The average home currently has over two million live dust mites hiding in carpets, upholstery, curtains and mattresses feeding on dead skin cells and other debris.
As these mites can double their numbers in around 10 hours and produce ten to twenty pieces of faeces per day, you get around 100,000 dead mite bodies and 30 million pieces of faeces added to your home every day.
The microscopic mite droppings and dead carcasess are so small they they float in the air as you walk around your house, you breath these particles in to your lungs causing asthma and other breathing difficulties in some people.
Even people who do not usually suffer from respiratory illnesses or asthma may notice symptoms such as cough, wheeze, shortness of breath and chest tightness.
Regular Cleaning Is The Answer!
After reading the information above , you may be tempted (or even feel the immediate need!) to completely remove all the carpets and soft furnishings from your home to avoid such unpleasant visitors. However, this is not the answer.
Unfortunatley, even a home with all wooden flooring will contain just the same amount of dust mites and particles as those homes with carpets and curtains, and can in fact actually be worse for your lung health.
This is because Carpet actually helps us to breathe easier by capturing these unwanted particles within the fibres, taking them out of the air and acting somewhat like a giant air filter for your home.
You may have indeed noticed that rooms with wooden floors have a lot more visible dust particles floating around in the air when viewed in a shaft of bright sunlight.
As with all filters, carpets can eventually become so full that they get less effective at capturing new debris – which is why a regular cleaning schedule is needed.
Regular cleaning (as in a thorough weekly vacuuming and regular professional carpet and upholstery cleaning) will keep these critters and bits in check and ensure that your home is as healthy as it can be.
