What causes it?

Dust allergies are the body's over-reaction to a substance in the droppings of dust mites.

These miniscule eight legged creatures are all around us, living in carpets, mattresses and furniture. They absorb moisture from the air and feast on human skin particles, as well as pollen and fur from our pets.

Just one dust mite produces between 10 and 20 waste pellets each day and up to two million of them can live in one bed. That's a lot of droppings! Their population in our homes has nothing to do with how well we clean or how hairy our pets are. It is down to the amount of carpet, fabric and upholstery we have, humidity levels, and temperature. Which explains why when the heating goes on and we shut the windows for the winter, dust allergies have a habit of flaring up.

Although dust mites are hard to get rid of completely, there's no need to despair. There are plenty of treatments available to relieve your symptoms and various ways to make it harder for dust mites to live in your home. Check out BENADRYL®'s full range of treatments and liberate your nose.