Dust Mites What are They ?If you have asthma or allergies, tiny creatures, dust mites living in your home could be making big problems for you. You can not see them. They live in many homes throughout the world. This may be the most common cause of year-round allergy and asthma.About 20 million Americans have dust mites allergy. They are found in every continent except Antarctica. Details It measures only about one-quarter to one-third of a millimeter.Under a microscope, you can see they have eight legs not six,technically not insects but arthropods,like spiders. A female may lay as many as 100 eggs in a lifetime. It takes from 2 to 5 weeks for an adult to develop from an egg. Adults can live for 2 to 4 months. They thrive in temperatures of 68 to 77 degrees faranheight and humidity levels of 70 to 80 percent. There are at least 13 species, all of which are adapted to living in your home. Microscopic Mites An average adult sheds 1.5 grams of skin each day, enough to feed 1 million of these tiny creatures. Household air is a mixture of many materials ,which may contain dander from pet dogs or cats ,bacteria ,food ,plant and insect parts, and mold and fungus spores , and microscopic mites and their waste products. Their waste products are what cause allergic reactions. Throughout its life a single creature can produce as much as 200 times its body weight in waste. They die when exposed to low humidity or extreme temperatures, but leave their waste behind, which cause allergic reactions. Cleaning Keeping your home as clean as possible can lessen in-door allergies. It is important to wash sheets and blankets every week in hot water. Temperatures of at least 130 degrees F are needed to kill the them. Leave Dust Mites Page and Return to Spring Cleaning Tips Page Return to Carpet Stains Home Page
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It may not be possible to rid your home
of these creatures,but there are ways to lessen your allergic reactions to them.
