snuhbidubly asked:
I see number kinds being sold,7 microns,5 microns,3 microns.
I see number kinds being sold,7 microns,5 microns,3 microns.
I onlyneed itfordust mite protection sinceI don’t havepets ormold.
Doesanyone know thesize oftheactual dust mites (andit’s feces) andwhichmicron size willbesufficient tolock themin?
GetYourBreath Back
I’m anallergy suffer tooandI’ve hadtobuythree sets ofbed andpillow covers (formyhome,dorm,andcabin). Never haveI seen thenumbers thatyou’re talking about. I boughtallofmysets ofcovers fromBed Bath andBeyond. Check out theirsite andI’m sure you’ll find whatyouneed.
Adult dust mites areabout300 to400 microns insize;thefemales arelargerthanthemales. Theirlife cycle is100 days orsoandtheygothrough 6 stages oflife. Females maydeposit anywhere from50 to80 eggs (+/-) andthesize oftheeggs areabout10 to15 microns insize. Theirmain nourishment isthe50 million skin cells (flakes) thatwehumans shed each day.
Dust mites defecate 20 to30 times per day,therefore anaverage colony of2 million dust mites ina queen-sized mattress,willyield 40 to60 million fecal pellets per day,day afterday! Apply themath andanaverage-sized colony,over thecourse ofa generation or100 days,willdeposit 4 to6 trillion fecal pellets inyourmattress andpillows. Yourunhygienic mattress,whereyouspend 1/3 ofyourlife,isthenastiest,grungiest,item inyouhouse andcontains hugeamounts ofdead skin,dust mites,dust mite allergens,molds,mildew,pollens (transported inside fromoutdoors),spores,pet dander,bacteria andviruses.
A very potent andextremely harmful allergen called “guanine”isfound within thefecal pellets andthedead exoskeletons (pieces ofdead dust mites). Thefecal pellets areabout20 microns insize andthepieces ofexoskeletons maybeeven smaller whichallows forboth tobecome easily airborne (yes,even rightnow theyarefloating around yourhome) andeasily inhaled. Guanine,wheninhaled,attaches totheliving cells along thelining ofyourlungs,suffocating andkillinghealthy lung cells. Everyone isaffected bythis,somemore thanothers,butespecially small children less than5 years ofage,theelderly,andpersons withlow immune (even ifjusttemporary) systems.
TheU.S. public hasbeenvery slowto“catch on”totheadverse effects ofdust mites,the#1 indoor allergen. InEurope,Australia,andareas ofSE Asia,professional mattress cleaners areinhigh demand. Over thepast 12 to15 years,4500 mattress cleaning businesses havesprouted up inEurope andcoincidentally theamount ofmoney Europeans havespent onallergy medications hasdecreased.
Mattress covers,pharmcotherapy (meds),andimmunotherapy (skin prick tests,more testing andmore meds) havebeentheusual means ofaddressing thesymptomatic problems andeach ofthesegenerate hugesums ofincome. Thisisakin toplacing a “band-aid”over a festering wound andthenselling youmore “band-aids”. Perhaps thehugemulti-billion dollar revenues generated bytheaforementioned industries,isthereason whyAmerican’s havenotbeenproperly informed (educated). Butnow,andunfortunately due totheyear afteryear,annual increases inasthma,asthma deaths (especially amongchildren),allergenic rhinitis,andotherrespiratory illnesses,theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hasinitiated a public awareness campaign through public service announcements (PSA’s) andtheirnewwebsite >.
Haveyounoticed howmany corporations aretouting theirproducts foraddressing theproblem caused bydust mites? However,thesolutions theyoffer aresimply more “band-aids”totheproblem anddonotconfront theproblem head-on,themicro-habitats found inmattresses,pillows,andthe“soft”furnishings inthehome.
EDUCATION andAVOIDANCE isthevery best way toaddress thedust mite problem. Dust mites arefound in95% ofallhomes intheU.S. andofthose homes,50% (46 million homes) areconsidered tobeINFESTED withdust mites.
TheAmerican College ofAllergy,Asthma,andImmunology (ACAAI) hassuggested that50% ofALLILLNESSES arecaused by,orarefurther aggravated by,poor indoor air quality. Andremember,dust mites arethecause ofthe#1 indoor pollutant.
Dust mites live,thrive,andbreed,inthemicro-habitat (visualize a littleeco-system) thatwecreatewhilesleeping inourbeds. Theyalsothrive wherever wespend ourleisure time,such aslying onourupholstered sofas orsitting onourupholstered chairs watching television,doing homework,orentertaining. Everydaily activity,walking acrossa room,sitting onthesofa,opening a door andcombined withournightly activities such as“fluffing”a pillow,turning over inbed whilesleeping (nightly average is50 to60 times),even makingthebed inthemorning,willcause dust mite allergens (DMA’s) tobecome airborne. Once airborne,theDMA’s willcirculate forup to2 hours ata time before settling throughout theentire home INCLUDING ontop ofyourexpensive dust mite protected mattress cover andbedding.
More thanlikely,youdonothavea professional mattress cleaning service inyourlocation. Many carpet cleaners willclaim tooffer theservice (justastheysteam cleana carpet) buttheywillnotusetheproper “dry-method”ofcleaning a mattress. NEVER allow anyone to“wet”(steam) yourmattress. Becausethereareonlya handful ofprofessional mattress cleaning technicians acrosstheU.S.,thereisfree information available toyouexplaining whatYOUcandotolessen yourexposure todust mites andDMA’s.
Ifyou’re arefortunate anddohavea professional mattress cleaning technician inyourarea,a TOTAL service fee of$140 to$180 wouldbethenorm tocleanallthemattresses ina 3 or4 bedroom home. Ifone mattress proves tobeinneed ofcleaning (askfora free ACAREX test) anddue tothefrequency ofairborne particulates,allofyourmattresses willneed cleaning.
Generally,everyone interested inhaving mattresses cleaned shouldaskfora maintenance agreement andregularly scheduled service at6 month intervals,or4 months ifanyone inthehome suffers fromallergies,orevery3 months ifanyone inthehome suffers fromasthma. Thenumber ofhousehold pets shouldalsobeconsidered whenasking fora maintenance agreement.
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So,foryourfinal answerastowhatshouldbethepore size ofbed linens youpurchase…I wouldsaynoless than400 TC sheets,BUTitdoesn’t really matter sincetheDMA’s circulating throughout youhome willsimply re-settle atop yourbed linens. Placing a dust mite-proof mattress pad over yourmattress willnotkillthedust mites within yourmattress. Theywillcontinue tolive,thrive,andbreed. Theywillcontinue toeat theaccumulated shed human skin flakes,dead siblings,theirownfeces,aswell asthemicro-organisms thatcontinue tothrive such asmolds,mildew,bacterium,andviruses.
Alsoconsider,guanine isnotwater soluble…meaning water willnotwash itfromyourbed linens andthefactory settings onhot water heaters areset toconserve energy,NOTtokilldust mites. Thewater temp mustbeatleast130 degrees F. (54.4 Celsius),140 degrees F. (60.0 Celsius) isbetter.