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 Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater Areas of FL
Dust mites can living an a variety of places including air ducts, linens, and carpeting, and can cause allergic reactions. To the tiny dust mite, your household dust is home. Skin, hair, food particles, and fecal matter, all are in the dust around your home, which the dust mites feed on. Home dust mites, or HDM as allergists usually call them, are scientifically know as dermatophagoides farinae. Anyone with asthma should be especially aware of dust mites because they are one of the commonest causes. An interesting other fact about dust mites is that as larva they have 6 legs and when they are adults they have 8. A male dust mite generally lives for 19-30 days. Females on the other hand can live an extra 30 days to lay eggs.
One thing that you do not have to worry about dust mites is that they will not bite or sting you. Often the dust of skin cells that humans shed are what dust mites feed on. The average person loses up to over a pound of skin in a year, which provides plenty of mite food, especially in a family. Dust mites like to live in beds and sheets because there is a lot of moisture from people's sweat, perspiration and what not. A common source of household allergens, dust mites can cause conjunctivitis, rhinitis, dermatitis, and asthma. Dust mite poop contains an enzyme that causes allergic reactions of the skin,, lungs, and other body functions.
Dust mites prefer humidity, and because of that not many live in your air duct system. Often air ducts are the biggest source of skin, hair, and fecal matter particles in your air. However, these systems deposit the dust particles all over your house when they circulate air. Daily use of your vent system cause fresh food to be flung into the air for the mites.
Here are a number of great ways to reduce and control dust mite growth:
- Daily use of a HEPA filtered vacuum will help greatly.
- Routinely dust your house.
- Do not forget to get your carpets, drapes, upholstery, and air ducts professionally cleaned.
- Replacing carpeting with wood or vinyl flooring is a good idea.
- Beds and pillows can all be covered in allergen proof fabrics.
- Protect your children by putting their stuffed animals in the freezer overnight.
- Dust mites have a hard time living in a house if the humidity stays below 70%.
No one thing is going to completely remove dust mites from your home, but following the above instructions will help considerably.
Well, that wraps-up our dust mites article. Hopefully you have a better understanding of what the operation involves and what you might search for in an ductwork 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 still at your home cleaning your air ducts, will save you money.
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