Dust Mites, Dust Mites Everywhere!

What are dust mites?

Dust mites are eight-legged microscopic spiders.  To give you an idea of just how tiny they are, 100,000 dust mites can be in a single gram of dust and 7,000 can fit on the surface of a dime.  Due to their very small size, these dust mites are not visible to the naked eye.  People are not allergic to the dust mite itself, but to a protein found in the dust mite's feces.  They live in bedding, couches, carpet, stuffed toys and old clothing.  Dust mites feed on the dead skin that flakes off people and animals, then they leave their droppings.  Pretty gross, huh? 

Dust mites love warm, humid areas filled with dust.  Bed pillows, mattresses, carpets and furniture are great places for them to live.

How do dust mites affect people?

For most people, while they are certainly disgusting, dust mites are not actually harmful.  However, the medical significance of dust mites arises because of their microscopic cast skins and feces that are a major constituent of dust in the home that induces allergic reactions in some individuals.

For those individuals, inhaling the house dust allergen triggers rhinitis allergica or bronchial asthma.  Symptoms are usually respiratory in nature (sneezing, itching, watery eyes, wheezing, etc.) but there are also reports of a red rash around the neck.  Other allergic reactions may include headaches, fatigue and depression.

House dust contaminated with the fecal pellets and cast skins of dust mites is one of the most strongly allergenic materials found indoors.  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.

Relief at last!

Our anti-allergen, hypo-allergenic cleaning process for carpets, upholstery and mattresses can give much relief to asthma and allergy sufferers.  Our specialized products deactivate the allergen in dust mite feces that triggers the body’s allergic response.