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Dust Mites in Your Bed
By Merian Redman
Sometimes when I get into bed I have the crawlies. It feels like bugs on me, but when I turn on the lights there is nothing I can see. Maybe the crawly feeling is from...DUST MITES...are they hopping on me feeding off of dead skin? They love hanging out in lounging areas, mattresses, frequently used furniture and carpeted areas. It is a fact the average human sloughs off 1/3 ounce (10 grams) of dead skin a week. What a buffet for the wicked dust mite! Keep in mind they only eat DEAD skin. Did you know a typical mattress can contain tens of thousands of dust mites. It is a fact we spend 1/3 of our life in bed. And ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings. Gross! How do you control these dead skin eating beasts, I ask you? Well, you can wash your pillow every week or put a dust mite-proof cover and wash once per year. The water should be at least 130°F (54°C). Or just pop it into the freezer for 24 to 48 hours to kill dust mites. This method is great for those who live in the northern regions. After this you can bet every weekend during the winter I will be putting out the pillows and comforter for a 24 hour dust mite freezing! You can wrap your mattress top and sides with a plastic cover and vacuum your mattress pillows and the base of the bed. Wash your sheets and blankets in very hot water least every two weeks. Synthetic fillings, such as memory foam are not conducive for dust mites life, therefore, by replacing your feather and down pillows it will reduce dust mite dining. Dust mites love warm, humid conditions, above 70 F (21 C) and 50% humidity so keep temperatures below 70 and humidity below 50 percent. Now here is an argument for not making the bed: sheets exposed to the air allows the sheets to dry out and substantially reduces the numbers of dust mites.
Now think about this...there is a purpose for everything. Is this Mother Nature's way of vacuuming? Look at these things, at least they could look a little more friendly. I realize they are cleaning up our dead skin so we don't have to sleep in it. In this case I am not leaving it all the mess to Mother Nature..I have my plan of action..watch out you dust mites, I am coming through! |
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As you say, there is a purpose for everything.
It is a sad fact that as levels of hygiene have improved and the 'terror' hygiene police have been throwing out their weapons of mass disruption, people have become less resilient.
Destroying things like dust mites (dead skin cells rotting cause a smell you don't want to know about but make some animals salivate with expectation) and the microbial forms of life that live upon and within us reduces our exposure amd destroys natural immunity.
People today would be absolutely horrified to see what they were living among and ingesting as little as thirty years ago - but they were tougher, then. Too much hygiene can make you ill.
I think the old coot is right, by living in a more sterile world we do reduce our exposure to germs and stand the chance of becomng less resilient. How many times as a baby did we drop our dummies (pacifiers) on the ground and put them straight back in our mouths? Or how many times did we pick things up and do the same? We didn't suddenly die a horrible death did we! Obviously there are limits as to how dirty you want to get, and by having a dirty house and dirty bed, you can get increased allergies, as well as attract all sorts of bugs and nasties. As for dust mites, I can't stand the sight of creepy crawlies, am petrified of spiders, so I have to try and get the thought out of my mind that when I lay in my nice clean bed that it's full of my worst nightmares. I am just pleased that dust mites are too small for the human eye to see, otherwise I don't think I would sleep for a minute.
Great intel Merian.
This is one of those intels that is more then we need to know, but are greatful that you shared it with us.
Thank you.
Frederick
Dust mites are certainly gross, but certainly needed! I love to tell my students all about them and creep them out. I certainly agree with theoldcoot here too.
I never did try to live in a sterile environment. I figured I'd be better off exposed to germs and building an immunity and so far, I've been healthy. I keep my windows open whenever possible. I think a closed-up house or office causes more germs to grow because there's no natural air circulation. I do occasionally put my pillows in the dryer, since the heat is supposed to kill dust mites. But on a sunny day, I often put pillows out on the porch and hang blankets on a clothes line or over some bushes. I love bringing them back in all warm and with a fresh smell.
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This intel was contributed by perio
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May, 2012
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