Taken from my safegreenclean blog. Originally published October 6, 2009.*** I hardly watch any television, but I have started recording Dr. Oz to hit the highlights I’m interested in. Well, let me tell you that I got more than I bargained for the other day!
Seems they had a lady surrender some items from her homes for testing, “just to see what we find”. So guess what they found? Dust mites. Who knew such innocent sounding creatures could be so ugly? Seems the lil’ fellas eat flakes of skin (not attached to us) & other matter, then leave their feces behind. It’s really gross to think about, yes?
Here’s another gross fact: most ordinary house dust is comprised not of dirt, but human skin flakes. Yep! So if you’re allergic to dust, it’s probably because of the stuff these little guys are leaving behind.
Recommendations from the show included mattress & pillow covers, tossing pillows in the dryer for 50 minutes & washing bedding in 130 degree water & drying well.
I am choosing not to purchase covers for my pillows & mattress; I can’t stand the crinkle of even the more expensive ones I’ve tried before. I will not be turning up my water heater to 130 degrees either. I will, however, run my bedding in the dryer a little longer. In addition, my homemade disinfectant solution of 1 cup water +1 cup rubbing alcohol + 1 tablespoon vinegar will be sprayed on the mattress & rugs on bedding wash day.
Other things you can do to reduce the dust mite population in your home:
- Minimize moisture with a dehumidifier.
- Vacuum* & wash curtains regularly.
- Let the sun shine in! Expose as many items as possible to sunlight.
- Freeze stuffed animals & small pillows before washing. Freezing temperatures will kill the bugs, but leaves their carcasses behind.
- Use an air purifier.*
*Be sure your vacuum & air purifier have a HEPA filter.
In the beginning, I had many blogs for the sake of keeping business activity, green observations, & personal things separate. Now I am just combining everything back to this blog. I’ll be copying older entries, such as this one, to complement current posts.