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Indoor Allergins: Dust Mites

posted by Mel, selected from Organic Spa magazine May 7, 2009 1:00 pm

There are countless potential allergens in your home, and studies have shown that indoor air quality can be significantly worse than the great outdoors, depending on the area you live in and the condition of your home or office. One of the top offenders is dust mites.

These “adorable” cousins of the spider are most often found in the bedroom, and thrive on dead skin cells. It is the mites waste that is the main culprit, and a single dust mite may produce as much as 200 times its body weight in waste. Most important to remember is that the dust mite is made of 80 percent water. Without moisture, the mite cannot survive. Control the moisture, and you can control the mite and at least some of your allergy issues.

Next: Tips to reduce dust mites

More on Allergies (30 articles available)
More from Mel, selected from Organic Spa magazine (9 articles available)

11 comments

11 comments

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11 comments add your comment
Ecodiva Green

We often think that cleaning our homes with "cleaning products" leaves the surfaces clean; meanwhile, these products are full of harsh chemicals extremely harmful to us.

If you'd like to receive $120 in free products that contain tea tree oi, citric acid and thyme oil while cleaning and disinfecting your home then email me at nicolemillercosmetics@gmail.com

Be safe in your own home ;)

Jacob Herrmann

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Vural K.

thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner

Amy B.
  • Amy B. says
  • Jun 1, 2009 1:25 AM

A tip on dust mites, suck two used damp, but not wet, tea bags into your vacuum cleaner before use, and vacuum as normal. The properties in the tea kill the dust mites as they enter the vacuum and thus the air when released from the vacuum is Dust mite free.

Air bedding outside in the sunlight as much as possible, its not so much the air that helps kills of any bugs, but natural sunlight is one of the best anti-bacterial. hard to believe but ever notice how mold refuses to grow in direct sunlight.

Adria M.

This came through the week I was ACTIVATED to work on the Swine Flu Initiative. It's working -- people are catching it.

Seriously. I agree that HEPA filters are wonderful. But I disagree that they are the only option. Newer furnaces come with new, inexpensive filtration systems. The electrostatic filter is 97% effective, but it is suggested to use 2 regular, replaceable filters with it (the filtration system is built to just slide these right in). Together, it is all as effective as a HEPA filter at a fraction of the size and cost.

HEPA filter: 24 inch by 24 inch by 11½ inch deep filters

Electrostatic: 24 inch by 16 inch by 8 inch, and that is the entire system, not just the filter and it includes the addition of the 2 replaceable regular filters with it

I purchased the electrostatic system when I purchased a new furnace.

megan m.

did you really need to break up the article this way? I hate this format!

Bruce Webber

In the heating season, a HEPA-rated furnace filter makes sense. It has to be changed frequently to prevent breakthrough.

Jessica B.

How can you tell the % of humidity in your home? And do most dehumidifiers work well enough? I find my house is almost as humid as it is outside.

Alex R.

Synthetic food additives and/or wheat gluten are most often the reason for hypersensitivities and allergic reactions to other irritants. Substances off gassing toxic fumes, i.e. Formaldehyde, from materials like carpeting, permanent press sheets and the harshness of chemical household cleaners contribute more to indoor air pollution than anything biological. Sorry, Morgaine, but the reason allergies aren't prevalent in the Winter is due to the dormancy of plant life.

Air filtering is Allopathic and only addresses the symptom and not the cause of the discomfort.

For me, I'd rather sleep with dust mites than a carcinogenic compound anytime!

CJ H.
  • CJ H. says
  • May 8, 2009 6:45 AM

Unless the air in your home is filtered with HEPA filtration (99.97% effective in trapping particles down to 0.3 microns), you aren't removing the allergens that cause problems for most allergy & asthma sufferers. Using HEPA filters will remove irritants such as dander, pollen, mold; dust, some smoke & smog, & some dust mite allergen.

For people who have dust mite allergies, their symptoms are pretty much year-round, unless they take steps to clean up their indoor environment - using mattress & pillow covers, removing bedroom carpet, washing blankets, bedding & drapes in hot water or with a laundry additive like De-Mite, reducing indoor humidity below 50%, vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum, etc.

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