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Dust mites

Relative humidity above about 50% increases house dust mite levels; a clean air conditioner helps keep humidity below this threshold. … and 1 more sourced claims.

Explanatory diagramMeasure humidity and investigate sources
Measure humidity and investigate sources
  1. A hygrometer tracks room humidity.
  2. Drying laundry, cooking and other activities add moisture.
  3. Leaks and damp surfaces require separate inspection.
strong evidenceRelative humidity above about 50% increases house dust mite levels; a clean air conditioner helps keep humidity below this threshold.

WHO notes that relative humidity above about 50% increases house dust mite levels, and Arlian et al. (JACI, 2001) showed that keeping humidity below 50% is a practical way to control mites and their allergens in temperate climates. Mites do not drink; they absorb water from the air; below 50% they dehydrate and populations decline within months. A split in cooling or 'dry' mode removes litres of water from the air per day, making it an ally against mites – provided it is clean, otherwise it swaps one allergen for another.

Sources (3)
strong evidenceAllergy practice guidelines recommend keeping humidity below 50% as a mite-control measure, alongside allergen-proof covers and washing bedding above 55 °C.

The US allergy societies' practice parameter (Portnoy et al., 2013) lists reducing indoor humidity below 50% among environmental measures for mite control, together with allergen-impermeable covers, hot-water washing of bedding and HEPA vacuuming. The air conditioner is the only appliance in most Bucharest homes able to lower humidity in summer. For a mite-allergic child, the combination 'clean unit + humidity below 50% + covers' is the physician-recommended strategy, not sprayed 'anti-mite' products.

Sources (2)

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