Stress or Bugs?


Fatigue is a typical side effect of a busy mom and according to studies, microscopic bugs could be one of the reasons. We may not be aware of it but microscopic droppings left by dust mites are the number one indoor allergen. We often blame stress but mites are the real culprit.

Everyone has dust mites in their house and they just love nestling in our beddings and pillows. We may have developed a sensitivity to the droppings of these bugs without even knowing it and that is causing our sleepless nights and allergy symptoms like sneezing and runny nose.

Routine cleaning such as shaking out blankets and fluffing pillows can worsen symptoms. Get rid of old bedroom rugs and wash your bedding more frequently. Reports say a new bedding holds 2 million or more allergen-producing dust mites after one month of use. Once allergens are airborne, they can affect people 24/7.

To sleep better at night and wake up energized, here are some ways to kill those mites.

1) Launder bedding in cold water. Studies show that washing in cold water weekly removes 90% of allergen-producing mite droppings.

2) Leave pillows and mattresses uncovered and exposed to direct sunlight and fresh dry air for at least an hour a week. It reduces dust mite populations by dehydrating the critters, which crave moist and warm areas.

3) Traditional brooms and vacuums stir allergens into the air. For hard floors it will be best to mop first before sweeping and for carpets, treat them with eucalyptus oil 6 to 24 hours before vacuuming. It helps neutralize mite allergens. Here's how to do it: Combine 5 drops of eucalyptus oil and 8 0z. water in a clean spray bottle and use it like you would a room deodorizing spray.



Comments

Anonymous said…
Interesting article, never thought of dust mites causing fatigue. Ewww. this is creepy.

Chronic Chick Talk
Anonymous said…
nothing like this to make me wanna clean even more.

and i'm tired too. hmm.

i'm cleaning right now as a matter of fact. well i between dropping.
Anonymous said…
i hate mites. I terribly allergic to them! there's a spray that could kill these little killers called allercon! its very effective and cannot induce an allergic attack
Amanda said…
Thank you for the eucalyptus spray idea. All 4 of us are dust mite allergic. Washing curtains and bedding here is a weekly ritual for me.
Interesting post. Thanks for the info. I always washed our bedding in hot water. Doing it in cold will save some money too! Yea! I am including this little tip in my "Things I Learned this Week" post and linking back to your article if you don't mind. It will be published 10/17 at www.zemeks.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
Great thought as I go to bed :D
Francesca said…
nice post mom, very informative!

pls. vote "Chesca of talakera.blogspot.com" @ sweetposh.com. Thanks! :)
Anonymous said…
I'll use cold water from this day forward. I always thought hot water was best. Thanks for the tip.
Anonymous said…
yikes! yup we can't see them but their everywhere...thanks for the tips.

Reflexes
Living In Australia
Babs (Beetle) said…
That is very informative. I suffer with quite a lot of allergies, and this is one of them. I always fold my bed back and open a window for an hour or so before making my bed.
Jackie said…
Oh wow I knew about the cleaning and the sunning.

But I always wash my bedding in hot water. I have been ding it wrong.

I'll have to strip it down and do it correctly.



Happy day Liza:-)
Anonymous said…
I've never heard the droppings can actually make me tired! Interesting!
I do get tired a LOT (I have fibromyalgia though too and allergies), but I can see where that would maybe cause some of my runny nose problems. AND, I never did hear to wash bedding in COLD water...
or exposing it to the sun once a week. Great tips-thanks!
Anonymous said…
These little creatures apparently get everywhere and we all probably without realising transport them into every room of the house, the car, public transport ... in fact everywhere we go. They are probably more common now than they ever were as people do not tend to throw open windows and doors as frequently as they used to. Then look at all of the fitted carpets and underlay everywhere ... it makes you wonder if there aren't even smaller creatures that live on these dust mites doesn't it?
Unknown said…
That is pretty nasty! Makes me want to wash my sheets everyday!
Anonymous said…
Nasty little buggers aren't they? Well this post certainly got my attention. I'm off to wash all the sheets and air stuff out. Thanks for the heads ups!
carmie said…
this microscopic creatures look like tiny pillows but no thanks i just don't like their tiny little feet.
Those with asthma should be extra careful with this dust mites. It "mite" make you sneeze all day.
Bright info..
mimi11460 said…
Tama ka kailangan laba at bilad ng beddings ang pwedeng patanggal diyan..Kahit carpet kaya lang matagal matuyo..
Anonymous said…
I'm surprised that it's recommended to wash bedding in cold water. I know when my daughter had head lice the only way to kill them was with hot water and a hot dryer, you would assume since mites are bugs too it would be the same thing.
Hi! I'm Ruby said…
wow! Liza, this is the best blogger i have seen ever. Congrats :)
Anonymous said…
Oooh nice and creepy topic. LOL Thanks for all the info though, because there were a few things I didn't know.

I left you an award over on my blog.
Anonymous said…
Good day!
It is very informative and has a very good quality in it.
I like it...

Self Improvement
Modern Rifle
Happy Halloween

Thank you very much for your time.
Anonymous said…
Loving this article, guess it's time to wash the sheets!
Anonymous said…
Great advice! Although I'd want to ask WENDY as to where can I purchase ALLERCON. A friend gave me one as a gift and it was surely effective.
Unfortunately, we lost contact and never got to asking her where to buy it here in the Philippines.
lettyharry said…
Sometime few educational blogs become very helpful while getting relevant and new information related to your targeted area. As I found this blog and appreciate the information delivered to my database.บริการกำจัดไรฝุ่น