FitSugar

Do You Make Your Bed Every Day?

CasaSugar — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:00:15 -0800

While I love the look of a tidy, crisply made bed, there's something so romantic about an unmade bed like this one. Even better news? Not making your bed every day can help to reduce dust mites. What's your routine at your house when it comes to making the bed?

Source: Flickr User stacy michelle

How-To: Say Goodbye to Dust Mites

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:00:25 -0700

If you have allergies or asthma, chances are you're also sensitive to dust mites. While you can't see these icky, little bugs (they're microscopic), that doesn't mean they're not lurking in your home. Dust mites love to hang out in warm and cozy spots such as carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture, and beds.

Don't worry though: there are plenty of ways you can combat the presence of dust mites in your home. For one, you can start by not making your bed. Since dust mites need humidity levels above 50 percent in order to survive, an unmade bed is too dry for the critters to survive in.

Want more tips for decimating your home's dust mite population? Then read more.

If you live in a hot and humid climate, invest in a dehumidifier. Since dust mites, as I mentioned earlier, need humidity levels above 50 percent, a dehumidifer can suck moisture out of closets, carpets, and other damp spaces, thus reducing dust mites.
Wash bedding in hot water, and dry on high to kill dust mites. Alternately, hang your bedding to dry in the sun to zap the bugs.
Vacuum regularly, and thoroughly, with a HEPA filter vacuum.
Use a HEPA air purifier to eliminate indoor airborne allergens.
Do you have kids? Replace their nonwashable stuffed animals with hypoallergenic, washable toys.

Also, check out these products to help you out with your dust mite fight!

Source: Flickr User stacy michelle

Casa Quickie: Mattress Flip

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:15:00 -0800

Start a good habit this Winter: flip your mattress. At least twice a year, you should flip your mattress to keep the wear even. This will also help keep your mattress clean. Vacuum the top of the mattress, and if you use a box spring, vacuum that as well. If you have an issue with dust mites, consider adding an allergenic mattress pad to your bedding mix.

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Got Allergies? Don't Make Your Bed

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you suffer from allergies to dust, then I hereby excuse you from your bed-making duties. It turns out that a study from London's Kingston University shows that dust mites need humidity levels above 50 percent in order to survive. This means that a neat bed traps the moisture in that those pesky mites need in order to thrive and multiply. An unmade bed, on the other hand, is too dry for those little suckers. Try to remember this little tip in the upcoming Summer months when the air is especially humid. So leave your covers alone in the morning, and you'll have less dust mites living in your bed. Who knows? Not making your bed in the morning may even save you time for breakfast.

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Pillow Talk

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:15:00 -0700

Is your pillow over 2 years old? If yes, you might be sleeping with a veritable zoo of mold, bacteria and dust mites. Not exactly the kind of pillow talk you want to engage in, is it?

That fluffy bit of comfort on which you rest your head every night can be a hotbed for germs, and might contain even more germs than your bathroom. Yick! Pillows absorb germs from our skin and the air and since we rarely clean or replace our bedroom pillows, bacterias and molds are free to reproduce unhampered. This can become quite a problem if you have allergies to dust mites or mold since you are placing your head in the hot zone for 8 hours a night.

Experts suggest that you replace your pillow every 2 years. Since that can be a costly endeavor, you can try pillow protectors instead since they can prevent dust mites from breeding in your bedding.

Fit's Tip: One quick way to zap all those bacteria is to throw you pillows into the dryer for 20 minutes on high heat. Aim to do this at least once a month and at least once a week if you are experiencing severe allergy symptoms.

Sweet dreams....

What's in Your Pillow?

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 02:27:09 -0800

So I've already told you the ugly truth behind Dust Bunnies and if you suffer from allergies to this not so cute problem, you really should re-evaluate your pillow situation.

How long have you had your pillow? Consider this: After about 10 years about 10% of your pillow's weight comes not from the fluffy stuffing, but from dust mites, mold, fungus and bacteria. Gross, huh?

Try these tips to keep your pillows:

Replace all household pillows (even those in guest rooms) every three years.
Wash your pillows in the washing machine on hot and then throw then in the dryer. Drying immediately is important to stop any mold growth.
Storing pillows in attics (basements, storage lockers, etc) is not the best idea as dark damp places are breeding grounds for allergens.
Try to keep pillows off the floor, dust bunnies and mites congregate on the floor (especially hard wood floors).
Consider buying a pillow encasing like SatinSoft Supreme Allergy Pillow Cover ($8.99). Buy them on the National Allergy Website.

Fit's Tip: Next time you start a pillow fight, imagine accidentally busting open a 10 year old pillow on your best friend's head. Ewwwww.

Dust Bunnies are Not Cute

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:30:00 -0800

We find them hiding under our beds and in the forgotten corners of our home. Dust bunnies aren't just balls of fluff. Lurking inside are tiny microscopic arachnids we call dust mites.

They feed on dead skin cells that are sloughed from our bodies (and probably crumbs from cookies and such). Dust bunnies are just colonies of dust mites hatching, growing, eating, pooping, mating, and laying eggs. That is disgusting with a capital "D".

Many people develop severe allergies to dust mite droppings (ewww). Lie on a dust-infested rug, and you might break into hives. Breathe in those little suckers and you might break into an asthma attack.

Want to know how to stop dust mites before they start? read more

You can purchase covers for your mattress and pillows that are made with anti-mite material. Pretty cool.
Wash your sheets, duvet covers, and other bedding in hot water to kill dust mites and their eggs. This is something you should do once a week - not once a year.
Get rid of clutter. Dust mites love to hide in quiet dark places.
Ditch your carpets and rugs if you can. You don't even want to see what's living underneath them.
Use a wet washcloth to wipe down corners and stairs, instead of a broom that just pushes those critters around.

Fit's Tips: Sounds like a lot? Don't fret. Worry about cleaning your bedroom first - that's where you spend most of your time.

Do You Know About Dust?

FitSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:15:00 -0700

I hate dust. Since it's everywhere, and I'm allergic, it makes me miserable. Plus if I think about how dust has little microscopic dust mites living in it, I get really creeped out.

Dust might seem like just annoyance, something you're always having to clean up, but knowing all about it will inspire you to clean. Take this quiz to see what I mean.

Source

Take the quiz

Health Tip: Buy New Pillows

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:30:00 -0700

I just want to remind you of a disgustingly true fact. Dust mites live off the dead skin cells that you shed. So guess where they love to lurk? In your bed. Yup, as you sleep, your skin sloughs off and works its way down into your mattresses and pillows. If the air in your room is humid (which in the warm weather it most likely is), dust mites get into your bed and your pillows and happily multiply into large colonies.Your own body creates heat as you breathe and perspire, and they love that too. There can be as many as 30,000 tiny dust mites living in just 1 oz of dust, and you are allergic to their poop.

With that said, let me ask you this - Can you remember the last time you changed your pillows? If you can't, now is the time to buy some new ones.

If you don't already have them, you can pick up dust mite pillowcases ($16.95) and encase your new pillows in them. If you recently bought new pillows, you can still use these special pillowcases, since not only do they not allow dust mites to get into your pillow, but they'll trap existing dust mites as well.

Fit's Tips: You can also pick up dust mite mattress covers ($114.95 for Queen Size). They keep dust mites trapped and won't allow in new critters.

If you need some more inspiration, like a visual of these little critters - then read more

This image just makes me itch all over. Yes it is magnified a bunch! But still...makes me want to get new pillows. How about you? Tell me in the comments section below.

Source & Source

Dust mite-proof pillow cover

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:35:31 -0700

Back

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

To help decrease the amount of dust mites, encase mattresses, box springs, and pillows with mite-proof covers. Additional methods consist of washing bedding once a week in hot water, and dusting with a wet cloth once a week. Carpets can be a significant source of dust mites and should be vacuumed weekly with a vacuum cleaner containing a HEPA filter. Owning wooden and leather furniture is another way to reduce the dust mite population in the home.

Review Date:
5/7/2007
Reviewed By:
Harvey Simon, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.

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The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-2010 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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