How to Banish Dust Mitesthe Secret Enemy You Sleep with Every Night
Dust mites love your mattress because it’s the perfect environment for them. It’s warm, tends to be moist, and what’s more, it’s replete with their favorite diet – human skin flakes. The Mayo Clinic estimates that you may be sharing you cozy bed with anywhere from 1 to 10 million of the critters. And though they’re microscopic (500 could fit on the head of a pin), they may be causing you big problems.
The reason why these tiny creatures are so virulent is that they are a source of allergens. These allergens come from many sources including the dried body parts of the mites themselves and their fecal matter. The typical dust mite excretes 200 times its boy weight in fecal matter.
One reason this is such a problem is that mites lack a stomach. So digestion occurs outside their bodies. The mites secrete enzymes and deposit the fungus Aspergillus Repens on dust particles. Then the fungus predigests the food for the mites. The dust mite’s partially digested food, and fecal matter make up the most major sources of allergens.
The allergens then...