Tiny Room Mates in Your Bed
By Gebby Smith
Believe it or not, that lovely, welcoming bed that you so eagerly fall into at night is also the place where invisible dust mites are sleeping right along with you. Well, they're probably not sleeping, but rather are actively eating the 10 grams of dead skin cells each person or pet who inhabits the bed sheds each week. The result is that humans are breathing in dust mites and dust mite excretions every single day.
It's That Time of Year
Springtime is right around the corner bringing much-awaited sunshine through windows and into the home. This added light allows homeowners to see the dust that has accumulated on furniture and surfaces. The sun's rays shining through a home's windows even allows families to see the dust floating in the air. That dust is 80% dead skin cells that are making a veritable feast for dust mites.
This dust is frantically being gobbled up by busy little dust mites, and the buffet of dead skin cells is like a buffet set up in the mites honor on your mattress and upholstered furniture. The cycle continues as the skin cells are shed, the dust mites eat and excrete their waste. The humans in the home continue breathing. And every time a female dust mite has a new tribe of young ones, the nasty circle repeats itself.
Physical Reactions to Dust Mites
These rent-free guests can cause several unpleasant reactions in humans. Depending on the person's physiology, he or she may suffer from allergic reactions such as asthma, hay fever, and eczema because of the mite feces and enzymes in household dust. Those with sensitivities can be plagued with something as simple as a runny nose or as complicated as chronic reactions that can dramatically affect a person's health and well-being. Unfortunately, the most serious exposure to dust mite allergens is experienced when sleeping or when the dust has been disturbed.
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► Ventia Rapid Allergen Dust Mite Test Kit
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► Austin HealthMate Air Purifier
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Even as the body attempts to protect itself from the dust mites feces by producing antibodies that create histamines, the addition of the histamines causes the swelling of the respiratory passages, and nasal congestion.
The unwelcome and uninvited microscopic dust mite can cause any or all of the following symptoms:
- hay fever
- watery eyes
- runny nose
- sneezing
- asthma
- eczema
- itchy, red, watery eyes
- nasal congestion
- itchy nose and throat
- nasal drip
- cough
- facial pain
- swollen skin
Yes, dust mites are attracted to the warm, humid conditions that are present in mattresses. This problem is so wide-spread that it is very likely that your family has dust mites in their mattresses. Think about this - have you ever had the sniffles in the morning when you first wake up? Have you suffered from sinus-type headaches, itchy eyes, and sneezing? If so, it may be because of those pesky dust mites who are hiding in your bed.
What to Do?
There is a solution to the problem and it begins with making sure that you wash your bed linens in hot water every week. And experts suggest that you have your mattress deep-cleaned every six to twelve months to thwart those unwelcome dust mites. However, steam cleaning is not recommended since that would only increase the spa-like conditions that the dust mites so enjoy. Dragging your mattress outside on the next warm, sunny day for a sun bath is also not going to do the trick.
The fact is that homemade cleaning solutions are not going to get the job done. This is one job that needs to be left to the Those who know what they are doing. A reliable, experienced home cleaning service is the wisest choice you can make.
Leave it to the professionals!