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Dust Mites and Bed Bugs are Not the Same

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Posted in What Are Dust MitesTagged

Some people are confused. Dust mites do not live off blood, they eat dead skin or dead skin cells. Bed bugs, on the other hand, do live off blood. If you find yourself waking up with small red bites or see little streaks of blood on the sheets then there is a good chance you have a bed bug problem.

What are bed bugs?  It’s a question that many people have been asking as the tiny pests have had a resurgence in recent years.  After disappearing as a problem in the early 20th century, in the last decade or so, bed bugs have become a serious problem again in North America and other parts of the world.  Infestations have cropped everywhere from poor communities to five-star hotels.

So what exactly are these bugs?   They are a small, brownish, oval and flattened insect from the family Cimicidae.   They can’t fly but their tiny, flat bodies allow them to access even the most seemingly secure places through the slightest of cracks or holes.  They multiply fairly rapidly, with females laying several eggs every day and several hundred in a lifetime.

They feed off the blood of mammals and do most of their feeding at night, therefore they tend to congregate in areas where the feeding is best.  In the case of humans, that usually means mattresses and box springs, which has given them their common name, bed bugs.  When asking what are bed bugs, that’s the simple answer.  Obviously, for people who have endured infestations, the bigger answer is that bed bugs are a royal nuisance.

What are bedbugs carrying? Unlike some insects, bed bugs are not known to carry any infectious diseases, so infestations are not considered dangerous, though they can be extremely annoying.  The biggest problem with bed bugs is their bites, the result of their tapping into their favorite food source.  Like most insect bites, they can be itchy and uncomfortable, though they aren’t immediately harmful.

The only real danger is not from the bites themselves but from scratching them, which can lead to infection or can aggravate the body’s natural allergic reaction and make it worse.  For this reason, the real question to ask is not what are bed bugs, but rather what can be done to stop their spread and prevent uncomfortable side effects.

Once you have identified a bed bug infestation, you will need to take steps to clean and secure the room involved.  This includes taking apart the bed, cleaning all surfaces with a portable steam cleaner as steam kills the bugs, then vacuuming thoroughly.  There are some insecticides designed to target bed bugs, but it is generally not a good idea to use products like these on beds and bedding.

Instead, once you have thoroughly cleaned your mattress, box spring, and pillows, you can encase each of them in specially designed bed bug mattress covers.  These covers are made from a very dense fabric that will not allow bed bugs to get through.  Simply slip them on, zip them up, and you won’t have to ask what are bed bugs anymore as they will be a thing of the past!

Bed bugs can be a very real concern and can crop up in even the cleanest of environments.  Now that you know what are bed bugs, if you suspect you have a problem, take the necessary measures to rid the room of all signs of them and use allergy covers to protect your bed.  With these steps, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing you’re not sharing your bed with any unwanted guests.

Sleep Tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.

Bring Back Memories, Not Bed Bugs

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Posted in What Are Dust Mites

You have probably seen lots of articles and blogs written about avoiding bed bugs when you travel.  If you weren’t planning a trip or weren’t thinking about bed bugs, you probably didn’t read them.  I know I wouldn’t unless I worked where I do and talk to people on a daily basis with bed bug problems.

To summarize:

  • Put luggage in the back seat and not the trunk of the rental car;
  • Never place luggage on floor or bed of hotel/motel room;
  • Inspect bed upon arrival for signs of bed bugs;
  • Keep luggage closed and zipped up while it is in the room.

But, what about if despite these precautions you bring home a few souvenir bed bugs?  How can you keep this accident from becoming a large problem?

Don’t unpack your luggage at your house and by all means, don’t every place your suitcase on your bed! That’s right, when you come home, no matter how tired you are, put the suitcases in the garage, carport, or patio.

Don’t bring them in the house. 

If a bed bug was hitching a ride, then when he decides to go mobile, he won’t do it in your house.  There isn’t much to eat or do in the garage or carport or patio so he can starve or die of loneliness.  It’s not your concern.  Much like a vampire, you just don’t want to invite him inside.

Once you are ready to unpack, gather all your clothing and take it straight to the laundry room and into the washer.  If it is more than one load, leave it outside until it can come into the washer.  If your clothing is not washable, then put it in the dryer on high heat for 20 minutes.  That will kill any hidden bugs.

Once the luggage is empty, carefully inspect all the creases and folds, especially the lining.  A flashlight can make this job easier.  Look for hidden bugs.

If you own a dry heat steamer (like the Vapamore Primo) this is a great time to steam the inside and outside of the suitcase.  Even if you don’t see signs of bugs, it’s a good idea to freshen up your suitcase on occasion, just for hygiene purposes.

Make sure the item is completely dry, zip it closed and now you can store it.  Because I keep my suitcases in a closet that contains off-season clothing, I never put my suitcase right away.  It doesn’t hurt the suitcase or take up too much room in my garage if I keep it out there for 7 to 10 days just to be sure.

Not that I have a paranoid fear of bed bugs, but like I said, I talk to people every day that bring the buggers home from a trip.

If you have one of our zippered bed bugs covers already on your bed, you know that no matter where they roam, the bed bug won’t make it into your mattress.  That is also a comforting feeling when you get back in your own bed after a long trip.

Dorothy was right, there really is no place like home. Just don’t share yours with bed bugs.

If You Feel It Bite It’s Not a Dust Mite

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Posted in Allergies Dust MitesTagged

Dust mites do not bite you. You can not feel them crawling on you. House dust mites live off your dead skin and can cause allergic reactions.

7 Dust Mite Myths Busted Infographic
7 Dust Mite Myths Busted

The allergic symptoms are caused by inhaling the microscopic fecal matter and shed skin. Symptoms of dust mite allergy include but are not limited to respiratory such as sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose, cough, difficulty breathing, and asthma. In addition, skin symptoms such as eczema and dermatitis can result. Rashes and hives are rarely a symptom of dust mite allergy.

Now there are several kinds of biting mites. Chiggers are probably the most common and annoying. Chiggers are mite larvae that are ubiquitous outdoors except in arid regions; they bite, feed in the skin, then fall off.

Common mite species that bite and burrow into the skin include Sarcoptes scabiei , which causes scabies, and Demodex mites, which cause scabies-like dermatitis.

Bird mites may bite people who handle live poultry or pet birds or who have birds’ nests in their homes.

Rodent mites from cats, dogs (especially puppies), and rabbits may bite people.

Swine mange mites ( S. scabiei var suis ) from pig farms or pet pigs may also bite humans.

The straw itch mite ( Pyemotes tritici ) is often associated with seeds, straw, hay, and other plant material; it is a parasite of soft-bodied insects that are or have been present in such materials. These mites often bite people who handle infested items. Granary workers, people who handle grass seeds or grass hay, and people who make dried plant arrangements are most at risk.

If you want to keep your bed free of dust mites you should cover it with special covers designed to stop dust mites. The Allergy Store has a good selection to choose from.

Will Mattress Cleaning Really Kill Dust Mites

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Posted in How To Kill Dust Mites

Last year Laura Johannes, wrote an article, published in the Wall Street Journal, that looked at the effectivnes of mattress cleaning to get rid of dust mites.

“A growing number of companies will come to your home and clean your mattress. Techniques vary by company, but generally they involve using either ultraviolet-C light or a dry-steam method to kill the mites. A high-powered vacuum is used to remove dead mites and their waste products.

There is scant published scientific data on the services’ effectiveness. But at least one outfit, Delray Beach, Fla.-based Hygenietech Inc., says it hired a lab to test the potency of ultraviolet light as a mattress sanitizer. According to those findings, the company claims its system removes 98% of mites and debris.” Read Complete Article

The article goes on to say while there may be something to the cleaning process but the science really does not support the claims.

The one thing that stood out for me was the part about a high powered vacuum. I don’t know about you but I have never seen a vacuum that has enough suction to clean the inside of something that is 10 to 12 inches thick. Dust mites live inside the mattress and that includes the middle. We had a powervac truck we used for duct cleaning that pulled over 10k CFM at the head and it could not pull air through a mattress.

The other thing I need to look into is the UV. My understanding of using UV light for cleaning is it does a great job on virus, bacteria and thing like mold. But kills dust mites?

Anyway read the article and make up your own mind.  I for one will keep learning more ways to prevent dust mites and their allergens from taking over and just keep my mattress covered and wash my sheets weekly.

Wash Your Bedding to Get Rid Of Dust Mites

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Posted in What Are Dust MitesTagged

One of the dust mitessimple things you can do today, as soon as you finish reading this, is wash your bedding. Eliminating dust mites and their allergens from sheets, blankets, mattress pads and comforters is easy and effective.

Just wash all these items in hot water (140°) water. Washing in hot water will kill the mites and remove the allergens. If you can’t wash in hot water there are laundry products available that allow you to wash in warm and cold water. If you have a dryer that has the sanitizing setting you can use it for blankets and comforters.

Don’t forget the decorative bedspreads or pillow covers. They collect dust and allergens as well. Since you don’t want to wash them because they will fade you should put them in the dryer every 2 weeks on air full for about 15-20 minutes. The dust that has collected on top will get shaken loose and vented outside.

Please keep,in mind if you have low quality blankets and comforters they will not hold up to repeated washes so you may want to pop them in the dryer as well. A good quality blanket will normally hold up to 40-50 washes before they start to show wear.

Last but not least. Dust mites are common to most households and have little to do with general housekeeping.