There are probably thousands if not millions of tiny, dirty little creatures in bed with you every night. No, I'm not talking about some strange little aliens, these little critters are called dust mites. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from asthma or allergies, they may make your symptoms even worse. So whether you have an adjustable bed or a regular bed, these little critters are nothing but a nuisance. Dust mites take up residence in mattresses, pillows, blankets, quilts, carpets and fabric covered furniture, thrive in the summer and usually die in the winter. They may continue to thrive in the winter if your house happens to be extra warm and humid. The bedroom is the prime location of choice that has an environment that dust mite love. Your mattress can contain hundreds of thousands of them and an old pillow can have 20% of its own weight made up of dust mites, dead and alive and mainly their droppings(yes...I mean bug doodoo). Kind of makes you look at your bed a little differently tonight (sorry). Why do they love to get in bed with us ? Because most animals, including humans shed skin flakes every year. We all naturally lose skin, head and pubic hairs by the thousands every year. A household of four normal adults shed over three pounds in weight of skin flakes annually. Over 80% of the dust particles floating in the air and settling on your furniture is made up of dead skin cells. Since dust mites eat dead skin cells, our beds are like an all you can eat for free smorgasbord. Dust mites are closely related to the Spider as they have eight legs, but no eyes and no antennae . Female mites lay between 40 and 80 eggs in a lifetime which lasts up to seven weeks. The good news is that they are tiny. Just a gram of dust may contain up to 5,000 mites, and an ounce of dust may host 150,000. You just cannot see them crawling about, but they are there. Pesticides do not get rid of them because they are not approved for control of house dust mites and due to the fact that they can damage you as much as them. How do I get rid of these pests ? * Feather and down pillows with synthetic fillings should be replaced. * Cover the mattress top and sides with a special synthetic cover. * Thoroughly Vacuum your mattress especially the base and head of the bed. * Keep your mattress as dry as possible as dust mites like it damp, especially with sweat. * Change and wash your pillowcases, sheets, and under the blankets regularly. * Vacuum the base of the bed and around the covered mattress weekly. * Wash all bedding frequently in hot water (60oC weekly). Wash curtains regularly as well. * Dehumidifier help because house mites need high humidity to live and grow. * Bed-clothes should be thrown back and open the windows wide to have a good airing out. When you make your bed, you cover up the little critters and make them feel as snug as a bug in a bed. Where Children Sleep * Keep toys that will accumulate dust out of the child's bedroom * Avoid stuffed toys * Use only washable toys of wood, rubber, metal, or plastic * Store toys in a closed toy box or chest * Avoid upholstered furniture and blinds. * Use only a wooden or metal chair that you can scrub. * Use only plain, lightweight curtains on the windows. I wish you good luck on getting these little creepy crawlies out of your life. The last thing you want to get into bed with is unwanted, creepy little health hazards.
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