Compositions and methods for treating and preventing dust mite infestation
Compositions comprising nootkatone, benzyl benzoate and a carrier as well as methods for treating and preventing dust mite infestations are disclosed herein.
1. A method of treating or preventing a dust mite infestation comprising:
(a) providing a nootkatone-containing composition, wherein the nootkatone is nootkatone ex valencene, wherein the nootkatone ex valencene is limonene-free and bergapten-free, and wherein the nootkatone-containing composition is limonene-free and bergapten-free;
(b) optionally reducing the concentration of the composition to a working concentration with a carrier;
(c) applying an effective amount of the composition to a surface; and
(d) killing or repelling dust mites on the surface,
wherein the composition has a reduced risk for causing allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled compared to a composition comprising nootkatone that is neither limonene-free nor bergapten-free, and
wherein the dust mite infestation comprises dust mites of the genus Dermatophagoides.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface is either the surface to be treated or a surface of a dispenser.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier is a liquid or a powder.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nootkatone-containing composition is a concentrate.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nootkatone-containing composition is applied to the surface using a dispenser, and wherein the dispenser concomitantly applies the composition to the surface and removes from the surface at least one of dust, dirt, dust mite food, a dust mite allergen, grease, oil, lint, animal hair, an odor, or a stain.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the dispenser is a brush, a sponge, a soft-tipped marking device with reservoir, a pressurized dispenser, an aerosol can, a roll on bottle, a mop, a dust mop, a broom, a wipe, a tissue, a duster, a duster sheet, a wet wipe, a wet pad, a vacuum rotor, a steam cleaner, a lint brush, a paint brush, a paint roller, a washing machine, or a clothes drier.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
(e) cleaning the surface to remove at least one of dust, dirt, dust mite food, a dust mite allergen, grease, oil, lint, animal hair, an odor, or a stain from the surface.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein step (c) is first performed and a period of time is allowed to pass before step (e) is performed.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising (f) reapplying the nootkatone-containing composition to the surface after step (e) is performed.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the period of time is a minute, an hour, a day, or any multiple thereof.
11. The method of claim 7 further comprising treating the surface with ultraviolet (uv) light of 200-400 nm wavelength.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the surface is treated with uv light for a period of a minute, an hour, or a day.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein treating the surface with uv light of 200-400 nm wavelength is performed before applying the nootkatone-containing composition to the surface.
14. The method of claim 7 , wherein the surface is cleaned with a vacuum.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nootkatone-containing composition comprises:
(a) about 0.1% to about 10% wt/vol nootkatone;
(b) about 0.1% to about 10% wt/vol benzyl benzoate; and
(c) about 80% to about 99.8% carrier.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nootkatone-containing composition contains about 0.01% to at or about 5% nootkatone by weight of the composition.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein step (b) is not performed.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is applied to the surface to obtain an effective nootkatone concentration of about 0.16 mg/cm 2 .