What Are Dust Mites

Allergies and Dust Mites – Video

adminLeave a comment
Posted in What Are Dust Mites

Just ran across this video about dust mites and allergies. Check it out. It’s only a couple of minutes long.

It gives you a very quick explanation of what allergies are, shows you how they can test for them and what a test result can look like. While I don’t agree with one statement about when we lay down we are sending out a signal to the dust mites it’s time to eat, it is a pretty goo video.

Body Invaders – Allergies and Dust Mites

Link will take you a site called Dailymotion.

What if you Bring Bed Bugs Home?

adminLeave a comment
Posted in What Are Dust Mites
The last few posts have been about bed bugs. We talk quite a bit about avoiding bed bugs.
But what do you do if you didn’t manage to avoid them and now you have them?
Many people try to tackle the problem on their own.  While you can vacuum and wipe and clean, the problem with bed bugs is that they will hide in small cracks and crevices that you can’t get into.  One of their favorite hiding places is the crevice between the wall and the baseboard. So, if you try to do it yourself, keep in mind you will need to also be handy with a caulk gun to fill all the cracks and crevices in the room.  You will also need to invest in a high quality steam cleaner.
You will also want to take apart all the furniture.  I’ve so many stories of people finding them on top of the rails for the drawers in their dressers.
No pesticide is registered with the EPA for bed bugs. There are many cedar oil companies that make claims about cedar oil and bed bugs, but none are EPA registered for bedbugs.  The EPA only requires efficacy studies when the pest in question is a public health menace (bed bugs are annoying but not considered a public health risk).  So, if you are trying to do it yourself, you are truly going it alone, with no government standards or studies to back you up.
If you want to hire a professional, take your time.  Look for someone that practices Integrated Pest Management. Make sure they are licensed and ask for references.  Ask if they provide a written inspection report. Avoid companies that quote one flat fee.  Every home is different, every infestation is different, every treatment plan is different.  Anybody that quotes flat fees isn’t taking into account these differences.
Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, they all agree that you must encase all bedding in zippered bed bug mattress covers.
Bed bug proof covers should be constructed so that no bed bug can get out, no bed bug can get in, and the ones that are trapped in by the cover can’t feed through the fabric. Most dust mite covers that are marketed for bed bugs don’t meet this criterion.  Ask if there are lab certifications for the covers you buy.  A reputable dealer will have no problem with this request.  We are so proud of our bed bug cover lab reports, we posted them on the web for everyone to see!  Read lab results here.
I surely hope that you never need to put any of this information to use in your home.
Til Next Time!
Cheryl

©Copyright 1996-2018Cee DeeKay,Inc dba AllergyStore.com™ All Rights Reserved

Out Damn Spot – Part 2

adminLeave a comment
Posted in What Are Dust Mites

Not too long ago, I blogged about how I used Oxy-Boost to get a stain that had to have been set for two years.
Well the good news is that this time I caught my hubby’s stain quick, the better news is I thought to grab the
camera so I could document the results, and the best news is that the stain was removed quickly and completely.

Here is a pic of my husband’s khaki shorts with a red wine stain (hey we are in South Florida and we wear a lot of khaki)

I found the stain on Sunday and he obtained the stain the previous Saturday evening.  I mixed one ounce of Oxy-Boost with water that I had microwaved for 2 minutes on high. You don’t have to microwave the water to get it hot, I just feel guilty standing at the sink watching all that water run down the drain while I wait to get hot water from the tap. Somewhere along the line, I have rationalized that I am saving resources by using the electricity to zap the water to get it hot….but I digress.

Into the hot water went the Oxy-Boost, into the hot water and Oxy-Boost mixture went the leg of the shorts that had the stain.  It began to foam right away

I did a few chores around the house and came back to check on it about 10 minutes later.  The foaming had stopped.  I held my breath (red wine is an ugly stain to try to remove) and slowly removed the fabric.  Just like magic the stain was gone.

Of course it isn’t magic. It is the amazing cleaning power of sodium percarbonate. Oxy-Boost doesn’t use any fillers so that is why you don’t need much and it works quickly.

Since I already had a load of white bed sheets in the washer with some De-Mite laundry additive I just tossed the shorts in.  They finished the cycle and went into the dryer.

When I took them out they were free of stains and dust mites to boot!
Don’t take my word….see for yourself

So if you are going to have stains….you better have some Oxy-Boost around the house.

Til next time

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

©Copyright 1996-2013 Cee DeeKay,Inc dba AllergyStore.com™ All Rights Reserved

Eradicate Dust Mites – Warfare Part 3

adminLeave a comment
Posted in What Are Dust Mites
So we continue our war on the dust mite and its allergens.

In Part 1, we killed dust mites by starving them to death through the use of dust mite proof zippered mattress covers, pillow covers, and boxspring covers.  In Part 2, we eliminated dust mites by washing them away with De-Mite or Allergen Wash.

The War Continues! Today, we will eradicate dust mite and other allergen particles floating in our air with the use of air filters.

People have been trying to eradicate dust mites and allergens from the breathing space for years using all sorts of methods. There have been air cleaners that produce ozone (a not so good idea) in an effort to oxidize the dust mites, air cleaners that claimed to eradicate dust mites by the use of ions (an idea that might boost the effectiveness of a HEPA filter but useless on its own), and ultraviolet lamps that claim to eradicate dust mites all through the house by simply installing it in the AC unit.

Maybe you can tell by my skeptical tone that I don’t believe there is scientific proof to back up these claims to eradicate dust mites. Maybe you can’t tell….so I will make it clear. Ozone machines, ionizers, and UV lights will not eradicate dust mites from your home.

You aren’t going to completely eradicate dust mites from your environment.  You can however eradicate little bits and pieces of dead dust mites, their feces and other allergens from your breathing environment while you sleep with a properly sized and situated HEPA air cleaner.

HEPA is an acronym for High Efficiency Particulate Air and it is a measurement. Just like an hour is a measurement of time (all hours have 60 minutes, some just seem longer or shorter) HEPA is a measurement for filtering ability. It means that 99.97% of all particles as small as 0.3 microns are arrested by the filter.  Filtration that fine has the ability to eradicate dust mite particles and feces from the air that passes through the filter. Dust mite allergens are in the 8 to 10 micron range.  Far larger than HEPA definition and easy to eradicate if you can get the allergen to the filter.

HEPA filters work on air exchange process.  That means taking the air from the room, using a motor to suck the air in and then pass it through filter and then send the newly cleaned air out in the room.  As I type this, I can hear the low, gentle hum of the Austin Air HealthMate Junior working to eradicate the allergens from the room.

We carry many reliable and reputable brands of HEPA air cleaners to eradicate dust mites, allergens, odors, and chemicals.

I am fond of HealthMate machines because they just last and last and last.  Made in the USA, they are dependable and hard workers.  They are not energy hogs and when on the medium and low settings are not loud at all.  I especially like that their 5 year filters last so long that I have to write the filter date on the bottom of the machine or I would forget about filter changes.  I can’t honestly tell you how old the machine sitting in my office is. I can’t say that about many other small appliances..but I digress.

As we have stressed over and over, the most important room in the house is the bedroom. You want to place your HEPA air cleaner as close to the bed as possible.  The air closest to the machine is the cleanest and if you are going to eradicate dust mite particles from your breathing space while you sleep, then you want it close by..

If you don’t have rugs or carpeting or heavy draperies in your living area, then chances are you don’t have as many airborne particles in those rooms. You can put your HEPA air cleaner just about anyplace in those rooms.

Let the war continue!

©Copyright 1996-2013 Cee DeeKay,Inc dba AllergyStore.com™ All Rights Reserved

Out Damn Spot!

adminLeave a comment
Posted in What Are Dust Mites
Its transition time in our house.  The youngest daughter is in the process of packing up (again) and getting ready to move out for college (again). It is an exciting time.  When you are starting graduate school, the whole world is ahead of you.  She is going through all the things she has had packed away in storage for the last year to determine if they were really worth dragging half way across the country.

She ran across a pair of khaki pants that had been stained by Mr. Lou, her cat that has been gone for almost two years now.  Ewwwww.

Without saying a word, she placed the pants in the laundry basket, thinking that either the stain would come out in the wash or she would throw the pants away.
I can’t think of any stain worse than male cat urine, locked away for two years, staining a pair of light colored pants.

So, I know that sodium percarbonate kicks butt on organic stains.  Cat urine is most certainly organic and sodium percarbonate is the top ingredient in Oxy-Boost.  What I don’t know is if Oxy-Boost can remove a stain that has been set for so long.  The only way to find out is to try it!

You get the best results from a sodium percarbonate solution when you activate it in the hottest water as possible.  I took about 1 1/2 quarts of hot water out of the tap and decided it wasn’t hot enough.  I popped the plastic container in the microwave and zapped it for two minutes.  That was hot water!  I added 1 ounce of Oxy-Boost and gave it a stir.  In to the hot tub went the stained pants leg.  Of course the solution went to work immediately.  The oxidation was full force with more foaming action than I had ever seen before. I allowed the pants leg to soak until all foaming had stopped (a sign that the oxidation process was complete) and the water cooled.  Eww the water looked really yellow and icky.  With trepidation, I took the pants let out of the soaking solution.  At first glance it looked as if the ENTIRE stain was gone COMPLETELY.  Not sure, I rinsed the garment out in the kitchen sink.  Yup, looks like the entire stain was removed.

Oxy-Boost had saved the day again.  The old, set in stain was gone, no toxic chemicals had been used.  The air was free from chemical fumes (like with chlorine bleach) and the fabric had not been damaged.
Now there are many oxygen bleach products on the market. Maybe some of them would have been up to the task of removing a set in stain like this cat urine, but I seriously doubt it.  The mass distributed oxygen bleach products make generous use of fillers.  Oxy-Boost does not.  It is a simple solution of sodium percarbonate and soda ash.  That is why just a little goes along way.

So, the pants went through the laundry cycle and were returned to young daughter.  She smiled and said “Thanks Mom”..  I say “Thanks Oxy-Boost“
Cheryl
The Allergy Store
4111 SW 47th Ave #307
Davie, FL 33314
1-800-771-2246
cheryl@allergystore.com

©Copyright 1996-2013 Cee DeeKay,Inc dba AllergyStore.com™ All Rights Reserved