Dust Mites

"Don't let the bed-bugs bite," I remember my mother telling me as a little tike when she would tuck me in at night. I have to laugh, now, because if the moms around the world knew how many bed-bugs actually do bite during the night, moms and kids may never sleep again!

But let's be realistic, now. The bed-bugs I'm talking about are dust mites. These microscopic critters feed off the dead skin cells we humans and our pets shed every day. They are totally harmless in the sense that they do not carry disease, but their feces can cause varying degrees of allergic reactions, including inciting asthma attacks.

Since we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, it isn't any wonder that the majority of dust mites and their droppings are in our beds. A typical mattress can contain tens of thousands of dust mites. And it isn't just mattresses that dust might live. They can be found anywhere we shed our dead skin cells; from the couch we relax on to the very carpet in which we walk. Now add that a typical dust mite can produce 20 droppings per day and you've got a huge microscopic allergen, and it's exacerbated by the fact that these allergens usually become airborne! In fact, it is the combination of proteins in the dust mite feces and their shed skin casts that cause allergic reactions in humans. And estimates are that dust mites may be a factor in 50 to 80 percent of asthmatics, as well as in countless cases of eczema, hay fever and other allergic ailments.

Now, dust mites by themselves are not dangerous to humans or pets at all — I just want to emphasize that so there's no cause for alarm. However, their accumulated droppings and shed skin casts can cause a lot of allergic discomfort and reactions, so it is very important to regularly wash your sheets and pillow cases, vacuum the house and wipe down the furniture. In addition, I recommend purchasing a air purifier to help clean your favorite room's air of the floating dust mite particles. Air purifiers catch particles that are 0.3 microns in size and larger, thus cleaning your indoor air of more than 90% of airborne particles. That should make living with the bed-bugs a little easier.