Worried About Having a Bad Duct Cleaning Experience?Home Dust Mites 101: Allergy Prevention
Dust Mites and Allergies in the Louisville-Jefferson County Areas of KY
Everyone should know about tiny dust mites that live in your air ducts, carpets, and many other places, and can cause allergy symptoms. Common household dust is the home to microscopic dust mites. Most household dust is made up of skin, hair, food, and fecal matter, which is perfect for the dust mites. The official species name of home dust mites (HDM) is dermatophagoides farinae. They are know to be one of the most common causes of asthma, not just in America, but worldwide. Dust mite larva have 6 legs and adults have 8 legs. Each male dust mite lives for only about 19-30 days. Since the females are responsible for laying eggs, they live longer than the males, up to 60 days.
Dust mite infestation does not show from bites, because they do not bite. Generally dust mites live on the dust formed on shed human skin cells. Usually dust mites have plenty to eat since people shed around 0.3 to 0.45 Kg (0.5 to 1 lbs) of skin each year. Dust mites are commonly found living in people's beds because they like the moisture (perspiration and saliva) from people sleeping there. The big problem with dust mites is that they are a huge source of allergens and can cause rhinitis, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and asthma. Doctors have directly connected the enzyme DerP1, which is found in dust mite poop, to many skin and respiratory allergies.
Household air duct systems do not usually contain many mites because there is not enough moisture for them. Often air ducts are the biggest source of skin, hair, and fecal matter particles in your air. Dirt built up in these systems is then circulated around the house by the fans. This provides a constant source of food for the dust mites.
Use these tips to prevent dust mites from getting out of hand in your house:
- Replace your standard vacuum with a HEPA filtered one.
- Routinely dust your house.
- Professional cleaning for your air ducts, upholstery, drapes, and carpets is a must.
- You can have your carpets replaced with vinyl or hardwood.
- There are sheets and pillow cases that you can buy that are anti-allergen.
- Children's stuffed animals can be frozen to kill mites living in them.
- A good overall measure is to keep the humidity below 70% in your house.
Now you should be able to live a much more allergy free live, with nearly so many dust mites in your home.
Well, that concludes our dust mites article. Hopefully you have a better understanding of what the procedure involves and what you might search for in an air duct cleaning company. Since most ductwork cleaning companies also clean dryer vents, you might want to read our dryer vent cleaning tips article as well. Having your dryer vent cleaned while the technicians are already at your home cleaning your air ducts, will save you money.
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