Dust Mites Do Not Live in Your Air Ducts

Got more ads in the mail today about air duct cleaning and how it will remove dust mites from yourDust Mites Do Not Live In Duct Work duct work. Such a false claim.

First of all dust mites don’t crawl into the duct work and no the can’t fly either. Dust mites like to live where there is food and it’s dark and damp. Does that sound like your duct work? Not mine either. Your dust work may get moldy but it will not get infested with dust mites.

Another ad stated they will get rid of the allergens from dust mites. I’ll give that a 1/2 truth. The allergens that dust mites create are about 8-10 mircons in size so they really don’t stay airborne for long because that is fairly heavy. If you keep a good filter on your unit it will pretty much keep the allergens out.

Bottom line is I do believe in air duct cleaning. It is a good thing when it is needed and done right. I don’t like how some of these so called indoor air companies exploit people and allergies. The best thing you can do is learn how to prevent dust mites from becoming a problem in the first place.

Getting Rid of Dust Mites

 After being diagnosed with dust mite allergies customers sometimes feel overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done in the home to start feeling some relief. I always tell customers it’s best to just take things one step at a time, the main focus is getting rid of these dust mites so they no longer bother you
Customers often ask how do I get rid of them? What should I buy?
My recommendations:

1)      Clean the house from top to bottom. Anything that can potentially cause or create dust needs to be cleaned or thrown away.

2)       Getting dust mite proof covers for your mattress, pillow, comforter and box spring. Putting these items on your bed will prevent dust mites from getting through and irritating you while you’e sleeping.

3)      Getting some De-mite Laundry additive, it’s a product that eliminated dust mites in bedding and washable clothing just simply add it to your favorite laundry detergent and consider dust mites from your bedding gone!

4)      Allergists always say the best thing to ever get rid of when dealing with dust mites is your carpet. Financially speaking that may not be something that can be done right away so we have a more cost-friendly product that can help keep dust mites away and that’s X-mite carpet treatment specifically designed to rid your carpeting and upholster furniture of harmful dust mite allergens and provide 90 days of allergy relief..

5)      Using Allersearch ADMS anti-allergen spray can get rid of the household dust mites in your home. This treatment lasts 30 days and can be sprayed on upholstered furniture, carpets and rugs, drapes, bedding, stuffed animals even your car.

6)     When cleaning and dusting everyone always has an aid they use to clean around the home the Allerdust spray is a great product to use It not only get’s rid of dust mites but also helps with pet dander and mold.. It picks up on mites and mold particles right before they become airborne.. A great product to haven when trying to get rid of mites.

7)      Furniture Polish and cleaners help with keeping dust mites out of upholstered furniture it’s hard to take a rag and wipe them down so the dust mite polish and cleaners do the job for you.

8)      Air Cleaners work wonders when trying to get rid of dust mites in the home. They remove small particles from the air and guarantee better quality air. They aren’t the cheapest but after investing in an air cleaner you will see a drastic change in your home.
These are the most important things I mention when speaking to a customer about getting rid of dust mites. For more information on dust mites fact and fiction click here. It won’t take long before you see any changes to your home and health.
Wishing you all the best,
Tiffany Daniel
AllergyStore.com – Serving our customers since 1989
800-771-2246

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Products That Are Effective For Dust Mite Allergies

Been awhile since we have posted anything about dust mites or anything else for that matter.

The question came up the other day about products that were really effective for dust mite allergies. In particular they were talking about using those UV wands to kill dust mites on a mattress. They think they want to add a mattress cleaning service to their company.

There are all sorts of products on the market that claim they can kill or control dust mites and the allergens they produce. Some work but most don’t. If you want to read about products that DO work please check out this article, Dust Mite Products That Really Work. Cheryl at the Allergy Store really does know here stuff.

Back to the UV question and mattress cleaning. First of all there is not a vacuum made that has enough suction to pull air all the way through a mattress or even half of it. Not going to happen.

UV does kill different types of bacteria but the contact time (how long the light shines on it) varies by what you are trying to kill. Just running a wand down a mattress is not going to cut it.

Now we have used the ADMS spray (see Cheryl’s article) on the mattress and it was effective. The key to using it or any other spray is making sure the mattress is dry before you put it back together. If it is not you can end up with a mold problem that will make dust mites look easy.

In the end I told  them they would be better off selling their customer dust mite proof bedding. Much more effective and they would have happier clients.

Ever wonder why dust mites cause allergic reactions? Find out more here.

What Are Dust Mites

Dust mites were not really been known to humans until 1964. Dust mites are arachnids, like spiders, and thus have eight legs. They belong in the Pyroglyphidae family that is of the mites and are microscopic organisms that are almost invisible to the naked eye. An average dust mite measures about only 0.4mm in length and about 0.32mm in width. It is possible to see them through if they are in a dark background and you have ample light.

One special note, you can not feel dust mites crawling on your skin and they do not bite.

The male dust mites have an average lifespan of 10-19 days, while female dust mites can live to up to 70 days. They reproduce at an alarming rate – a female dust mite can lay 60 to 100 eggs during the five weeks of its life. The most shocking thing, however, is the fact that these mites can produce about 2,000 pieces of excrement within their life spans.

These fecal matters are allergens to a lot of human beings and are considered the leading cause of many allergies and even asthma.

Interestingly, dust mites thrive in almost all kinds of weather. They are mostly found indoors where they can find plenty of food to survive. Dust mites particularly love warm and humid environments. They seem to find temperatures between 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 80 degrees Fahrenheit as the best place to populate. In homes where most of the time humidity is around 50-60%, dust mites enjoy areas like the bedroom and living room. According to studies, a mattress can typically hold about 100,000 to several million dust mites. This number is very alarming especially in households where there are people allergic to dust mite excrements.

An average human being, on the other hand, spends a third of his or her life in bed. And during all that sleeping or lounging around on the bed, he sheds dead skin that totals to about 1/5th of an ounce worth of dead skin every week. The dead skin serves as food for dust mites that live in warm and moist places – like beds. Apart from mattresses, dust mites also thrive in other warm, fluffy surroundings in the house such as pillows, couches, and carpets.

The dust mites themselves don’t exactly cause diseases or allergies. It is their waste products that humans are allergic too. A study revealed that about 10 % of people in the world are allergic to dust mite wastes and more and more people are acquiring allergies. Apart from asthma, house dust mite allergy can also cause symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, itchiness, nasal stuffiness, and in more severe cases, eczema and respiratory problems.

It is very difficult to completely get rid of the dust mites from your homes because they are very small and almost invisible. However, there are things you can do to protect yourself and your family against dust mite allergies. We have a lot of tips to help you get rid of dust mites and shield your household from the harmful health risks they cause.

DHR

Dust Mites Call Your Pillow Home, Too: When To Replace Your Pillow To Avoid Bacteria, Fungi, And Mold

When was the last time you thought about how clean or dirty your pillow was? If you are like most of us the answer to both questions is ” not often”

The sole purpose of a pillow is to provide you with comfort and neck support while you rest. We all know a good pillow is essential to a good night’s sleep, nap, or long plane ride. However despite how comfortable and deceivingly clean your pillow might be, it can be  home to thousands, if not millions, of dust mites and debris.

How often should you get new pillows?

That’s a good question and one many of us tend to overlook. We have a habit of becoming attached to our pillows, so the prospect of tossing an old one and replacing it can be difficult.

While the life span of a pillow is a debated topic, the average replacement time has been suggested to be around two years. However, Robert Oexman, DC, director of the Sleep to Live Institute says pillows should probably be replaced every six months. “People talk about how nasty a mattress gets,” said Oexman, but pillows are more frequently forgotten. Read complete article

The good news is, dust mites don’t spread any kind of disease, but they do pose allergy and asthmatic risks. Roughly 20 percent of people have allergies, and of those who do, around two-thirds may be allergic to the types of dust mites found indoors, The Huffington Post reported. To help reduce your allergic symptoms, including sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes, use an airtight cover for your mattress and pillows.