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Dust Mites In The Home
What are dust mites? Why are
they important?
Dust mites are tiny bugs that
live in your house. They measure about 1/100th of an inch in
length, smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.
They are a major cause of allergies and asthma. When some children
are exposed to dust mites, they get asthma. If children already
have asthma, dust mites make them wheeze more and use more asthma
medicine. So, cutting down the number of dust mites in the home
is an important step if your child has allergies or asthma.
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Dust mites love warm, humid areas
filled with dust. Bed pillows, mattresses, carpets and furniture
are great places for them to live.
Cleaning each one of these places
can make a real difference in the number of dust mites in your
house.
What do I do first?
Start in the bedroom. Most of
the dust mites in your house live in your mattress. Put an airtight
plastic or polyurethane cover over your mattress. Wash your sheets
and blankets in very hot water every week. Wash your pillow every
week or put a plastic cover on it. (The pillowcase goes over
the plastic cover.)
Your bedroom should have hardwood,
tile or linoleum floor. These surfaces are easier to keep clean
than carpet. If you have to have carpet, try not to place the
carpet on concrete. The warm space between a rug and concrete
is a good place for mites to live. |
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I don't want to rip out my carpet.
Is there anything I can do to treat it?
You can spray the rug with a
solution of 3% tannic acid every 2 months to kill the dust mites.
Ask your doctor if this solution will be helpful for your child.
Your doctor can make recommendations
about the use of this solution. He or she can let you know how
to apply the solution and how to obtain it. However, a better
approach may be to completely remove your carpet.
What else can I do?
Vacuuming your carpets and upholstery
every week can help. Vacuums with high-efficiency filters pick
up more dust mites, but even standard vacuums work well enough.
Use of special furniture that has a polyurethane cover over the
matting is another good step. Plastic or wooden furniture that
doesn't have much padding can also help keep down the number
of dust mites in your home. Because dust mites love warm, humid
places, running your air conditioner and keeping the humidity
low makes a difference. Don't bother with special air filters--they
won't help children with asthma or allergies. |
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For more information about windows
and doors, visit one of the following Web sites or call the American
Architectural Manufacturers Association at (847) 303-5664, www.aamanet.org;
the Window and Door Manufacturers Association at www.wdma.com;
or Pella Corporation at www.pella.com, (888) 84-PELLA. |
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Article Posted: 2003 |
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