The house dust mite is behind a huge rise in household allergies, with around 12 million Britons allergic to their own homes, according to new research today undertaken by Allergy UK.
Cases of perennial allergic rhinitis – known as “home fever” – have risen dramatically in the past year, with dust mites accounting for 58% of all household allergies.
Doctors have revealed plans to expose babies to dust mites in an attempt to halt the rise in perennial allergic rhinitis.
Washing bedding, for example at 60 degrees kill dust mites, but many people don’t use such a high setting – many environmentalists advocate that people should wash at lower temperatures as it’s kinder to the environment. So is washing at temperatures of 40 degrees partly to blame?