WHAT ARE DUST MITES?
“They are the most prevalent and harmful mite to humans worldwide. Dust Mites are microscopic organisms invisible to the naked eye and belong to the Arachnida class of animals. Other creatures that belong to this class of animals are spiders, scorpions, and ticks.¹ These creepy animals are invisible. As a result you do not go looking for them! Most of us are “sleeping with the enemy.”
DANGERS
“People who are allergic to dust or dust mites react to the dangerous proteins in dust that comes from their feaces, urine and decaying bodies.”² Alot of people suffer from dust allergies. Along with asthmatics, those that suffer from dust allergies are the most susceptible. Most symptoms from dust allergies are triggered from dust mites, as opposed to physical dust. Studies worldwide show dust mites to be one of the biggest triggers for allergic and asthmatic symptoms. Asthmatic and allergic symptoms include:
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Itchy skin
- Watery, itchy eyes
“More serious symptoms, especially for asthmatics include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest tightness or pain
- An audible whistling or wheezing sound when exhaling
- Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
- Asthmatic attacks “³
THE IDEAL HOME
“The ideal environment for these hidden, nasty creatures are warm, dark & humid surroundings. Their favourite food food is dander. Dander is human and animal skin flakes, or dead skin as more commonly known.”⁴ The more time we spend on our sofa, the warmer it gets and naturally becomes filled with more of our dead skin. Your sofa has now made the perfect home for these hidden mites.
TIPS ON GETTING RID OF DUST MITES:
Controlling and killing them is vital for the health of you and your family. If you have any fabric upholstery it is imperative to take steps to ensure the situation does not get out of control. Prevention is better than the cure, so it is essential to take steps to create conditions inside your home that will kill them and also create conditions to discourage them from coming back. Some simple solutions include:
- Keep the temperature in your home below 22 degrees celsius and humidity levels below 50%. An AC that functions effectively and efficiently will achieve this. Servicing your AC yearly with certified professionals is essential. Visit www.oxypure.com for further information.
- Minimise amount of kids soft fluffy toys in the home. For any fluffy toys in the home, wash them in hot water. ensure the temperature of the water is at least 55 degrees Celsius.
- “Use a vacuum with a top HEPA filtration system. Vacuums with non HEPA filtration do not properly trap dust. As a result, dangerous allergens become airborne in your home. A high grade HEPA filtration system properly traps and removes dust mites and their eggs.” ⁵
EFFECTIVE, LONG LASTING SOLUTION
The most effective, long lasting solution to kill and remove these mites is to hire the services of a professional. When hiring a professional, one should analyse their client reviews to ensure they have a proven track record. Steam is the most popular method of dealing with dust mites. This method however is filled with disadvantages. Firstly, steaming will not penetrate the whole interior of a fabric sofa. Unfortunately, steaming only kills dust mites near the surface of your sofa. Secondly, steam creates alot of moisture inside your sofa. As a result, this drastically increases the humidity inside the upholstery, allowing more ideal conditions for them.
bufferboys….the dust mites specialists
BUFFERBOYS have the equipment and expertise to kill and remove dust mites in a safe and effective manner. Using the state of the art, world leading deep cleaning system KIRBY is the main tool BUFFERBOYS use to deal with those nasty mites. We work with a leading laboratory in Malta called Analytical Diagnostic Laboratory Services ( ADLS ). This laboratory, in collaboration with BUFFERBOYS carries out scientific testing to ensure levels of mites are low enough to not cause any health hazards. Many of our clients have experienced improvements in their asthmatic and allergic symptoms after sterilizing their mattresses and fabric upholstery.
REFERENCES
1 – https://study.com/academy/lesson/dust-mites-size-life-cycle-facts.html
2 – https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants/dust-mites
3 – https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dust-mites/symptoms-causes/syc-20352173
4 – https://www.ehso.com/dustmites.php
5 – https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(04)04210-1/fulltext
