Dust Mites in Your Pillow or Mattress May Cause Allergies

Many people blame pollen or animal dander for their asthma and allergy problems, when in reality, dust mites are recognized to be the main cause for asthma, chronic Rhinitis (hay fever) and other allergies.

You cannot see them with the naked eye ... but they are there! They are so small six of them will fit on the end of a pin. They thrive in warm humid conditions. Their favorite spot is your mattress, your pillow, and your bedding ... where they feed on dead skin cells and body fluids you excrete when you sleep. They are DUST MITES, tiny relatives of ticks and spiders. Your mattress may contain as many as two million of the tiny scavengers at one time!

Dust mites are about 1/4-1/3 mm long. Male dust mites are slightly smaller than females. They are whitish in color and thus can only be seen in dust samples when they are moving on a dark background, or when suspended in the air in a ray of light. They have 8 legs, no eyes, no developed respiratory structures and by volume are mainly a walking stomach and respiratory system ( Mites and Allergens, MADD 1, 1993).

There are three types of dust mites commonly found in American homes. These include Storage Mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae) which are found in food products, grain, and old books, and the Predatory Mites (Cheyletidae) which are larger and predate on domestic mites.

The house dust mites found in bedding, carpets, upholstery, stuffed toys, and clothes are called the American house dust mite (Dermatophagoides farinae) and also the European house dust mite (D. pteronyssinus), their names literally mean "skin-eating mites."

Mites are found in places in houses which provide a source of food and shelter with adequate humidity. Traditional innerspring mattresses are perfect for their needs! The fibrous and cellular structure of these environments allows mites to cluster and reduce water loss. Dust mites live around three to four months each, and females lay 25 to 50 eggs every three weeks.