Why should we clean mattresses & upholstery? | Βιολογικοί καθαρισμοί

Why should we clean mattresses and upholstery?

House Dust Mites, Allergies, Allergens & Asthma

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We spend serious amounts for cleaning our clothes, our carpets, etc.! Washing, cleaning & care of our clothes cost’s us usually many times the cost of purchase during the “lifecycle” of this products.

For car washing many people spend almost the same amounts of money then for the supply of fuel for the car.

Why clean mattresses & upholstery?

There is a growing amount of scientific data that reveals better environmental hygiene improves health.

The Environmental Protection Agency has consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health, and according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, "50 percent of all illnesses are caused by or aggravated by polluted indoor air."

So what are the indoor pollutants that can negatively affect our health? They include outdoor pollutants brought inside, combustion products, contamination from chemical products used by the consumer and biological contamination. This is why statistics show that levels of airbourne pollutants can be 100 to 500 percent higher indoors than outdoors.

Bio-pollutants include dog and cat dander, dust mites and cockroach allergens. These indoor pollutants act as triggers for asthma and other respiratory ailments.

A healthy indoor environment is very important for our health and quality of life. As a matter of fact, the weight of the air we inhale indoors is greater than the total weight of all the food and drink we consume in our lifetime.

Nowadays, indoor air pollution is 200% to 500% higher than outdoor air pollution. Several investigations indicate that bad indoor climate may be the cause of the many cases of illnesses, allergies & respiratory diseases.

We breathe about 20.000 times per day and fill our lungs with an average more than 13 m³ of air. Research proved that there is approximately 250 - 300 mg of fine dust particles (including feces of the house dust mite, bacteria, fungi, spores etc…) in every 1 m³ of air in our homes.

That is to say, that we breathe approximately 4 gr of dangerous dust into our lungs every day (or about 28 gr a week, 122 gr a month and 1.460gr [1,5kg] a year) without noticing it.

Children are the most risk, as their lungs are still in the developmental stage.

The No 1 indoor allergen source is the common house dust mite, (Acari).

House dust mites reproduce quickly enough that their effect on human health can be significant.

As dust mites like warm, fluffy furniture and materials, they are most likely to be found on beds, couches, carpets, rugs, toys, and curtains.

Dust mites are microscopic, eight legged arachnids max. 0,32 mm in length. They are invisible to the human eye - so small they can crawl through the weave of bedding fabrics and over 7500 dust mites can fit just on a fingernail.

A dust mite molts several times during its life producing 200 times its weight in waste and will lay appr. 300 eggs. Each mite produces 40 to 100 feces pellets per day. The mite’s droppings are coated in an enzymatic slimy substance, which after drying become mixed with other particles forming household dust.

So what about our mattresses? For allergy sufferers, the bedroom is the primary source of dust mite exposure in the home.

About 60 percent of mites in the home are found in the mattresses. In our beds (and hence on our mattress) we spend approximately 1/3 of our lives - shedding skin and feeding dust mites.

According to research and statistic data’s, a mattress can have anywhere between 10,000 to 10 million (10.000.000) dust mites in it.

Of course, dust mites don't bite, but they can make life pretty uncomfortable for you and your family members who suffer from allergies or asthma.

Allergens produced by house dust mites are among the most common triggers of asthma. There are at least 15 dust mite allergens.

Dust mites are indeed trouble, considering that exposure as a child or baby can cause a lifelong allergy to dust mites. Exposure as a young child can also cause other complications including asthma, eczema, and hay fever that will last for a lifetime.

Paired with cat dander, cockroach droppings, and grass pollen, these allergic reactions and side effects can become almost unbearable for many people.

While there are many other risk factors, exposure to indoor allergens is now one of largest and yet one of the most preventable and controllable causes of allergic illness.

The medical community has identified dust mite and pet allergens as posing the greatest risk for the development of allergies in the first place, continued suffering of those with allergic illness and a component in the development of much more serious allergic diseases such as asthma and sinusitis.

Since dust mites thrive mainly by embedding themselves into mattresses, carpet, clothing, and other fabrics, they inhabit the same areas as humans. Human allergies to these pests stem mostly from the residue left from dust mites. As the colony of dust mites grows, so does the amount of decaying body parts and fecal waste left behind from them.

These waste products are the root cause for the allergy and asthma symptoms caused by dust mites.

The most common symptoms of dust mites include a wide variety of sinus related problems. The most usual symptoms are itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, itching and clogging of the ear canals, asthma, and many, many other respiratory related problems.

Many of these symptoms appear at night, while a person sleeps. And this because millions of dust mites usually live in a person’s bed by inhabiting the mattresses and pillows. When a person sleeps, they are in very close proximity to the agents that cause allergies, and by moving around in bed, people are unknowingly causing these particles to become airborne.

People who suffer from asthma often have a difficult time with dust mites. If they have allergies to dust mites, the allergy symptoms can often bring on severe asthmatic reactions. These reactions can present with symptoms such as respiratory congestion, wheezing, and even severe shortness of breath. Anyone suffering these conditions should be treated by a licensed physician or asthma specialist.

Allergic asthma, eczema, rhinitis (hay fever), conjunctivitis and even symptoms of glue ear can be the result of mite allergy. These are common diseases of childhood and may appear separately or together.

At present, the most effective form of treatment for dust mite allergies is simple the avoidance of dust mites and their allergens combined with medication, (ask a licensed physician or asthma specialist).

The environment of a bedroom is optimal for most dust mites, and comparative studies have shown that the density of dust mites in mattresses to be on average greater than 2500 per gram of dust.

Dust Mite Allergies

Many serious sources indicate that dust mites are responsible for 25% of all allergies and are the most important cause of asthma worldwide.

These sources further indicate that perhaps 15-20% of the earth’s population is severely allergic to dust mite allergen!

Physician organizations all over the world, (e.g. the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology - AAAAI) states that dust mite feces are a major source of allergen found in house dust. It’s clear, that dust mite feces is one of the most important and hazardous allergens found in indoor environments.

Dust mites are found in virtually all homes regardless how clean, with the principal source of exposure in the home being the mattresses, upholstery & bedrooms.

Especially the mattresses provides a plenty supply of shed human skin cells, warmth and humidity, making it an ideal environment for dust mites to thrive and multiply in. Given the fact, that we spend approximately one-third of our lives in the bedroom and on our mattress, we are also exposed to this highly potent allergen for long periods of time, increasing the likelihood of developing or aggravating allergic diseases.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory, allergic disease in which the body’s airways become sensitive to allergens.

When the asthma sufferer is exposed to certain triggers, the linings of the airways become swollen and inflamed, the muscles surrounding the airways tighten and the production of mucus increases, further blocking the airways.

Asthma is often associated with allergy and risk factors for developing asthma include sensitization to indoor allergens such as from house dust mites, animals and cockroaches as well as outdoor allergens, early exposure to tobacco smoke and a variety of other risk factors.

During an asthma attack, which can last from a few hours to several days, breathing is difficult and symptoms also may include wheezing, coughing and chest tightness.

Asthma can even cause death.

Each asthmatic has different triggers. These triggers include indoor allergens such as dust mites, animal dander and cockroaches, certain foods, strong fumes, irritants like cigarette smoke, smog, soot or pollen, respiratory infections, cold or windy weather conditions, and emotions or exercise that cause deep or rapid breathing.

Cleaning mattresses & upholstery:

Cleaning mattresses & upholstery with most vacuum cleaners will not remove dust mite allergens, but instead throw them into the air and increase their volatility.

If you wake up with a stuffy head or have a hard time getting a good night's sleep, it’s time to think about cleaning your mattress, and it goes much deeper than just flipping the mattress or washing the sheets.

FM Hellas can clean your upholstery & mattress to eliminate dust mites and neutralize the allergens that they produce.

The superior professional FM Hellas upholstery & mattress cleaning method is designed to thoroughly clean and effectively eliminate allergen problems.