Dust Mites
Dust Mites – A Very Common Problem
It is amazing as to how many people and I am referring to even well to do people here, neglect simple housekeeping duties like regular vacuuming or dusting. They tend to rely too much on servants to do the job and the consequence is that some of the most susceptible corners and nooks of the house get neglected. Some just do not have the time to do this job themselves while others feel too lethargic. Either ways, neglecting this important function of house cleaning is something that you cannot afford to do so especially if you are living in an area that is very much prone to dust winds.
As dust starts accumulating on various surfaces within the house, you will find that they give rise to harmful pathogens like dust mites. Very soon, you will notice dust mite allergy symptoms in some of your family members and those who are already susceptible to respiratory problems get affected the most. The allergic reactions can be pretty severe and have been known to cause asthmatic attacks in both the young and old. It is therefore clear that you need to have some preventive measures in place to make sure that these pathogens do not get an easy entry into your house.
Let us learn about some dust mite facts
Dust mites have the capability to cause not only asthma but also rhinitis, dermatitis and even conjunctivitis. They flourish in homes where the temperature is pretty much controlled and there are no great variations. They have the ability to survive any climate and are only ineffective in their breeding at very high altitudes. The humidity that is present in most homes during the summer present an ideal platform for these mites to breed. They are very minute and can only be seen with a magnifying glass. Fortunately, in today’s times, you can get access to many dust mite photos and dust mite pictures and that will help you to get some idea of how small they are.
A typical dust mite life cycle starts when they are blown by an air current into the house. Once they are inside and can find comfortable conditions, they begin the process of breeding. Males can live for a month while the females that are mated can live for more than two months within which span she lays about 80 eggs. Most of these eggs are laid during the last month. While these numbers by themselves are quite alarming, what is more worrying is that each dust mite can produce and spread more than 2000 dirt and fecal particles during their life span. The damage that they can do while they are in the house is therefore astounding and unless you are able to exercise dust mite control at all times, your house will very soon become a happy playground for these pests.
So what are the dust mite control steps you can take to ensure that your house is free of them at the earliest?
Maintaining cleanliness through regular vacuuming is a must. You just cannot allow dust to settle on a surface for long. But in addition to that, you have to do the following:
a) Use hot water to wash all your bed sheets, pillow covers, and other linen. Mites cannot withstand heat and will be easily eliminated when you do this. The water need not be very hot – just a bit more than lukewarm should do the trick. You can also use the dryer for a longer period to fully squeeze out any dampness and put the linen through another round of warm washing to completely get rid of any mites.
b) Though using natural fibre is always recommended, when it comes to comforters and pillows, synthetic fibre should be preferred. As compared to down, cotton or feathers, the material used in synthetic fibre is pre treated and more resistant to mites and other pathogens. You can also totally replace these items every couple of years. However, those who are very susceptible to allergy attacks must place their pillows in allergen-proof cases.
c) A dust mite mattress cover should be used by people who are very sensitive to dust.
d) Do not have carpets in the bedrooms as they easily attract dust mites. Any delay in cleaning them on a regular basis will lead to these pests quickly multiplying and you would not even become aware of this till you really start facing allergy related issues.
e) Reduce all clutter within the house and get rid of stuff that you are no longer using. Old books, toys, CDs and even paper are all items that attract dust. If you need to keep them, clean them and put them into closed cabinets. Stuffed toys in particular should be regularly cleaned and kept in a closed unit. Make sure that your children are not playing with any toy that is not properly cleaned.
f) Go for furniture that is made of leather, vinyl and not heavily upholstered. Soft furnishings require a lot of dedicated care and if you cannot spare the time or effort to maintain them, it is advisable to go for stuff that is easy to maintain and does not encourage dust accumulation. Surfaces that can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth should be preferred as many of us just would not have the time to diligently vacuum clean soft furnishings consistently.
g) Fit a high quality humidistat to find out the humidity levels in a room and a corresponding dehumidifier to ensure that the moistness present in the room is brought down. Typical humid and damp conditions are pretty healthy for dust mites.
h) Make sure that the ventilation in your kitchen and bathrooms are adequate.
i) You can also install air filters in your bedrooms as that will keep away dust particles by filtering them and present you clean air to breathe.
The silver lining is that today you have recourse to making use of a dehumidifier, air filter and so on and despite their added cost, you can at least have a dust free environment in your house. In the past, people had no choice or access to such items and were blissfully unaware of the damage that dust mites were causing them. Manifestations of dust allergy symptoms were often not recognized or diagnosed by doctors who ended up treating the patient for skin allergy. The root cause was hardly known and the patient kept getting affected by the presence of these dust mites.
The above dust mite control measures are some of the steps you can take to get rid of dust mites but nothing can totally eliminate them. You can only ensure through these measures that they are held in check and do not overrun your house. In addition, you may also use a good quality dust mite spray in areas that you feel are highly prone to dust infection.
To summarise, there is no substitute for regular vacuuming or steam cleaning of your soft furnishings to keep away dust mites. These are methods that have been time tested and if you can spare the time as well as effort to do these activities regularly, you will not have to bother much about dust mites invading your home.
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