A new research at Otago University in New Zealand found that toys which were not washed could often cause deadly asthma attacks and severe allergies in children. The researchers tested 36 house toys and found that almost half of them had harmful levels of house dust mites (HDMs). The research team also pointed out that mostly these soft toys are dangerously close to the airways of the children when they fall asleep, increasing the risk of HDM-related asthma. In addition, the researchers said that soaking with naturally antibacterial eucalyptus oil and detergent, freezing them for 16 hours at -15˚C and hot tumble drying for one hour reduced the HDM count significantly.