allergies
Due to the
change in our life-style in the
These
eight-legged cousins of the spider and tick are not visible to the naked
human eye, but just one gram (approximately half a teaspoon) of house dust
can contain up to a thousand dust mites and several thousand dust mite
droppings.
It is the
digestive enzymes contained within the mite droppings that triggers most
respiratory allergies such as Asthma, and is the single biggest cause of
eczema and all year round rhinitis, the sneezing and runny nose associated
with allergies.
Effective Allergy Control Combined With All The Benefits Of Stain Protection
Protectors,
such as PROmite, when expertly applied provide an invisible protective seal
that will help protect your carpets from dust mites. It
combines the benefits of stain protection and dust
mite control in one spray application.
It is applied in a fine spray which
will cover each and every fibre of your carpet & furnishings with an
'invisible shield' that will kill house dust mites.
It is totally
non toxic and safe for your young children and your pets to play on and
is proven to safely remove and repel dust mites from carpets and fabrics for
10 - 14 months. It doesn't just inhibit mite excrement; ProMite gets to the
source of the problem by removing the mites themselves.
Independent testing shows a dramatic reduction of asthma and other allergies which is great news for asthma and allergy sufferers or in fact anyone who's worried about the possible medical effects of the common house dust mite.
Dust Mite Facts
Astonishingly 90% of all house dust is made up of our skin as we shed a
layer of skin on average every three days. It’s the protein in these tiny
particles of dead skin that we are constantly shedding which the dust mites
feed on. As they only measure 0.3mm they settle anywhere in our warm
humid climates especially in our carpets, upholstered furniture &
mattresses. In fact, an average house can contain over 2 million dust mites
with a new generation arriving every 3 weeks.
Each mite
lives for 3 to 4 months, each female lays 20 to 50 eggs every three weeks.
Each mite produces around 20 droppings per day, (that’s nearly 200 times
their own bodyweight). There are so many droppings in our homes that any
soft furnishing over two years old, that has not been professionally
cleaned, can weigh 10% heavier than when new. It is the digestive enzymes contained
within the mite excrement that triggers most respiratory allergies such as
Asthma, and is the single biggest cause of eczema and all year round
rhinitis, the sneezing and runny nose associated with allergies.
Once
airborne, Mite faecal pellets remain aloft for an extended period of time
(10 minutes or more) and are easily inhaled. With 28% of the population
suffering from respiratory allergies, Dust Mites are one of the main reasons
that indoor air is more allergenic than outdoor air. However there is proof
that childhood Asthma is on the increase in the
Matresses - A Dust Mite Breeding Ground
No matter how clean the home, all mattresses are prone to the same problem. When we sleep, we produce up to half a litre of sweat every night & shed about a gram of skin each day and although we wear night clothes, which we wash regularly, together with our bed linen, this is no protection against what happens to the mattress.
Very quickly the mattress will become host to a multitude of horrors, from bacteria to fungal spores and microscopic house dust mites which feed off dead flakes of skin. Is it any wonder that without cleaning a mattress, it could be the dirtiest item in your home?
It is estimated that there are up to 2 million house dust mites living in a mattress and in an average pillow, 10% of its weight is made up of dead skin and dust mites. House dust mites find a mattress the perfect breeding ground.
With warmth and moisture and no natural enemies, they will establish in a mattress within several months and it is their droppings which cause most problems. These have been medically proven to trigger a whole host of allergic reactions, from Asthma, Eczema and Bronchitis, to Itchy Eyes and Sneezing.
Even if you vacuum the mattress yourself or use a protective mattress cover there is no guarantee that what you are doing is effective enough. Our specialised mattress cleaning service can benefit any mattress 6 months or older.
Should I Rip Up All My Carpets ?
Ripping up
the carpet is not the answer. Research has shown that if you replace your
carpets with hard floors, allergens are able to become air borne more easily
and remain in the air for longer. Carpets act as a filter, trapping the dust
and allergens, allowing you to remove them in a controlled way by vacuuming
and through the periodical cleaning of the carpet and clean carpet means you
have to clean the filter.
1. Put mite-proof covers on all mattresses.
2. Regular high filtration vacuum
cleaning, (at least weekly). Remember
most vacuum filters only remove 50 to 70% of material. HEPA filters will
remove up to 99.7% of the material; not just dust mite faeces, but also all
types of other allergens, like animal dander, dust and pollen.
3.
Cleaning of carpets, upholstery & mattresses every 6 to 12 months (depending
on the severity of the allergy and no. of people and pets in the house)
4. The application of specialist
preventative treatments on carpets and soft furnishings.
5. Washing all bed linen and soft toys in
hot water weekly.
Dust mites love warm, humid conditions, above 70 F (21 C) and 50%
humidity,
6.
so
keep the
thermostat in the house below 70 degrees and
7.
install a
dehumidifier in the bedroom.