Sleep tight, don't let bed bugs bite

There is no way for someone with allergies to avoid mites because they are simply everywhere. But there are modern preventive steps to take that go beyond protective clothing and regular washing of bed linens.

"Mites have been part of humanity's surroundings since the start of time and have nothing to do with bad hygiene," says Dirk Petersen of Hamburg's consumer advice center.

The mites are generally harmless to those without allergies. It's different for people sensitive to household dust, since that allergy is caused by the dung of the mites living in the dust, explains Anja Schwalfenberg of the German Allergy and Asthma Association DAAB.