Worried About Having a Bad Duct Cleaning Experience?Are Household Dust Mites Responsible for Your Allergies?
Dust Mites and Allergies in the Kansas City Areas of MO
Dust mites can live in your air ducts, carpet, or even bed, but what do they do? One of the reasons most people do not know much about dust mites is because they are so small you cannot see them, and they live in dust around your home. Skin, hair, food particles, and fecal matter, all are in the dust around your home, which the dust mites feed on. 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. Adult dust mites have 8 legs whiledust mites in the larval satge have only 6. The mites themselves each have a very short lifespan ranging only about 19-30 days for males. The female egg layers can live up to two months, probably because they lay eggs for the second month.
One thing that you do not have to worry about dust mites is that they will not bite or sting you. Dust mites eat the dust from discarded human skin cells. An average human sheds from 0.3 to 0.45 Kg (0.5 to 1 lbs) of skin each year, which makes for a lot of mite food. Dust mites are commonly found living in people's beds because they like the moisture (perspiration and saliva) from people sleeping there. Dust mite infestation brings with them heavy allergens and can cause asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and dermatitis. The enzyme DerP1 causes many allergies and is present in dust mite feces.
Even though there is plenty of dust, the low humidity in air ducts means that not many dust mites live in them. Air ducts are a huge source of the dust particles that the mites live off of however. The fans in air duct systems are constantly heaving this dust into the air and depositing it around your home. With the HVAC system constantly moving air around your house, the dust mites have an endless source of food.
The following list of steps can decrease dust mites in your home:
- Replace your standard vacuum with a HEPA filtered one.
- All surfaces of your home should be dusted at least weekly.
- Professional cleaning for your air ducts, upholstery, drapes, and carpets is a must.
- Not only would replacing your carpets with vinyl flooring help reduce dust mites, it also makes cleaning easier.
- You can purchase special allergen proof pillows and sheets.
- Freeze your kids plush toys to kill any mites living in them.
- Finally, try to keep the humidity of your house below 70%.
If you can follow the above suggestions then you will be on your way to living much healthier.
Well, that wraps-up our dust mites article. Hopefully you have a better understanding of what the procedure involves and what you might search for in an duct cleaning company. Since most air duct 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 still at your home cleaning your air ducts, will save you money.
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