Carpet Cleaning in Kent - Dustmites and Diseases

[www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk Dust Mites and Diseases ]

[www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk Dust Mites] are a big worry for allergy sufferers so today we have have invited Nell Nockles from Housedustmite.com to fill us in with some fascinating facts on Dust mites. For more information on dust mites and allergies visit www.housedustmite.com.

Humans have always been exposed to [www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk dust mites], but the level of exposure in ‘western’ living now needs review because mites have become a problem. To tackle house dust mite infestation and related disease, doctors say it is essential to understand mite biology, where they live and why they cause allergy. To help you here are ten facts in each of these three categories ending with advice on how to kill mites.

Biology House dust mites are tiny scavengers that eat organic débris including discarded skin scales covered in bacteria, fungi and yeasts. They live for about three months in colonies that have damp, warm, still environments. Adult mites are small enough to sit on the tip of a pin. House dust mites are up to 75% water in weight, and must maintain this water in order to breed. They grow best at 25°C (77°F) in 65-75% relative humidity (RH). Below 50% RH a mite will not function. Six stages of a mite’s life are; egg, pre-larva, larva, two 8-legged nymph stages and finally an adult. A healthy female can produce up to 60 eggs in her lifetime. [www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk Dust mites] are blind, take in water and oxygen through their shell-like covering, and can produce up to 20 droppings a day. Like rabbits,Dust mites consider their droppings as a source of food. They have no ‘stomach’ but a chambered gut that contains powerful digestive enzymes designed to break down scraps of food. Both leftover food and enzymes can be found in mite droppings.House dust mites eat a special fungus that survives its toxic gut and then grows again out of the Dust mite’s dropping. Doctors think the fungus survives because it may be helpful to the Dust mite’s survival. Adult [www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk Dust mites] travel about using suckers and hooks on each leg and navigate using their exquisite sense of smell, and by paying attention to signalling vibrations from other mites. Scientists think mites eat rotting skin scales because the contents in the skin help make a ‘perfume’ to attract a mate, a necessary aid for a blind animal. Researchers took 4 mites and let them breed in the best conditions for four months, when they finally looked they had over 1200 mites.

Where they live House dust mites evolved about 23 million years ago as nest dwellers, living in colonies scavenging on organic matter. Rats and birds nests were common homes for an ancient mite colony. Modern man has become an indoor species and in so doing has invited mites to come and live in his warm, humid, cluttered ‘nest’ or home. At best, mites can travel 2 centimetres a minute, but if attached to cloth they can travel the globe. One hundred years ago man’s battle was with storage mites that spoiled grain stores, now it’s the turn of the house dust mite that can threaten human health on a global scale. Both storage mites and house dust mites can cause allergy. Both mite species (storage and house) can live indoors in barns, homes and sheds living in items such as grains, hay, clothing, carpets or mattresses. In an old mattress a researcher found both dead and alive mites, mould, fungi, pollens, bacteria, and discarded rotting skin scales – all mite food! By covering a mattress with micro-porous material, mites are too big to enter the mattress, but if left alone they can colonise on the top of the covers in old dust. Micro-porous covers should be damp dusted frequently to prevent mite colonization. A clinical study took a colony of house dust mites, coloured them red and let them go in a home. Later one was found in the family car – most travelling mites don’t survive to establish a colony. When on the look out for dust mite nest sites, don’t forget the blanket in a pet’s basket. Dogs and cats can also suffer allergy to mites. Control mites by reducing indoor humidity to less than 51% relative humidity (RH). Below 51% RH is considered hostile to mites but comfortable for man. Below 40% RH can be ‘too dry’ for human comfort. Watch for nest sites that have their own microclimates, such as beds.

Allergenicity Allergens from [www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk dust mites] can come from their body parts, saliva, or their droppings. Mite-related diseases include allergic asthma, rhinitis (hayfever), conjunctivitis, sinusitis, atopic dermatitis (eczema), or any combination of these.Check with your doctor for further details. Three different species of house dust mites and three species of storage mites cause most of the allergy problems worldwide. Storage mites and house dust mites are different animals with similar but different allergens. If you’re allergic to mites, make sure you know which one to avoid. Dust mite droppings are wrapped in a film that dissolves on contact with moisture. Once dissolved, they release their contents of active enzymes, scraps of food, and fungi. Of the 22 known allergens from dust mites, seven are active digestive enzymes and several are classified as unknown. One of the major allergens (Der p1) is an enzyme similar to a product used in the food industry to tenderize meat. It is this enzyme that enters the body by melting the ‘glue’ that binds delicate cells together. For most people a ‘repair’ is quick, but for those allergic to mites a reaction can occur.

[www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk Dust mites]

There are five simple ways to kill dust mites

1) hot washing laundry and [www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk carpet & upholstery cleaning ][ www.chemdryrapidresponse.co.uk]2) freezing, 3) exclusion 4) poisoning, 5) dry them out by reducing humidity or putting clothes or soft toys in a tumble drier for 10-15 minutes. Drying is best because house dust mites are up to 75% water in weight and need to keep this level in order to breed. A dead mite will leave behind allergens that should be destroyed or avoided to protect the vulnerable. To stop dust mite larvae and mite droppings (allergens) from passing through fabric, cloth pore size should be woven to less than 10 microns.

Neil Nockles

visit www.housedustmite.com to learn more about dust mite. To order chemdry products to help with dustmite (click here)