An allergy to dust mites can show up as chronic congestion or even asthma. It’s worth the extra effort to minimize exposure to the allergens that come from these commonplace tiny critters.
The September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers tips to reduce exposure to these allergens:
-- Focus on the bedroom: About 98 percent of dust allergens are inhaled from the bed. Pillows and mattresses should be covered with dust-proof covers, which can be purchased at many department stores. Bedding should be washed every other week in hot water to kill dust mites.
-- Clean with a difference: A microfiber dusting product and damp rag are better for grabbing dust than is a dry cloth or dust mop. A vacuum cleaner with a double-layered microfilter bag or high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter will help remove dust from carpet and upholstered furniture. Bedrooms should be cleaned once a week. Keeping dust-collecting clutter -- newspapers and knickknacks -- to a minimum also helps.
-- Control the environment: Windows and doors should be shut as much as possible. Using a micron-grade allergen filter with furnace and air conditioning systems helps minimize dust. Filters need to be changed frequently.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Developed more than 200 years ago and found in households around the world, chlorine bleach is among the most widely used disinfectants, yet scientists never have understood exactly how the familiar product kills bacteria. New research from the University of Michigan, however, reveals key details in the process by which bleach works its antimicrobial magic.In a ...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – An activist group's call for a one-size-fits-all labeling scheme on household cleaning products could obscure the most important information for consumers – product safety and usage information.The Soap and Detergent Association has expressed its disappointment at a cleaning product "report card" issued by a group known as Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE) which could misguide consumers ...
A Nevada television station reporter tested two Las Vegas homes for various kinds of disease-causing bacteria, swabbing tile floors, carpeted areas, the soles of shoes, and even the family pet’s paws. The samples were taken to the Silver State Analytical Labs and scientists there found mold, fungus and coliform found in human and animal waste. To read the complete article, ...
As Midwest floodwaters recede and clean-up efforts get underway, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) offers advice to help reduce the risk of infection:Nothing beats hand hygiene – It’s critical to remember to practice basic hand hygiene during the emergency period. Always wash your hands with soap and warm water. If your local health authority has ...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a new fact sheet, “Control of Pandemic Flu Virus on Environmental Surfaces in Homes and Public Places,” which explains how cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in homes and public places can help to prevent the spread of pandemic influenza. How Flu Viruses Spread A flu pandemic is an outbreak of illness ...
Bacteria and viruses are the microscopic organisms – otherwise known as germs -- that are responsible for causing and transmitting illness and disease. These microbes are so small, that according to the American Society for Microbiology, if the smallest of all microbes was the size of a baseball, an average bacterium would then be the size of the pitcher's mound, and just one of the millions of cells that make up your body would be the size of the ballpark!
