Worried About Having a Bad Duct Cleaning Experience?All About House Dust Mites and the Allergy Problems they Pose
Dust Mites and Allergies in the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor Areas of OH
Dust mites often live in air ducts, linens, carpeting, and beds, and cause allergy problems. Dust mites are so tiny that you cannot see them with the naked eye, and they live in household dust. The dust in your home is made up of tiny particles of hair, food, and skin that the dust mites live in and feed on. North American dust mites scientific name is dermatophagoides farinae, which is often abbreviated HDM by allergists. Asthma, a serious respiratory problem, is often caused and made worse by dust mites. The 6 legged dust mite larva turn into 8 legged adult dust mites. An average male dust mite lives only a short 19-30 days. The females, who live twice as long as males, are the ones who lay the eggs.
You do not have to worry about being bitten by dust mites. The dust mite most often lives on shreds of 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 like to live in beds and sheets because there is a lot of moisture from people's sweat, perspiration and what not. The reason dust mites are bad is that they are a big source of allergens and can cause asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and dermatitis. If you have allergies, it could be because of the enzyme DerP1, which is found in dust mite feces.
The dust mites usually live in the most humid parts of your house, which is not generally the air duct system. Air ducts do however greatly contribute to the dust, and other particles in your air. However, these systems deposit the dust particles all over your house when they circulate air. By just re-circulating air, these vent systems deposit new food for the mites and fling their allergy causing fecal matter into the air where you breath it.
These tips will help you manage dust mites in your home:
- Daily use of a HEPA filtered vacuum will help greatly.
- Make sure you dust and wipe down surfaces after use and on a regular basis.
- Do not forget to get your carpets, drapes, upholstery, and air ducts professionally cleaned.
- Not only would replacing your carpets with vinyl flooring help reduce dust mites, it also makes cleaning easier.
- Beds and pillows can all be covered in allergen proof fabrics.
- Overnight freezing is a great way to kill dust mites without the use of sanitizers.
- A good overall measure is to keep the humidity below 70% in your house.
It might be impossible to keep dust mites completely out of your home, but following the suggestions in this article will go a long way.
Well, that wraps-up our dust mites article. Hopefully you have a better understanding of what the procedure involves and what you might look to in an ductwork 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.
Local Articles Related to Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor Dust Mites and Allergies
Local Ohio Air Duct Cleaning Companies and Government Links
