Scared and grossed out need help!!!!

[Lara575]

Hi all

I was wondering if I should even posted this but I'm getting bmore and more grossed out and need you help.

On Saturday I was drying my hair and I saw these tiny and I mean tiny white bugs on my hairdryer and I don't know what they are. Since looking at my stuff I have found them on my straighteners, CD cases, body wash, books, I even found them in my medicen cabinet. I have not seen any on my bed or mattress but I'm getting worried and don't know what they are. I have no pets , I don't have any bites ect. I was thinking dust mites but according to Google there invisible. Then I thought mold mites as I have thrown a wardrobe away that had a Lot of mold on the back but I don't have any more mold none on any walls or furniture. Plus if they were mold mites why would they be in a plastic box were there is no mold? What could they be. There the size of a grain of salt and white in colour? What are they. I have not seen them before until Saturday?

[JudyN]

They sound like mould mites to me - they can feed on other things as well as mould. I don't know how to eradicate them (and it might not be possible to eradicate them completely), but I'm sure there'll be plenty of sources of information on the internet.

It's natural to feel grossed out, but they're harmless, and very common

[JudyN]

BTW, if you have, or know someone who has, a really good camera, you can take a photo and blow it up to see them in loads of detail, which should allow you to identify them beyond doubt. That's how I discovered I had booklice

[Lara575]

Thanks Judy. I'm normally not that scared of bugs as I tend to pick them up and put them outside somewhere safe but I had no idea what these were. I did read they lay there eggs in dus I wonder if that's why there all over my stuff if they have found dust I can't see.

What else do they eat from research it seem like just mold. I want to get rid of them but not kill them if that's possible as I'm not a massive fan of killing living things so I would rather make it uncomfortable for them to live here so they move on. Iv started opening my windows to try and reduce humidity.

[master2]

A picture would definitely help. JudyN is right they sound like some type of mite. There are hundreds of types though

[JudyN]

What else do they eat from research it seem like just mold. I want to get rid of them but not kill them if that's possible as I'm not a massive fan of killing living things so I would rather make it uncomfortable for them to live here so they move on. Iv started opening my windows to try and reduce humidity.

I'm just going from what I've read on the internet, and several sites said they can infest flour & cheese. It may be that almost all of our food has small amounts of mould in it. From what I've read, the first step would be to ensure really good ventilation, and vacuum everywhere (they can probably survive being vacuumed up).

To be honest, I wouldn't worry about killing them. If you make your home really unsuitable for them, they're more likely to starve than to go looking for a damper mouldier place to live. And as they lay loads of eggs, if you kill them now, you'll prevent the birth of thousands more which would probably not survive.

[ScarletSci]

I haven't seen mould mites before, but I know that mould is hazardous to human and animal health, so I'd be looking to eradicate the root of the problem as well as the mites. Perhaps call in a professional fumigator.

If you got rid of the mouldy wardrobe, that's a start, but the thing with mould is that it sheds spores constantly. Ones you can't see, but can breathe in. So a deep clean would be in order, ventalate the room well, look for any damp, etc etc. A part bleach solution to wipe down walls can kill mould spores and clean off any mould you can see.

It's sweet that you don't want to kill the mites, but I agree with Judy that they won't just move out, and any conditions where mould can thrive aren't going to be healthy for you. Scorched earth would be my approach! Good luck.