Dustmite

Do you know what lives in your mattress? It’s like a jungle in there.

Imagine. Under the cover of darkness from bedding and night, warm, humid conditions from the warmth of your body and breath, copious supply of perspiration, gigantic plants and moulds thrive. A perfect breeding ground for bacteria in your mattress!

Another inhabitant in your bed is the dustmite. Almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but certainly there. In fact, 2,000 to 15,000 of them per gram of dust.

The dust mite eats the mould in your mattress. This in turn helps them easily digest dead skin cells from you and those of your pets, known as dander. In fact, it is your skin cells which interests them the most.

Every night you can shed up to 1 gram of skin, a real treat for the house dust mites, but not for you. Remember the old adage “what goes in, must come out”? The dustmite defecates the remains of their food, up to 50 waste particles a day, the most common trigger of asthma and dust mite allergy symptoms, and for some people, dust mites eczema.

For most people, dust mites are not harmful. Since 1921, research found house dust to give positive reactions to sensitive people. By 1967, it was found many people were allergic to the protein in house dust mites and faeces which can trigger dust mite allergy symptoms such as rhinitis allergic or bronchial asthma attacks.

Deratophogoides Pteronyssinus translated from Latin “skin eating spider” or more commonly known as the house dust mite. Related to spiders, ticks and lice, the eight legged member belongs to the arachnid family. They thrive in warm, humid conditions, similarly found along the eastern seaboard of Australia and New Zealand, and less commonly found in dry or high altitude regions. 

Dust mites do not drink free water, but absorb it from the environment. They are hardy, surviving and multiplying best when relative humidity is 65 – 75% and the temperature is around 20 – 21C. Dustmite numbers increase during spring and reach a peak mid summer. They do not survive well at low relative humidities, especially at higher temperatures. Their numbers reduce during cooler months when the air becomes much drier, due to internal heating.

Dust mite thrive best in mattresses, doonas, pillows, and underlays, and to a lesser degree in blankets and quilts. Half that number of dust mites again live in carpets and rugs, and the other half live in upholstered furniture, lounges, curtains, clothes and soft toys. They can also be found in your vacuum cleaner and car.

By booking in matress cleaning with specialised mattress cleaning equipment and carpet cleaning during September and October, allergens can be effectively reduced and removed before accumulation becomes an exposure risk. Environmentally safe cleaning products, allergy free bedding or air purifiers can provide further welcome relief.

Adult female house dust mites lay cream coloured eggs coated with sticky fluid that helps them adhere, similar to lice that sometimes infest school children hair. Life cycle is 30 days from egg to adult.

The dustmite proteins are so light that they float into the air when disturbed. Even with the slightest movements, like simply turning in bed or making up the bed in the morning, are enough to cause large amounts of dust mite proteins to swirl into the air around you.

Fortunately for all, especially for those of you with house dust mite allergy, in every jungle, however microscopic, there are predators like silverfish, dust lice, pseudoscorpions and Chelyteus Aversor that prey on dustmite, the dust mite killer. Yet completely killing dust mites is out of the question.

Dust mite removal, or try to get rid of dust mites is near impossible. Dust mite prevention includes getting rid of dust mites with dust mite mattress cover or if need be, consider dehumidifier hire or one of our air purifiers Australia wide (air purifyer internationally), providing welcome relief for asthma and allergy sufferers.

View dust mites pictures straight from the jungle – your bed. For those of you who are allergic to dust mites, there are no sure ways of how to kill dust mites or dust mite removal, but dust mite proof bedding such as dust mite pillow covers can assist in reducing the allergens to the bedding covered and provide welcome relief from breathing in dustmite and its allergens.

Unsure whether your allergy symtoms are due to dust mites or mould or pollen allergy symptoms, consider seeing a practitioner who may perform an allergy test using a specialised allergy test kit, blood test for allergies, rast allergy test or vega allergy testing. To find a practitioner close to you, visit allergy testing Sydney and Australia wide or home allergy test kits are also available.

Click link how to clean a mattress and view further information about matress protectors.
Further asthma remedies, allergy relief dust mites bedding, air purifers and dehumidifier info, or more info on carpet mites, can be found here, at Mitey Fresh.

Buying Guide to Dust Mites Covers takes guess work out of dustmite bedding.

Click here to see our range of dust mite covers.