lots of shed skin. Dust mites are also common in carpets, closets, unwashed clothes, and around pet beds.

Keeping our homes free of dust is a challenge, however for people with allergy it is essential.

There are numerous products on the market that claim to kill dust mites and most of them are made from a combination of ingredients that include alcohol to sanitize bacterial, viruses, and molds.

Many of these products will be effective against dust mites however, some of these products are natural and organic while others use synthetic chemicals which can be just as harmful as the substance it’s killing, and thereby causes an allergic response.

Does Lysol Kill Dust Mites

Lysol is a staple product in most American homes. They’re a trusted brand that helps us clean our home and freshen it up at the same time.

As a disinfectant, cleaner, and air freshener we know it does its job, and YES, Lysol kills dust mites. But is Lysol the right choice to kill dust mites? First, let’s take a look at the active ingredients in this Lysol disinfectant spray:

Alkyl dimethyl
Benzyl ammonium saccharinate
Ethanol alcohol 40.
May include additional antiseptic agents, such as p-Choro-o-benzylphenol and isopropyl alcohol, to sanitize and remove odors

Some of these ingredients are quite hard to pronounce. And not all the ingredients in Lysol are organic, so you should be careful where you are using it.

In my opinion, given that dust mites are found in large populations around beds, I prefer to use an organic product that can be used as a bed and pillow spray (see below for additional options).

Lysol can still be used around the house, especially for dusting, but I won’t be spraying in my bedroom. For bedroom dusting, lysol wipes would be a fantastic alternative to the spray.

Natural Dust Mite Spray and Best Dust Mite Spray (DIY)

If you’re like me, organic household products are always a preferred option. Not only do they use 100% natural ingredients, but they also remove those constant questions we ask ourselves, such as “are these chemicals harming me?”.

Luckily, there are a few organic products for dust mite control. Easy Air, pictured left, is a product we’ve highlighted before (check price on Amazon).

It’s human and animal friendly, non-toxic, using hypoallergenic fruit and vegetable extracts and other botanical ingredients.

Another option is Violet Twig Aromatics’ dust mite spray (check price on Amazon). It comes in a small spray bottle and uses essential oil – we love essential oils for dust mites! This product is made specifically for the bed.

Lastly, I believe the DIY makes the best dust mite spray because you know exactly what they are made of. Our DIY dust mite killer only uses 3 ingredients; water, vodka, and essential oils.

The vodka is a light disinfectant and helps preserve the essential oils when mixing ingredients together. The essential oil is the main dust mite killer and although most essential oils are effective against dust mites, eucalyptus essential oil happens to be our favorite recommendation.

If you’re interested in making a DIY spray, you can read our review mentioned below and learn how to make it yourself! This DIY dust mite killer lets you breathe, and sleep, knowing dust mites are dead and your air is fresh.

How I Kill Dust Mites

Bedding

In the youtube video below we learn that dust mites are all over your bed. To combat their presence, families can purchase affordable dust mite covers.

These encasements not only keep dust mites from entering your pillows and mattresses, they also keep them from coming out. If you have a new mattress, covers are a great way to preserve the new appearance. Think resale value!

Whether allergic or not, encasements for your mattress, pillow, and blanket are a great step toward improving your family’s bedroom hygiene.

Covers only need to be washed 2-3 times a year and weekly washing of sheets can ensure there are virtually no dust mite exposure and those with dust mite allergy or sensitivity will sleep and feel better!

Air Purifiers

Allergy air purifiers have come a long way in the past decade. I remember when my family purchase a purifier. I looked at the filter and it resembled a sponge.

I thought to myself, “will this filter really filter air?”. It turns out, it didn’t do much more than a fan. It circulated air, but I don’t believe it actually cleaned the air too.

Companies are focusing more and more on allergies, since so many people continue to be diagnosed with them. The best air purifiers now have multi-stage filtration, with HEPA filters (discussed below), carbon activated filters (which capture odors and chemicals) and they can totally clean indoor air within a few hours.

They are also meant to run all day, 24/7.

Consider a high quality filter with a HEPA filter and you won’t be disappointed.

HEPA Vacuums

If you have carpeting and/or rugs, vacuuming is extremely important to reduce dust mites. Homes with carpet should be vacuumed weekly while hard flooring is much easier to clean and doesn’t provide hiding places that carpets and rugs do.

When vacuuming, not just any vacuum will do.

Vacuuming should be done with a vacuum that uses a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance). HEPA vacuums will capture the smallest of particles and 99.97% of dust, especially those particles you can’t see such as dust mites and their feces, pollen, and pet dander.

These are the best vacuums for dust mites and pet allergy

The majority of vacuums on the market do not have HEPA filters. Non-HEPA filter vacuums do a good job with dirt and hair, but will not capture the most problematic allergens.

Simply put, they won’t improve your allergy symptoms.

Remember that HEPA filters are for people with allergy. Using one of these vacuums will cost a little more money, however your quality of life shouldn’t come with a cost.

HVAC Allergy Filters

Finally, consider your central heating and air conditioning. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be 25-60% worse than outdoors.

In winter and summer seasons, dust mites are often blown around homes by forced air and fans.

Since they are so light they are easily stirred up and can stay airborne for hours. Once those dust mites are inhaled, they begin to wreak havoc on the immune system and result in sniffles, coughing, asthma, rashes, and rhinitis.

Most families use the cheapest filters, believing that all filters are the same. Unfortunately, not all filters are created equal.

Filtrete makes high quality filters for people with allergies and dust sensitivities. These filters not only capture pollen and dust mites, but also capture odors and smoke…amazing (I wrote about the best HVAC and furnace filters for allergies).

Do yourself a favor and purchase high quality air filters. It’s like having a whole-house air purifier.

Conclusion

In this article, we learned that Lysol does, in fact, kill dust mites. Using Lysol around the house to dust is a common and worthwhile process, however, dust mites tend to be most common in our bedrooms and we can’t exactly “dust” our beds with spray and a cloth.

We should also be weary of using sprays that contain chemicals around our bed.

I prefer not to use chemical sprays in my bedroom. Thus, using an organic formula that kills dust mites is the best approach that puts my mind at ease.

To take it one step further, a DIY dust mite spray will ensure you know exactly what you are using. And, essential oils are proven to repel and kill dust mites too.

For people suffering from allergies, also think about other ways to reduce dust mite, pollen, and pet dander allergies within the home. Bed covers not only protect you from dust mites, but also protect your mattress, pillow, and blankets.

Air purifiers have come a long way in recent years and are a great option for bedrooms.

To further improve air quality in the home, invest in high-quality HVAC filters that act as a whole-house purifier. The best filters capture odors, smoke, chemicals, in addition to pollen, dust mites, and pet dander.

Lastly, upgrade your vacuum to a HEPA filter vacuum which will keep allergens from blowing around your home.

Putting these allergy reducing measures into practice will really reduce the amount of symptoms you experience. As someone who has suffered from allergies for 20 years, I can say that they have helped me. Thanks for reading, I hope this helps in your search for relief.