We all know that we hate the sight of dust in our houses but what do you all know about Dust Mites? In this article I will give you a brief description of a Dust Mite, where they are usually found and how do we get rid of them.
First off a dust mite is a microscopic bug not visible by the human eye. Dust Mites feed off of human and pet dander other wise known as dead skin. An average human can lose up to 10 grams of dried up flaking skin a week, that’s a lot of food for Dust Mites. So there is no need to have a pet to feed your Dust Mites you alone can keep them multiplying but if you do have a pet you can feed thousands more. Using a microscope a Dust Mite will appear oval-shaped, with eight hairy legs. A Dust Mite does not appear to have eyes or antennas. There appears to be a mouthpart in the front of this oval-shape. A female Dust Mite could lay up to 80 eggs. The average life span of a Dust Mite is two to four months.
Where can we find these little Dust Mites? Well if you really wish to go looking for these little bugs you probably don’t have to look far. In fact, you probably are sleeping with thousands and thousands each and every night. That’s right your mattress may hold any where from one hundred thousand to ten million Dust Mites. Your comfy pillow isn’t safe either, since a human head can shed off dander, Dust Mites are well fed and just as comfortable with that pillow as you are. Mattresses are the number one place to find Dust Mites but a few other areas Dust Mites may be discovered are in pillows, bedroom carpeting (one hundred thousand Dust Mites can live in one square yard of carpeting) and living room furniture.
Well, we can’t see these little Dust Mites so what harm can they really do? A single Dust Mite can leave an average of 20 droppings a day and remember the number of Dust Mites that could be living in your mattress times twenty (that’s a lot of droppings). The droppings left behind can be highly allergenic to people that are known to have allergies. A protein in the droppings (feces) can produce antibodies that could trigger an allergic reaction if touched or inhaled. The reaction a person with Dust Mite allergy could experience include itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, running nose, hay fever, Asthma (difficulty breathing). Symptoms can seem worse in humid weather.
Now would we all like to get rid of the Dust Mites that we might not have known we had until now? The following are a few home remedies that will help you get rid of or control the amount of Dust Mites that are living and sleeping with you.
• The first thing I did was buy a plastic mattress cover. Before I covered my mattress I thoroughly vacuumed
and cleaned my mattress along with the area around my bed. I wiped the reels with very hot water.
• Keep fitted sheets on your mattress and wash the sheets and all blankets at least once a week with very hot water.
• Place pillow covers over your pillows then place the pillow case. Placing your pillow in a freezer will kill the existing Dust Mites. Wash the pillow case and cover once a week with your sheets and blankets (in very hot water).
• If allergies are really bad you may need to replace your carpeting with hardwood floors or something of that sort.
• Sunlight kills Dust Mites so don’t be afraid to open those curtains and let the sun shine in.
• Freeze anything that can’t be washed. The freezing temperatures will also kill the Dust Mites. The best items I like to place in the freezer are my children’s teddy bears and cloth toys.
• Replace the furnace air filters at least once a month.
• Vacuum the carpet daily.
• Vacuum your upholstery weekly.
• Clean and dust with a damp cloth since a dry cloth will just push and dust around rather than picking it up.
I hope these home remedies will help you reduce the Dust Mites living in your home.
