Winning the war against Dust Mites

Allergies are on the rise. Being one of the most common allergies, dust mites should be taken very seriously. They live in bedding, couches, carpet, stuffed toys and old clothing. Dust mites feed on the dead skin that falls off the bodies of humans and animals. As dust mites grow they shed skin, and as they eat, they excrete microscopic feces. It is this skin and feces that allergy sufferers are sensitive to.

No one can offer you complete elimination of dust mites in your home, but there is relief. One way is to keep a clean home. I don’t mean to wipe down all the hard surfaces and dust (which I recommend). I mean wash all drapes, blankets, pillows and stuffed animals on a regular basis in hot water. I know that this will seem very tedious, and the items may even still appear to be clean. But we are talking about attempting to kill many millions of these bugs and you certainly won’t do that washing them once a month.

I would like to address a problem I have come across in my own experiences. Many air purifiers out there claim they filter small enough to remove dust mites. GREAT, accept your happy little dust mites won’t crawl into the intake of the unit. Plus, you aren’t allergic to the bug itself. As I said, people are allergic to dust mite skin and feces, which is a lot smaller and therefore goes threw most air purifiers that claim to stop dust mites. Now I recommend that you try an IQ Air Health Pro Plus or a HealthWay 20600-3 unit, they do remove microscopic particle’s including dust mite allergies.

One other way I recommend to minimize the threat of dust mite allergens is to steam, steam, and steam again! Steam generators produce steam at roughly 220 degrees. At this temperature not only will you kill germs and viruses, but you’ll kill the dust mites. So find a good steam cleaner. I recommend the Lady Bug Steam Vapor System or the Earlex 3 in 1 steamer. So steam clean your couches, mattresses and carpets and listen to those nasty little guys scream. Do not confuse steam cleaners with carpet shampooers; they are not the same thing. Although shampooers are a wonderful weapon in the war on allergies, they don’t usually produce the temperature needed to kill the dust mites.

Buy allergy covers for pillows and mattresses. It used to be that the only allergy covers were made from plastic. This would make for a very loud and uncomfortable nights rest. But recently the development of new materials have allowed us to sleep on fabrics that are so tightly woven even the smallest dust mite is trapped inside. If those little guys can’t escape and feed, eventually there numbers will dwindle. However, you will still need to steam and vacuum the mattress. Remember that the feces and skin from these bugs is microscopic and will still need to be removed.

I know that when you take these steps that you and your family will truly feel better.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you come back again!

Christopher Beale
chris@columbusvacuumcenter.com