Dealing with Dust Mites

My father was an asthmatic, so allergies are par for the course in my family. To prevent dust mites, I've had great success with putting 1 cup white vinegar with several drops of tea tree essential oil in the rinse cycle. Wash on hot and dry on hot. For stuffed animals that couldn't be washed, I would spritz them with this solution and toss them in the dryer. You can spray your mattress and nooks and crannies around the headboard (where the dust collects and you can't wash) with a mixture of 4 oz. vodka and 10-15 drops of tea tree essential oil in a glass spray bottle. Essential oils are caustic to plastic if not diluted. I also prefer to go to a commercial laundry where I can use the 50 lb. capacity washers and wash "all" the pillows & blankets at once. If I do this twice a year in spring and fall, it helps keep the allergies at bay and sneezing at a minimum. This has worked for my family for 4 generations.