I was shocked to discover that my bed, which was in the house when we moved in, had some teeny, tiny white bugs! Not bedbugs thankfully, but tiny dust mites or mould mites. Teeny, tiny white specks of dust that crawl around independently. So annoying because now I cannot stop staring at every speck of dust I notice on any surface: Does it move? Is it alive? It’s quite nerve wrecking!
Dust Mites or Mould Mites
Those tiny white specks of dust that move around independently are actually little dust or mould mites. They are quite common in areas where dead skin and humidity accumulate. This can include beds, sofas, game controllers and other electronics where skin cells or condensation can get trapped, like under the buttons on your keyboard, your television if it’s kept in your bedroom, TV remote controls, etc.
How Best To Spot The Tiny White Bugs
They’re almost invisible, you’d probably not even notice them if you weren’t paying specific attention to individual specks of dust. The best way I have found to spot these tiny little mites is to use a good light at a perpendicular angle, so the specks of dust cast a little shadow to make them more visible.
Dark surfaces also make them easier to spot, but you can’t really control where they are hanging out, so using a light is the best way to identify them. You will see their tiny shadows moving about slowly.
Another way to tell if they are mites or dust is to gently blow over the specks, the mites generally start moving when disturbed in this way, while dust will just fly off.
Unfortunately I didn’t have a good enough camera to take a clear photo of these tiny critters, but you can Google dust mites and mould mites for photos.
Mite-Free Since 2017!
The following advice is based on what we did to successfully eliminate the mites and prevent re-infestation since 2017, when this article was originally written. I will periodically update this page with tips we receive from our readers who have dealt with similar infestations.
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How To Get Rid Of The Tiny White Mites
Once the infected items have been identified, your focus should be on removing and quarantining offending items and then cleaning everything thoroughly. Once you have had no sightings for a few days, I’d say it’s safe to start putting preventative measures in place to avoid future infestations.
Vacuum Everything Regularly
It’s important to vacuum daily. Even more than once in a day depending on how quickly you see the mites returning after each vacuuming. Floors, skirtings, wardrobes, shelves, drawers, windowsills, everything. In theory, the mites should be happy in the vacuum bag until it’s disposed of as there is lots of dead skin and other materials in there for them to live on, so they shouldn’t have the need to come back out of there in the meantime.
We use this super quiet vacuum cleaner from AEG. Every time I hear it, I laugh, it’s so strange how quiet it is – perfect for people with sensory issues like me!
- 12m cleaning radius – so you won’t need…
- 12m cleaning radius – so you won’t need…
- Flow Motion Nozzle – you’ll get an even…
We would vacuum and wipe down surfaces with rubbing alcohol multiple times a day. Returning to the infected room every hour or so to check real close to every surface, with our handheld light, to see whether we could find any more specks moving around. If we found any stray mites roaming around, we would pick them up with sticky tape and dispose of them. As the days went by, fewer and fewer mites were found.
Wiping Down Surfaces
Wipe surfaces with rubbing alcohol to disinfect and remove traces of skin, sweat, etc. You can also wipe surfaces with Clove oil, which is said to kill and deter mites. Use Neem oil, which has many benefits for your skin and hair, is safe to use as an insect repellent and is also a powerful natural insecticide which can be used, diluted, on plants and pets too. They might not smell great, but it will do the job well.
Tip: red spider mites hate Neem oil too, so if you have any on your potted plants or paved areas, use a diluted Neem oil spray on them to sort that out too. It really works well!
Quarantine Electronics
The red Raid spray gets rid of the tiny mites and works well if your infestation is on electronics.
- Bug spray that kills crawling insects fast
- Protects against ant, cockroach and spider infestations
- Effective insect killer for indoor use
Put the infected gadgets into a large bin bag, spray into the bag and seal it up. Let them sit for a week or longer, then clean all your gadgets with rubbing alcohol before use.
Note: If you can leave your items in quarantine longer, about 4 weeks, it would allow time for the Raid to lose effectiveness making the gadgets even safer to handle.
Starve The Colony
If you cannot afford to get rid of your bed, using a bug proof mattress cover and pillow covers can help eliminate a colony by trapping them in there until they all die.
This is the one I use. It’s a single bed size, but they come in various sizes to fit all sorts of beds.
- MATTRESS ENCASEMENT – Fits Twin size mattress perfectly with…
- KNITTED POLYESTER FABRIC – Stretchable knitted polyester…
- ZIPPERED COVER – Zippered cover with zip secures the…
If you keep the cover on for at least 6 months they finish eating whatever is in there and eventually they all die out.
Then you can remove the cover, vacuum the mattress, wash the cover and put it back on again. Now you can remove it regularly for washing and it will continue to protect your mattress from future infestations. I still use mine even though we’ve been mite free for years now.
Deep Clean All Fabrics
We had all our fabric items laundered at high temperatures, risking damage and loss, but we felt it was worth it to have a mite-free home.
We removed all fabric items from the room (including clothes, bedding, bags, fabric accessories, curtains, wall hangings, mats, etc), put them into large bin bags which we sealed with tape and took to our local laundromat for deep cleaning at high temperatures.
For shoes and belts, etc, you can quarantine them like the electronics, if they are infested, else just clean them as best you can. I suppose you could also give your fabric items the quarantine treatment mentioned above and then wash them regularly afterwards.
I’d start by washing a selection of more heat tolerant clothes with high temperatures so you have some clothes to wear while putting everything else into sealed bags with the spray for a couple of weeks. I’ve not done it this way, but if you have a lot of delicate clothing items, this might be a safer option for your clothes than washing them in super hot water and risking loss.
I’m just not sure how safe it would be to wear clothes against your skin after they’ve been sprayed with Raid. You will certainly need to wash them thoroughly before wearing them, and I’d definitely leave them in quarantine for over 4 weeks so the Raid loses its effectiveness as much as possible. Even after washing, though, we cannot be sure how much of it gets absorbed into the fabric long term. This is why we decided it was better to just wash everything at high temperatures.
Hunt And Physically Remove The Mites
As mentioned previously, using a hand-held light (we used these LED lamps) to shine onto surfaces, you can better spot the moving mites.
Don’t hold the light above, but bring it down close to the surface of the item you’re inspecting and shine it sideways/perpendicularly, so it effectively creates a long shadow on each mite making them easier to spot.
Once you find a moving speck of dust, use a sticky tape to pick it up, it will be trapped there and can be binned. Just keep zapping each solitary mite you find and eventually, with all the right practices and precautions in place, you will find no more mites.
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Prevention Of Future Mite Infestations
Vacuuming mattresses, sofa cushions and carpets regularly will collect any stray mites and reduce chances of colony formation. Using a bug-proof mattress cover and pillow covers will stop the mites from ever colonising your bed too.
Regularly cleaning keyboards and game controllers will reduce the food supply under the buttons and keys reducing the chance of an infestation of these tiny mites.
- EFFECTIVELY REMOVES – dust and crumbs from hard to reach…
- EXTENSION STRAW – allows for precision targeting of the…
- HFC FREE – help to protect the environment. Odourless, can…
Keeping electronics like laptops and televisions out of your bedroom will also limit the chances of these mites infesting your electronics as condensation forms inside them during the night while you spend all night breathing in the room. This is especially important if you keep your door and windows closed while you’re in the room. It is better to keep your rooms well ventilated.
Tips From Our Readers
Thanks to our readers who have shared their stories and tips with us.
We will periodically update this section with any new information we acquire.
Creating An Unfavourable Environment
The mites seem to like humidity levels of 70-80% and temperatures of around 25 degrees Celsius (about 77F), so ideally you’ll want to keep the temperatures lower than that and the humidity levels at or below 50%.
There are affordable tools like these Hygrometers and Dehumidifiers that can help you measure and maintain your humidity levels accurately.
Hygrometers
These measure the humidity in your space. Most of them will also measure the temperature. This will help you understand which rooms are too hot and humid and when you might want to ventilate a room or switch on a dehumidifier. The aim is to make the environment unfavourable to the mites.
Dehumidifiers
These will absorb and collect moisture from the air, lowering the humidity in your space. They will need to be emptied regularly as they will collect a lot of water.
Since humidity levels increase in your bedrooms overnight, opening the windows in the morning and airing your rooms thoroughly will help bring the levels back down naturally.
Making It Difficult For The Mites To Spread
You could try spraying the legs and feet of furniture with Wood Silk which will coat them in natural oils. It is said that this either repels them or makes it difficult for the mites to crawl over. Some of our readers have had success with this product.
- The original non silicone furniture polish with beeswax
- Silicones may seep into your furniture’s finish and create a…
- Non Silicone wood silk is a blend of the purest beeswax and…
Eliminating The Mites & Relieving Your Skin
One of our readers reports having great success with 100% Natural Magnesium Oil Spray. They used it on their body and on fabrics and surfaces. They also mentioned not being left with any staining from using Magnesium oil spray on the fabrics and surfaces they sprayed or wiped with it.
I’d recommend caution when using on surfaces or fabrics as Magnesium sprays could leave behind a salty residue. This salty residue is likely what kills the mites and potentially destroys their eggs too, but it might also leave marks on delicate items. Perhaps test a small area first. You could then try wiping the salty residue off to see if it leaves any marks.
An added benefit of using Magnesium spray is that it is calming and relaxing, so it might help with the stress and sleepless nights too! A much needed bonus when going through this ordeal!
- ULTRA PURE & NATURAL – Pure ZECHSTEIN Inside from the…
- 100% RAW – We do NOT use any industrial processes – this…
- EASY TO USE – Your skin will absorb the magnesium spray with…
Wishing You Much Success And Peace
I hope you have found this article, and the comments below, helpful and that this action plan will help you get rid of these tiny critters too. Please contact me or leave a comment below if you are dealing with this issue too, let us know what you’re finding helpful so we can help others find solutions too.
Feeling Anxious Or Distressed?
You won’t believe how many emails I’ve had from people all around the globe who are struggling with these mites in their homes. It can be an extremely distressing situation to find yourself in, causing much frustration and anxiety. I’ve been through it and to this day I still inspect specks of dust. I get it. Please know that you are not alone and you are welcome to write to me if you need to vent or have any questions after reading this article.
Great article, very informative. Just recently had an infestation of small white mites, starting on my window sill. But I believe have started to spread onto other things in my bedroom. Not on my bed as yet I believe. As you said somethings can not be washed on a high temp I did read. You are able to freeze some items for example my baseball cap. That had some on there. I will try your solutions also, I have to say this has made me stress and a huge dampener on my mood.
Hi Terry, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with these mites too. They really do cause quite a bit of distress and frustration. I’m 2 years down the road and still eye specks of dust to make sure they’re not moving… I hope you will successfully get rid of them soon. Do keep us updated.
My problem is that these mites are attracted to my bedroom TV. Even though I’ve deep cleaned the room, hoovered everyday, they’re still come back on my TV. I don’t know how to disinfect the TV without potentially damaging it with bug spray…
Hi Henry, the issue might be moisture. Having the TV in your bedroom means you spend all night breathing in there, and, especially if you sleep with the door and windows closed, there will be a build up of humidity from your breathing, this warm breath touches the cold surfaces and condensates to form moisture inside the electronics – that’s what is keeping them there. The next step, in my opinion, would be to reduce humidity as much as possible. You can use a dehumidifier and you could remove the TV from your bedroom, maybe leave it in an airy, warm room for some time to dry out and keep an eye on the mites. I’d spray the back of the TV too, but not inside any vent type spaces, to not get more moisture inside it. But any mites that crawl on the outside would at least get zapped and hopefully lower their number or stop them from getting off and onto other items. I hope you find a method that works for you. Do keep us updated on how it goes and what you have tried. All the best.
hi! your post has been so helpful! i live in a warm and humid tropical country and have been having mite infestations in my previous home. in my new place, i just found one crawling on my skin care bottle!! my ex-husband used to say i need help for all the psychological and physiological impact the mites have on me. my hair literally stand and i have cold sweat and sleep poorly, knowing these mites are around me. i wonder why i am so unlucky to have such issues when everyone else dont seem to ever have them (or perhaps they dont see them?)
Hi Nicole, I understand completely. It’s very possible that most people don’t even realise they are there! The whole ordeal has been pretty traumatic for me too. I’m 4 years down the line and still inspect any specks of dust I find on my electronics or desk!
It can be extremely distressing. You’re not alone in feeling that way – I get many emails from people all around the world who are just as stressed about it. I hope the action plan I describe above will be helpful to you and that you too will soon be rid of these tiny little rascals! All the best.
Thank you so much for sharing useful tips Atwell as making me feel a little less insane. I have tiny crater like bites that don’t heal.. seeing dust move in swarms and independently has made me pretty much lose my mind. I can’t stop hyper focusing on every speck any and everywhere. Went to 5 ers, from the crawling sensations and 3 dermatologist appointments only to be told that it’s anxiety and my own picking… I hear a static tick sounds coming from my hair and ears. The Dr’s claim they see nothing and it isn’t scabbies. My eyelashes will get white salt like specks that dont seem to move on there own. Finally I put hand sanitizer all over my entire body and it felt like sand coming off me… thousands of grains of sand… a living nightmare. Still suffering. Any tips for treating your skin?
Hi there, I’m so sorry you’re struggling so much. You are definitely not alone – I get many emails from people feeling like they’re going crazy in this situation. It’s awful how such tiny little bugs can cause us so much grief! Both Neem oil and Clove oil mentioned in the article can be used on the skin. Clove oil has antimicrobial properties (kills some bacteria) and relieves itching too. Neem oil has antifungal properties and contains many beneficial ingredients that aid healing of the skin – soothes, helps heal wounds, relieve eczema and psoriasis, warts, etc and Neem is also a known insecticide – it repels insects, including mites, and is safe to use on pets and plants too. I would try Neem first and then Clove if needed. Neither will smell very good, unfortunately, but I use Neem regularly, it’s definitely a favourite.
Another thing you might want to consider if you’re itching a lot is Histamine Intolerance. I had this while dealing with the bugs. It was a double hit for me. Basically stress can release histamine in the body, so you might end up itching a lot with seemingly no cause. You can read about my Histamine issue and how I treated it over here https://chronicallyhopeful.com/histamine I really hope you find a solution soon. Please feel free to email me again if you need to vent or have any more questions. I know how hard it is to be itching so much and have nobody help you. My doctors did nothing either. Let us know if you find a solution, it might help somebody else. All the best, Char
I also hear that noise coming from my hair. I but reading different things about struggle but no one ever mentioned the noise.
Hi JP, Mikay’s comment was the first time I’d heard of the noises in somebody’s hair. The mites I’ve dealt with were not on my body, so I didn’t experience this. I cannot imagine how distressing that must be.
Hello,
Rarely leave public comments but am experiencing exactly the same as Mikay here – the only comments I’ve found close to what I’m experiencing-I too am being called a bit crazy and no one can relate to what I am describing.
I have the static noises and a feeling of crawling on me – I have seen private doctors including a dermatologist- because they don’t understand or can’t find anything, they are just recommending counselling now.
This is and / has majorly affected my mental health yet I am rational and hold down a responsible job.
I am now seeing specks also on my laptop screen.
Unsure if this forum is still open.
Phil
Hi Phil, I’m glad you’ve managed to find people who can relate. Going through this alone when nobody else sees them or believes you must be really difficult. You’re not going crazy. I think some people’s eyesight is just not good enough to see them and they live in ignorant bliss. I know I was blessed to have my entire family see them and help me deal with them until it was sorted, because I see many others are not so fortunate.
If they were on my body, I’d use neem oil. As for the bed, I’d probably get rid of it. If it’s that infested, it’s going to be very difficult to get them out of there. Have you applied a mattress cover as mentioned in my post above? This could potentially trap most of them in there until they naturally die off. Then you’d only have those mites outside of the cover to vacuum up or use a sticky roller over the cover daily. These are the only solutions I can think of at the moment.
I hope you manage to find a solution. Do come back and update us if you like, the page is pretty active. I have comment moderation on, so your comments won’t appear immediately, I do this so I can respond and also keep the spammers at bay. All the best.
OMG!! Me too! Me & my family have been suffering for the past 3.5 months. Same here, Dr’s said its not scabies so mayb it could be some kind of Lice! So i called a Lice treatment center & the owner said she doesn’t believe its lice & when she shared a photo of the service being rendered I agreed! please let me know what findings that work out well for you because im going insane !! Thanks a bunch
Ebonie
Hi Ebonie, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with these tiny bugs too! It is so frustrating. I don’t have any additional advice, as of now, other than what’s already been shared in the article above and what others have shared in the comments here. I hope our collective experience will help you. All the best.
Going through this now. Just me and teenager who is very fed up. Can I ask did you just continue life as normal when dealing with it? Did you visit people? Use your car? I am terrified of contaminating my car or taking them to relative’s houses. Child has to carry on going to school and I have to work. Just keep on cleaning and eliminating? Oh and the Red Raid, is that the ant and cockcroach one? Thanks so much x
Hi Carla, Thank you for sharing your concerns. I’m sorry you’re going through this too. I am already housebound due to chronic illness, so I don’t go out, but we did have visitors staying over. The mites don’t seem to be like bed bugs. They require humidity, the ideal conditions, so they don’t just multiply anywhere and everywhere. We’ve had them before too, many years ago in a very damp house, different continent even – and they were always confined to certain specific areas or items even, they didn’t infest the entire house. They might have spread more if we hadn’t noticed them though. So I suppose it is possible.
We didn’t see any of these bugs in the living room or kitchen, they were confined to the 2 bedrooms due to the way my carer and I live and use the space and this is where we spend most of our time and use most of our electronics. So the condensation in these two rooms probably caused the ideal environment for them. Continuously cleaning and eliminating was what we did and it worked for us, both times this has happened to us. My parents took our clothing and other textile items to the dry cleaners in sealed black bags, washed them and dried them at high temperature – so we lost some items to heat damage, but it was worth it to get rid of the bugs.
The Red Raid is the ant and roach spray, yes. Somehow this one works well on these mites too. And Neem oil is very good at creating barriers around furniture or on surfaces – it’s fascinating to see how they avoid the Neem oil on surfaces! Wishing you all the best, I hope you get rid of them soon. Try not to let them consume your mental health, I know it’s super frustrating and can make you feel like you’re going mad, but I’m sure you will win if you’re consistent with the measures I’ve mentioned. Especially if you are able to alter the humidity and condensation by airing regularly or using a dehumidifier to prevent future re-infestation.
Aromasong Salt Co 100% Natural Magnesium Oil from the dead sea. Pain reliever & Sleep Aid (I get it from Amazon) eliminates them completely. I struggled with an infestation for one year when I read that some essential oils might work, so I randomly used the stuff I use on my own body. Sprayed it on light curtains made of possibly nylon. Sprayed it on my box spring (cloth covered.) Didn’t stain anything. Buy a cheap spray bottle to spread faster. Random clothes and cloth that got sprayed–blankets etc did not get stained. Sprayed it on all the wood. Rubbed it physically with my hands on electronic components–phone etc. Rubbing alcohol would kill the adults it would not kill the eggs. Bombing the room would kill the adults it would not kill the eggs. Same for bleach. This stuff kills the adults and absolutely destroys the eggs. Missed one spot on an interior surface on a wood coat rack. Sprayed that down. No more mites. Mite free for two years now. If you can’t find the stuff I’m assuming that it’s the salt that’s in it that helps kill the eggs. So possibly your own solution of some sort of oil with salt. The nice thing about the stuff is it was so light it did not stain anything.
Hi Doug, Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I’m so glad that you have found something that works so well. I will add this tip to the main article in case readers miss your comment.
Had these in my last house that had a major damp problem (Humidy was 90% in the living room and 85% in my bedroom) moved was clear for a year but now we have them again! Have found them in my room and the upstairs guest bedroom where I also store things. The house started to have a moisture problem 3 months ago just before I noticed the bugs (Around a month ago) so I think that may be related. However The people I live with do not believe the mites are real and will not help me with them. I have a lot of figures and cannot freeze anything and as i live in the UK a lot of the products recommended here are not available. do you have any ideas on what I can do? Anything I can use to get rid of them that is safe for plastics and fabrics? Having these again is really getting me and making my anxiety a lot worse. Also do these bug attach themselves to humans? I’m not sure if it is the stress but i have been noticing a lot more large eye floaters and things running across my vision which happened when they were in my last house but cleared up about a month after we moved and has now started happening again (I was checked for rentinal detachment both times but everything was fine) Any advice or help would be really appreciated I feel like I’m going crazy.
Hi Sasha, I’m so sorry that you’re having to deal with this all over again. You’re not going crazy. They make us feel that way, but you’re not alone. This is such a common problem. I am also in the UK and I was able to get all those products I mentioned from Amazon. If you click on any of the product images they take you directly to the Amazon UK page where you can order each one.
The damp is very likely the cause of the infestation. Humidity and damp or mouldy walls seem to be a common denominator whenever people write to me about these mites. It’s possible a few of them hitched a ride over to the new place and when conditions became favourable they multiplied faster.
I am not sure whether they attach to humans, but one other person who contacted me about these mites also mentioned they thought the mites were on them. So it is possible, I suppose. Perhaps it depends on the severity of the infestation. Personally I couldn’t tell as at the time of my infestation I was also suffering from a severe Histamine reaction due to a change in my diet, so I was itching and covered in hives anyway. There’s no way I would have been able to tell if they were on me, I was dealing with way too much at the time.
All I can think of is to clean them up whenever you see them, air and dry rooms, beds and windows daily, meaning don’t let condensation build up, wipe it up or air dry. Dehumidifiers can help too. It’s really tricky if the people in your home don’t see them or believe they’re there. It will be hard to eradicate them all without their help. I hope you can find a solution and some peace soon.
Hi there,
This is the second time I’ve dealt with these mites, once was about a year ago where I basically threw everything out including rugs, couch, heaps of linen, shoes and stacks of herbs and spices And other pantry items. Reading this post I’m not sure why they were in the pantry the first time but we do live in Australia and it was a wet and warm summer.
But both times I’ve found the infestation started or was first noticed in my vacuum cleaner (Hoover)
First time around I threw it out but I can’t do that this time as it was new less than a year ago and very expensive.
I’m just wondering if you would have any idea why the infestation started in my vacuum, they are inside and all over the surface of it and this time that appears to be the only places, but it concerns me as the vacuum is required to get rid of them, but I don’t want to spread them all over the house by using it even if I think I got rid of them using your methods.
I have to admit, I probably don’t empty or clean the vacuum regularly and should do it more often, but have you heard of an infestation in a vacuum cleaner or Hoover before? And how do you recommend I fix the problem ?
Hmm, I’ve not heard of this before. Most people that write to me about these bugs are noticing them around the house, usually in an area that has an issue with damp in the walls. Some have mentioned the pantry or kitchen being infested though, so that’s not as unusual. Only thing I can think of is that maybe the vacuum cleaner picked up some moisture somewhere and so the inside became damp and warm – the perfect environment for them. I’d probably remove the machine from the house. Open it up, empty it and clean it with the products I mentioned in my article. Then spray it with the red Raid and bag it up for a couple of weeks to make sure any stragglers are zapped. That’s the only solution I can think of right now. It is possible to save electronics this way. I saved a laptop, lamp, speakers, etc in this way: wipe, spray, bag, quarantine. I hope you are able to get rid of them soon. All the best.
I am having the EXACT same problem!! I’ve only just noticed today that these little buggers have taken over my hoover! I’m going crazy! I’ve taken the whole thing apart and wiped it down atleast 7 times today and there’s STILL loads appearing 😫 I don’t understand how this happened as I change my bags quite regularly. Did you manage to get rid of it all? I’m super stressed. I have an 8 m/o son who’s quite poorly atm and I just can’t help but think could it be due to these bugs?!
I believe mine started in the vacuum as well! I have went from believing it was mold to “no see um’s”, to every insect of colored fly, mite or THING that google seems to think it is I’m describing! And its all over my house. Did you get it cleared up in vacuum and house? I just took apart and cleaned my vacuum thoroughly with menthol rubbing alcohol! They seem to hate the menthol too so that helps some! But house is still infested with i believe dust, mold and probably other kinds of mites. Update us if you see this!
Hey there, so I’ve just noticed these bugs yesterday but they are coming out of my tv, we have sky glass (uk) the tv we have been given is obviously refurbished and I think they’ve come along with it, we’ve had the tv for just over a month as our last one broke so they sent this one out, we’ve never had a problem with these bugs before but now all of a sudden there coming out of the tv, onto the tv, tv unit some have wondered off onto the sofa and table but mainly around the tv area, I’m worried as I have young children and I’m frightened to let them walk about in the living room because of the bugs, I’m cleaning a silly amount of times a day, we’ve pulled everything out hovered wiped everything down, my sofa is fabric and leather and I’m not sure how to clean that off and rid them from it, I have ocd so it’s really affecting me as I’m constant checking and cleaning because I’m so worried there going to move to other areas of the room or house, thankyou for making this post as it’s made me feel a lot less crazy with it all
Not sure if they are the same bugs but back in Febuary I noticed these small white/tan coloured bugs in my home. About a month ago I went into the closet where i store my ‘fancier clothes, that i rarley wear and discoverd larger yellowish/brown bugs and more of the small white bugs about the same size as a ballpoint pe tip. it was strange as they were on the clothes i had stored in boxes but not the ones on the rail. Also there was a strange red/brown dustlike substance on some objects in the closet. Cleaned all clothes, wiped all sufaces and opend windows. I replaced the carpet in the room but they still came back. I know they are not bed bugs as nobody had any bites and they are not bird mites as there ae no birds nesting nearby. Not quite sure what they but is driving me crazy! any help would be greatly appreciated they are in my sisters room as well as she comes to my crying about them once a week (she’s autistic and this is really hard for her) she says they were on her TV which is to big to put in a bag and quarintine and we cannot afford a new one. Any ideas how to get them off larger electronics?
That sounds like a very difficult situation to be in. For the larger electronics I would suggest taping some bin bags together to create a bigger one that you can wrap around the appliances so that you can still create the sealed quarantine zone with the Raid. You could also try using 100% Magnesium Oil Spray which one reader has had great success with. I’ve linked some up in the post above. Can be used on all surfaces and possibly on fabrics without much risk of damage. The salty residue left by the Magnesium spray kills the mites and possibly destroys their eggs too. It can be wiped or washed off later. It is a product usually used on the skin and hair, and is calming and relaxing, so it might have double benefit to help your sister cope with this all too.
Daughter’s school had an infestation of these ad they still made the students do lessons in the clasroom. Her lessons are an hour long and as she gatherd her things to leave she noticed several on her coat and squished them. Didn’t think to much of it. 2 weeks later she shows me a small tiny white like bug crawling around inside her tablet screen. Thought it was a one off maybe it came in on the tablet case she got from a yard sale i put it out of mind. A moth after that she comes to me crying it had spread. They somehow managed to get into some clothes sshe had in vacum sealed bags and other items, said she felt an itching. Contacted the school to ask what they were and how to get rid of them. They refused to tell me anf denied they ever had an infestation! (they did daughters best friend has photographic proof) what can i do? I want my baby girl to be happy and this is taking a toll on both our mental health tackling it is going to be hard as it is just the two of us and I have a chronic condition. Any advice would be really appreciated. She says they seem to not be so fond of sunlight. she put an item they were on in sunlight and they started to move towords the shade also they are really fast! not sure if this helps in identifying the or not. help gratefully appreciated.
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. It sounds really frustrating. Have you tried all the methods described in the article above? These are the methods I myself have used as well as additional things some of our readers have found helpful. I hope you can find a solution among them.
Have these in my home unsure as to why. There is water penetrating the downstairs wall but i found these bug things upstairs in the spare bedroom and Upstairs toilet. Found on Wood, Plastics and fabrics. Seem to favor darker/shadier spaces. Tiny and white as well as slightly larger off white/ tan brownish color. Going out of my mind pest control was unable to identify as I could not provide a clear enough image. I work at Comic Conventions and the spare room is where i store my costumes, What can i do? some of the outfits are safe enough to be washed and dried but what about props etc: that are larger? also my convention bag is in there. I do not have a dryer and air dry all my clothes outside will washing kill any that are on/in the bag? the bag is white so i cannot tell if any are on it/ in it and as it is were i store my valables such as my phone and wallet at conventons i need to know it is clean. I have hard they can go inside electrnics and die inside the screen. should I just get a new bag to be safe? how can i get rid of these things. I have also noticed i have been sneezing and coughing more since they appeared as well as itching there are no bites and my vision also has these strage spot things running across it. not sure if its from the stress or the mites? I’m off work for a bit due to an Injury but i return mid July please any advice would be most appreciated
Hi Alex, I’m sorry you’re dealing with these tiny mites too. It seems you might have various types. The ones I had were super tiny like dust particles. It is altogether possible that you might have picked up some infestation at a convention. With so many people gathered, it is very possible that somebody was carrying some bugs or mites on their belongings. Especially since these events are held in public spaces, so many people have access.
For items that cannot be washed, I’d opt for the quarantine method mentioned in my post above. You don’t have to spray the items directly but can spray onto a paper towel or something else you put in the same bag before sealing it up. The fumes will still do the job. For clothing and the bag, you’d have to try the wash and hang to dry method. I really cannot say. It would likely depend on how bad the infestation is and where you then store the cleaned items. I hope you find a solution that doesn’t damage too much of your convention outfits. Let us know if you found anything that works for you.
Hello.
Thank you, I came across your article as I was desperately searching for solutions to exterminate this tiny white bugs inside my home. I am currently facing this situation and it is really tiring, frustrating and causing me so much stress and anxiety. Daily for 4 weeks (day til night), continously cleaning up, washed all my clothes, cleaned all my shoes, electronics, furnitures etc etc. done nothing else but cleaning. I just finished cleaning my bedroom after 3 days, literally sprayed/mopped with litres of Clorox bleach all over the walls, floors and sprayed my bed mattress and bed frames, and then fully opened my windows all throughout the day. This clorox made me actually sick for days. But what’s shocking despite all these measures, I still can see (as of this writing) these tiny white bugs crawling my bed. I dont know what else to do now.
Hi Alex, it sounds like you’re having a really difficult time with these mites. I’d suggest avoiding bleach, it’s not good for you to be inhaling so much of it and it’s not something that we have found useful. I’d suggest rather trying neem oil, clove oil – they are marketed for skin and hair use, but they work well at deterring or repelling the mites in my experience. Neem is a known insecticide used in gardening and on pets. One of our readers has has great success with Magnesium oil spray. Marketed for skin and muscles, it leaves a salty residue too which possibly damages the mite eggs as well as potentially killing the mites themselves. Magnesium is also relaxing so might help you with stress levels as well as getting rid of the mites.
If you can, I’d either get rid of the infested mattress or get a bug proof mattress and pillow cover, as mentioned in the article above, to trap them in there and allow you to kill off the main colony passively while you deal with any stragglers around your home. I hope you find a solution and some peace. Take Care.
Feel like i’m going crazy managed to clear one room of these things but so scared they will come back super stressful. not sure but think they may be on me as well as have had large increase in the number of eye floaters and and itching of the eyes whihc i did not have ebfore i found these things that disspered when i stayed at my parents for a month but came back when i returned home.
Hi Alex, that sounds so frustrating. You are not the first person to mention floaters in their eyes when dealing with these mites. I’m not sure if it is the mites themselves or the stress of the situation that causes the symptoms, but you are definitely not the only one to have both of these things occurring simultaneously. Well done on getting the one room sorted, if you keep on top of the methods mentioned above, and keep the rooms aired and dry, you should be able to keep their numbers down. I know how stressful it is, take care of yourself too.
I separated from my kids dad in March 2023, moved into a basement apt, lasted 3 months in that hell, living with mold and extensive moisture and water damage, causing these mites and random bugs, spiders, and for some odd reason moles! I caught at least 10 moles in that small apt, but mites especially, that covered everything. All my kids toys had moisture, plus this sticky orange stuff, and white or black specks all over them. My vacuum was white on the entire inside compartment. Furniture ruined. Threw out mattress, but as a single mom with 2&3yr olds, i was stuck keeping almost everything else when i moved.
We got into a townhouse in a housing complex. But now they are here. and i do notice them in my hair and on my skin. Also, I have a below the knee amputation, and due to the sweat building up inside my leg liner i wear that connects to my prosthetic, when i take it off theres mites all over the liner and pieces of hair, for some reason they literally drag hair and dirt inside it, even though i thoroughly clean it twice a day, drying with a clean towel. i spray it down with alcohol, ive tried everything, but the dead skin that builds up on my stump attracts them too much i think. I have open wounds and i believe bites, that i dont pick or touch, i just clean and try to let them breath as much as possible. Its a living hell, trying to be a single mother of two, with open wounds on my stump that just wont heal, making it hard to chase around toddlers! Theirs just not enough time in the day to do the extensive cleaning to get rid of these mites once & for all, while trying to maintain 30 hrs a week working, and still trying to be a good mom!
But to put icing on the cake, everyone thinks im crazy or on drugs, and since im a proud addict in recovery, which most people around me know, the concern landed CYS on my door step! i tried denying the accusations about having bugs, but they asked my child, and then i didn’t want to lie in front of my kids or say he didn’t know what he was saying! They instantly asked how my mental health was and if i was on any illegal drugs! The ONLY reason i fought so hard or became obsessive over getting rid of them instead of just living with it, is because my children wake up crying from being bit in bed all the time. I believe the infestation is so bad that the little black dots that appear are other mites or bugs that eat the white flys or mites or maybe just another one after the dead skin cells. Who even knows.
But that caused concern to CYS and they wrote up a safety plan that has my childrens father supervising me with my own kids during the weekdays now. After all my hard work to separate from him and choose to be a single parent over the arguing and trauma my children saw in the short 2-3 yrs of their lives, now they get to experience the separation of their parents all over again in 30 more days when this CYS plan is finally over with. I have started therapy and have gotten to the point of just living with it, and only doing maybe one google search a day (how i stumbled across this), but im really glad i did because the lengths you went to adding every item needed to get these mites gone is my first glimpse of hope since this started.
Im going to work silently, not involving anyone else into my cleaning or infestation issue, doing all of it on weekends when im alone, and not letting myself hyperfocus on it while my kids or anyone else is present. If that fails, then when i file my taxes, I will take every penny i get back and leave all we own behind. Just walk away from this apt to set up a new clean life for my children and I! And before i move in anywhere I will check humidity levels, get it inspected by pest control, or better yet, just check every room for mites with a LED light myself, since we basically have a PHD in mites after each of our horror stories with these things! lol And thank you again for this blog, plus updating it as years go by! That dedication shows just how beautiful of a soul you are! I will definitely update how my journey goes, now that i know every item and step i need to get the job done! Please reply with any extra tips, and i will check back often, just incase!
Good luck to anyone else battling this same torture, may you gain comfort and peace of mind in your home, one day soon ❤️
Hi Sarah, wow, I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for you! Thank you for sharing your story. I am glad that sharing mine and perhaps even those of the commenters will have been helpful to you. I’ve not been too active on here lately hence the delayed response, but I hope that you have made some progress. I think you have a good plan going forward. If the people around you do not believe you or support you, then you have to do it alone. But please remember that you are not alone in this. There are thousands of people around the globe who are struggling through these infestations too. We know how all-consuming it can be. Take it one day at a time and feel free to reach out again if you need to vent. We know how stressful it is dealing with these little bugs. All the best.
Hey, ive done some research and I think I might have these so called dust mites. But I’m not sure.
But here’s the thing, I’ve only found them in groups 2/3 times in my room, and I don’t get a reaction from them but my boyfriend does. He gets a really bad allergic reaction to my room. I live in a particularly cold country and I’ve noticed when my boyfriends around, my window always gets foggy. I’ve tried cleaning, hoovering, having my window open And even vacuuming my bed, but nothing seems to work for my boyfriends reactions. And this reaction just started a month ago, we have been together for 1.5 year and he just now started to have reactions everytime he is in my room. But everything is fine whenever he goes to a different room in my house. It seems like the reaction is just in my room. What would I do?
I think it’s important to reduce humidity in the room, especially if there are two of you in there, it seems like the humidity rises quite a bit more than when you’re alone. Open windows, perhaps get a dehumidifier, and use one of the deterrents mentioned in the article, like neem oil, magnesium oil spray or clove oil, as well as quarantining any infected items you identify. It’s a long slow process, but with an action plan in place and consistency, you can get rid of them. All the best.
Thanks for this article, mites (I think hairy mould mites) not only caused much expense and mayhem with my brain but contributed to the end of my long term relationship.
Last year I had an infestation in the bedroom and there was mould, I stripped the room of everything and rebuilt from the ground up, unfortunately you become obsessed with searching for them and doing the neccassary work to prevent the mould.
A year on there is no mould but I am still finding stray mould mites in the bedroom everyday ? I have a dehumidifier on 24/7 and keep the room cool ?
If it wasn’t for the fact that I search for them all the time with a bright light along the skirting board and the wardrobe floor I probably wouldn’t notice them as its not infestation probably about 6 a day. As others have stated it can become an obsession and it directly affected my life and happiness in more ways than one.
Hi Jon, I’m so sorry that they have caused so much trouble for you. I’m glad the article and other people’s comments were helpful. I totally understand how it takes over your thoughts. It took me a couple of years to stop stressing over every speck of dust, does it move or not? Now I only occasionally fixate on a speck, it’s much less intrusive than it used to be. But I’ve also moved house multiple times and so just naturally got rid of a lot of my stuff from back when I had the infestation, so I guess my mind is a bit more at ease, even subconsciously. I’ll probably find some if I went looking, but I’m not about to get back into that habit. I think having some tiny critters in our homes is normal, so I will not stress over that anymore. As long as they’re not crawling all over the things I use daily, I think I’m okay with them being present. I’m glad you got rid of the mould, that is not healthy to have around anyway. I hope you will find some peace soon. Take care.