Let's Talk Allergies

March 9, 2021October 24, 2022

Afraid of Dust Mites? We’ve Got You Covered

In an earlier post, we looked at bed bugs (the real vampires) and discovered that I wasn’t the only person that is afraid of dust mites. Continuing our creepy crawly theme, this post is going to look at dust mites, dust mite allergy, and dust mite allergy control.

Dust Mites are the Unseen Enemy

If you are afraid of bed bugs, then you can face a fear you can actually see. Bed bugs are visible. Dust mites are so incredibly small that you can’t see them without a microscope. But photos of the buggers are enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies.

There isn’t a medical term for fear of dust mites. Doctors lump the fear of dust mites into amathophobia, which is a fear of dust.

Some people get so creeped out by the thought of millions of these microscopic creatures crawling in the bed and pillow they actually imagine the feeling of insects crawling on their bodies. Just the thought makes my skin crawl. But I know that you can’t see dust mites and you can’t feel them. That’s only slightly reassuring.

Dust Mites Aren’t Vampires

At least dust mites don’t suck your blood like bed bugs. Of course, that is little comfort when you can’t sleep because of sneezing, wheezing, coughing, or a stuffy or runny nose.

Dust mites and their feces (now how gross is that) contain proteins that cause an allergic reaction in people that are sensitive. That dust that you may fear is loaded with tiny particles of dead dust mites and their poop. When you breathe these particles in, your immune system gets grossed out right along with you. Not really.

What really happens is that your immune system doesn’t identify the proteins found in those dust mite particles properly. It sees them as germs and initiates full-scale germ warfare. That is why the symptoms of allergies and colds are similar. Your body thinks it is sick, but it is not. It is just having an attack of dust mite allergy.

Never Fear – Dust Mite Allergy Control is Near

You can try hypnotism, meditation, and therapy to get over your fear of dust. Controlling dust mite allergy is much easier. It’s all about controlling your environment. You may find that when your environment is under control and your allergy symptoms are manageable your fear of dust mites just naturally goes away. Here’s what you can do to get started:

Dust Mite Covers. The number one thing you can do to control dust mite allergies is to cover your mattress, box spring, and pillows with dust mite covers. Just like bed bug covers; dust mite-proof covers are zippered and made of special fabrics. These cover all sides, zip up, and but an effective barrier between you and those nasty dust mites in your bed.

Vacuum. It’s best to have hard surface floors. Carpets and rugs collect more than dirt; they collect dust mites as well. Frequently vacuum with a sealed HEPA vacuum and damp mop hard surface floors.

Wash Frequently. Even though you zip everything up in dust mite covers, allergens will collect on your sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. An effective part of your dust mite allergy control program is stripping sheets, pillowcases, and blankets off the bed every 7 days and washing them in 140°F water. If you can’t get your water this hot at home (and most people can’t) just add some De-Mite Laundry Additive to your detergent and wash in cold water. Those creepy dust mites will be washed away.

sunshine by stuart miles — courtesy Stuart Miles@freedigital photos

Let the Sun Shine. I know your mother told you to make your bed as soon as you arise, but leaving the bed unmade for a few hours may actually help your allergies. By exposing sheets and blankets to air and sunshine, moisture will evaporate. Dust mites don’t like dry environments and leaving your bed sheets exposed will help keep things dry. Just remember to make the bed before your Mom comes over.

Are you afraid of dust mites, bed bugs, or other insects (like spiders?). Leave a comment, we’d love to know what creeps you out.

Til next time!

Cheryl

January 29, 2021October 6, 2021

Tell Dust Mites to Freeze?

Researches with the University of South Carolina have been granted two patents for a novel way of cleaning to reduce allergens from dust mites. The patents are titled Methods and Compositions for Eliminating Allergens and Allergen-Producing Organisms.

A university news release announced that the patents had been awarded to Michael Matthews, Jian Zhang, and Allan Quick. and uses carbon dioxide (CO2) to “freeze clean” home fabrics.

We have been explaining to people for years that in order to neutralize an allergen effectively it must be subjected to extreme heat, cold, or an acid or alkaline substance in order to denature the proteins. When you spray ADMS or ADS anti-allergen dust mite sprays on your fabrics and rugs, you are denaturing the allergy-causing proteins using alkaline substances.

Grants by the National Institutes of Health and other sources funded the research into ways that carbon dioxide could be used to freeze clean surfaces. You might be familiar with carbon dioxide in the form of dry ice.

The extremely cold temperature of the carbon dioxide not only will freeze the dust mite but it will denature the proteins from animals, molds, and pollens as well. In addition, the researchers discovered that the process also removed the odor from smoke.

The process has not been perfected yet. Currently, the researchers apply carbon dioxide in the form of a vapor that freezes on contact with the fabric. As it freezes, the carbon dioxide forms microparticles of ice that are removed with a vacuum. Since the ice particles are immediately removed with a vacuum, they do not melt and the fabric stays dry.

The researchers were not looking for a new and better way to clean the house. They were looking for a new and better way to sterilize medical equipment commercially. When they realized that their process worked on allergens as well as microbes, they begin to see home applications for allergy control.

Researcher Michael Mathews says, “..we realized that there was a critical national need to address the removal of asthma triggers from the home. These triggers, which are actually proteins produced by pets and pests, can be removed with our technology”.

They have not licensed the process to any cleaning companies and no equipment is currently available for home use of carbon dioxide vapor. But, relief may soon be on the way for millions that suffer from allergies and asthma.

There is no current estimate of the cost for standard treatment of a home, but it does appear that a treatment is effective for about 6 months.

Until you can tell dust mites to “freeze” with carbon dioxide vapor, you can continue to vacuum with a HEPA filtered vacuum, spray ADMS Anti Dust Mite Spray on your fabrics, and keep the number of dust-catching objects in a room to a minimum.

Even when the carbon dioxide technology has been adapted for home use, you will still need a zippered dust mite cover for your mattress, pillow, and box spring. It will be impossible to get the vapor to the depths of your mattress or pillow.

So do not throw out those zippered mattress covers! They will continue to be your first line of defense, even after you tell the dust mites to “Freeze!”

Wishing you the best of health

October 30, 2020October 6, 2021

Cockroach Allergy is for Real

We’re wrapping up this month’s discussion of annoying pests with the venerable cockroach. Have you ever heard of cockroach allergy? Just like dust mites, people can be allergic to cockroaches and they are a main source of allergens in densely populated areas. Twenty-three to sixty percent of urban residents with asthma test as sensitive to the cockroach allergen.

Cockroach allergy was first reported in 1943. Skin rashes appeared immediately after the insects crawled over patients’ skin. How gross is that? The first allergy skin challenge test to confirm cockroach allergy in a patient was in 1959.

How do Cockroaches Cause Allergy?

Just like dust mites, cockroaches contain proteins in their bodies that are easily misidentified by the immune system as an enemy invader. When you inhale this protein, your body thinks it is a germ and kicks your immune system into high gear.

The bad news is that when cockroaches die, they create in the environment even more of the allergy causing protein. That’s because the protein is released as their wicked cockroach bodies break down and crumble.

Cockroach Allergy Symptoms

Cockroach allergy symptoms can be similar to dust mite allergy symptoms, except they don’t only occur and night and in the morning. Coughing, wheezing, skin rash, and a runny nose can all be symptoms of cockroach allergy. As stated earlier, cockroach allergy frequently contributes to asthma.

Control the Cockroaches!

The best way to control your cockroach allergy is to control the cockroaches. Integrated pest management practices will reduce cockroach populations with the least amount of poison. In addition, The American College of Asthma, Allergies, and Immunology suggests that you:

Keep food and garbage in containers with tight lids. Never leave food out anywhere.
Clean up food crumbs and spilled liquids immediately.
Wash dirty dishes right away, never leave them out.
Don’t leave out pet food, except when the pet is eating.
Keep counters, sinks, stove, tables, and floors clean and clear of clutter.
Clean the kitchen floor after meals. Mop the floor at least once a week.
Repair leaky faucets, drain pipes, and other moisture problems.
Get rid of cardboard boxes and newspapers, where cockroaches may hide.
Plug up small spaces around the house, such as cracks between the wall and floor, where cockroaches can enter.

Control the Allergens

If you find that cockroaches have invaded, once you get the invasion under control you can attack the allergens they left behind. Almost every product that we sell that controls dust mite allergen will work on cockroach allergen as well. This means that if you find cockroaches in a box of stored clothing, you can wash the clothing with Allergen Wash and the cockroach allergen will be washed away.

If you have had cockroaches crawling on your floors or furniture, you can lightly spray with ADMS Anti Allergen Spray. It will safely denature the cockroach protein and is safe for your furniture and fabric surfaces. All it takes is a light mist. If you have had a serious cockroach invasion, you might need to make two treatments.

Unfortunately cockroaches are probably here to stay. In the end, it will probably just be sharks, cockroaches, and dust mites roaming the planet and seas. Until then, if you think you are allergic to cockroaches, talk to your doctor about it. They can perform skin or blood tests and suggest medications to get symptoms under control until you can control the little buggers.

Til Next Time!